Vivid just got Stranger: a first look at Luna Park’s new Stranger Things experience

• The wildly popular Stranger Things: The Experience, created in partnership with Netflix, has landed at Luna Park.
• Visitors can enter the experience when it opens on Friday, May 23.
• We got an exclusive sneak peek at the experience, and survived the Upside Down to tell the tale.

In more Vivid news, the highly anticipated Stranger Things: The Experience has landed at Luna Park. We got an exclusive sneak peek at this one-of-a-kind experience to see what all the buzz is about. Warning: spoilers ahead!

After successful runs in Europe and the US, Stranger Things: The Experience has come to Sydney’s favourite theme park, just in time for Vivid Sydney. Luna Park has joined forces with Netflix and Fever to bring the world of Stranger Things to life, transforming the Crystal Palace into a fully immersive Hawkins Lab experience.

What is Stranger Things: The Experience?

The experience is a fully interactive, immersive adventure based on the wildly popular Netflix series. Visitors are taken through six different rooms, facing challenges along the way to save Eleven from the Upside Down. You’ll join forces with actors and other visitors, working in your designated team to stop the evil Dr Brenner and the terrifying demogorgons.

Stranger Things: The Experience will begin on Friday, May 23, aligning with the launch of Vivid Sydney 2025. It will run throughout the 23-day light festival, with the possibility of extension. The whole experience takes around 45 minutes and is completely indoors, making it the perfect activity for those rainy Sydney days.

READ MORE: Best of Vivid Sydney 2025: Complete Guide

Although the experience would be particularly enthralling for fans of the show, anyone who hasn’t seen it will still have a good time, thanks to the incredible visual effects, talented actors and a sprinkle of 80s nostalgia. However, I would recommend a quick read of the show’s synopsis before you dive in — you’ll thank yourself when things get weird.

Here’s what happened

Assigned a team

We entered the Crystal Palace, where we were greeted by actors dressed in 80s-inspired clothes, reminiscent of the original actors’ costumes in the series. A man in a lab coat then came over to us, deciding which group we should be in by asking questions like “what’s your favourite colour?” and “what’s your favourite animal?”. We were then given a different coloured wristband (I was put in the blue team) and sent into the first room.

Entering the Hawkins Lab

We entered the first room of the Hawkins Lab, which felt eerily sterile, perfectly capturing that uncomfortable atmosphere that the show embodies. The doctor told us that we were there for a ‘Sleep Study’ because the Hawkins residents had been experiencing a bad dream epidemic.

An introduction to the experiment

In the next room, we were welcomed by the hilarious, high-energy woman in charge of the Hawkins Laboratory Public Relations Division. She made us stand in our groups before introducing the experiment to us, warning us of the “unconventional testing methods”.

During her presentation, the room started shaking, with static sounds erupting through the room. Glimpses of Max trapped in the Upside Down appeared on screen, and we were quickly escorted into the testing room to see if we shared Eleven’s unnatural powers.

The test room

We all agreed that the test room was one of our favourite parts of the experience. Separated into our teams, we were told to solve the puzzles in front of us. Dr. Alex then asked us to try some mind games, and this is where the special effects came into play. Some teams were crushing cans, others were causing spiders to crawl out of vents. It was all happening.

The evil Dr. Brenner came onscreen, telling us that the sleep study was over, and we were going to do something “much more interesting”. We were then contacted by Dustin and Erica, who helped us break out of the lab and into the control room.

The control room

After entering the control room, we had to use our “powers” to move levers, press emergency stop buttons and stop the demogorgons from killing Dustin and Erica. There were CCTV screenings of the lab corridors, with live videos of workers being killed by demogorgons.

We then saw outlines of the monsters through the hazy glass doors, as well as lab workers begging for help, their blood spattering everywhere. This was one of the most intense moments, with the immersive special effects and spine-chilling audio helping to amp up the tension and fear in the room.

The yellow team then used their powers of intuition to open a gaping hole in the wall. It’s finally time to enter the Upside Down!

READ MORE: Best kid-friendly Vivid Sydney events in 2025

The Upside Down

The Upside Down was a 3D extravaganza, with flying demogorgons, a real-life Eleven and a hologram of Max. We watched the duo fight the creatures of the Upside Down, using our own “powers” to help them when possible. The actress who played Eleven was incredible at mimicking Millie Bobby Brown’s iconic character — we all thought she was actually part of the hologram at first!

The 3D glasses gave the Upside Down a truly immersive feel, and we all shuddered and jolted as creatures flew at us and demogorgon blood splattered around. This was a great climactic end to the whole experience, especially as the whole gang came onscreen to congratulate us for beating the evil Vecna.

Mix-Tape

It turns out saving the world can leave you feeling quite hungry, so we were relieved to find the next room we went to was the Mix-Tape, an 80s-themed area that had pop-ups inspired by iconic locations in the show.

Guests can grab ice-cream from Scoops Ahoy (I’d recommend the mango flavour), order a slice of pepperoni pizza from Surfer Boy Pizza and even Stranger Things-themed cocktails from the bar. There’s also an Arcade with games, a recreation of the Byers’ living room and all the merch you could dream of. You can even snap a selfie with creepy Vecna.

The Verdict

Stranger Things: The Experience was an immersive thrill that I didn’t want to end. It was almost like an elevated cinema experience, filling that void for Stranger Things’ fans who are waiting on the new series. Escaping the rain and running around Crystal Palace was a real treat.

What really made the experience was the commitment of the actors. From start to finish, they were in character, ad-libbing in American drawls and encouraging us to participate and interact with each task. Another highlight was the special effects, especially the mind-blowing 3D experience in the Upside Down and the bloody demogorgon chaos in the Control Room.

That signature Netflix magic shines through the intricate staging and jaw-dropping visual effects, perfectly paired with the endless charm of Luna Park. Round up your friends and family and get ready — the adventure kicks off on Friday at Luna Park.

READ MORE: Best things to do on a rainy day in Sydney

Stranger Things: The Experience

Where: Crystal Palace, Luna Park Sydney. 1 Olympic Dr, Milsons Point NSW 2061
When: The experience opens on Friday, 23rd May 2025
Tickets: Prices from $53 for general admission and from $81 for VIP.

VIP tickets include entry to the experience, a beverage on arrival (cocktail or mocktail), 10% discount on food & beverage and retail inside Mix-Tape on the day of visit, plus access to exclusive Stranger Things merchandise. 

Tickets can be purchased here.