Review: Phileas Fogg's World of Adventures in Brighton
Published: 17:14, 26 November 2018
Updated: 06:40, 27 November 2018
One of the south east’s newest and most eye-catching attractions has taken on a whole new look for Christmas. My Kent Family went along to investigate.
An industrial estate a few miles outside Brighton makes an inauspicious setting for the south coast resort’s newest attraction.
But the moment you step into Phileas Fogg’s World of Adventures the outside world is forgotten as you begin a spectacular experience like no other.
It’s part escape room, part interactive theatre and it’s a whole lot of fun.
The attraction opened its doors in September and has already attracted glowing reviews.
Guests are transported back to 1870, boarding a train to be met by the eccentric explorer Phileas Fogg.
What follows is a hair-raising hour-long theatrical adventure as participants accompany Fogg through different themed rooms representing his around-the-world adventure.
Groups are deliberately kept small to allow for an intimate, immersive experience as they help Fogg solve puzzles to complete his quest - all the time avoiding the attention of a pursuing police office.
For Christmas, this quest has taken on a festive twist with guests helping Fogg towards his aim of proving the existence of Father Christmas.
The actors, who stayed firmly in character throughout the visit, were clearly enjoying themselves and added to the sense of anarchic fun.
When we (spoiler alert) eventually discovered Father Christmas was very much alive our kids’ faces lit up. After finishing their chat with Santa - and leaving with a very good quality gift - they then busied themselves decorating festive biscuits in the bar area at the end of the trail.
Phileas Fogg’s World of Adventures isn’t a cheap and cheerful afternoon out - it will set you back in the region of £100 for a family of four so you need to think of it as being equivalent to a trip to the theatre.
It will, without a doubt, give your family a truly memorable experience though. The 16 sets are simply stunning, built by a team who have previously worked on Harry Potter and Star Wars movies.
Phileas Fogg’s World of Adventures is situated on the Hollingbury estate just outside Brighton. Tickets and more information is available here.
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My Kent Family reporter