Van Gogh Alive Experience at Media City, Manchester

Right on the Quayside of Media City is a magical pop-up, The Van Gogh Alive Experience. This immersive experience is a new and unique way to experience the artist’s work.

I headed here earlier in the week, after being recommended it by friends, and didn’t really know what to expect. It’s safe to say I was blown away, and you really felt the emotion behind the paintings and the different periods of Van Gogh’s life.

• 

• 

Everything you need to know about the Van Gogh Alive Experience

It’s safe to say I recommend heading to the Van Gogh Alive experience. I haven’t ever gone to anything like it before, and it was much more immersive than your usual gallery.

The art installation is set into two sections; the first is a bit on the history of Van Gogh, a photo opportunity to sit in one of his paintings, and the shop. The second section is the actual art installation; this giant dark room, with his paintings and words being projected onto the walls and floor. As well as the images, there’s also music to go along, which really encapsulates the magic of the artwork.

This is a 4D sensory experience, which fascinated me. As well as images and sound, they also had different sents floating through the experience. It was subtle but really added to the experience.

Being about to sit around and just watch, it was such a calming experience and a brilliant (and different) way to spend a Sunday evening.

How much does the Van Gogh Alive Experience cost?

Tickets are £23.50 for adults, £16.50 for children aged 5-16, and free for under 5’s.

There’s also the option when buying your tickets to add on a program for a discounted price. I decided not to do this, so I don’t know what was in it. But if you like collecting them, it’s a good offer!

• 

• 

How long does it take?

So one whole play of all of the images and videos is around 45 minutes. However, I’d say allow for at least 1.5 hours, just to soak it all up.

It was quite busy when I went, so the queue to enter the sunflower room was quite long (although it was absolutely fine because you carry on watching the exhibition.

Where about’s is the Van Gogh Alive Experience in Manchester?

So it’s in Media City, on the Plaza, right next to the Media City Tram Stop. I really recommend getting the tram to it, it’s just so much easier!

If you are driving, parking at The Lowery is always a good shout. I often park here if I’m off to the theatre and your car is safe, and it’s not too expensive.

Is it accessible?

As far as I’m aware, yes this is accessible (and it certainly presents it this way.)

How busy is The Van Gogh Alive Experience?

I went on a Sunday evening, and it was quite busy, and I did actually manage to get one of the last tickets (I booked quite last minute and most of the day was sold out.). What’s great is when you’re booking, you can get an idea of how busy it will be, and how close it is to being sold out.

I was worried that it being busy would detract from the experience, but it really didn’t. You can move around the installation, so you can see it from so many different angles. The collective experience almost adds to it!

If you’re heading to Manchester, then I thoroughly recommend checking this out. If you’re looking for tickets, then click here to find out more. Planning a trip to Manchester? Then make sure you check out my guide to 24 hours in Manchester. If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, I stayed at the Hilton Hotel by Manchester Piccadilly station, which was perfect to explore the city and two minutes from the tram spot.