AREA15 is the epicenter of immersive experiences. Ever-changing and expanding, unfailingly mesmerizing and strange, it’s a mall-like venue that makes visitors feel they’ve embarked on a psychedelic journey, even when they’re fully sober. Anchoring the futuristic entertainment complex is Omega Mart, a seemingly normal convenience store with highly unusual products – and portals to other dimensions.
Arriving at AREA15
Arriving at AREA15, visitors are funneled through an outdoor garden full of retired Burning Man sculptures. They must then pass through what feels like a spaceship airlock, and are greeted on the other side by a giant skull featuring 3D projection mapping. A quick glance around the building reveals that it is packed with multisensory art experiences. There’s usually no fee just to wander around and absorb, but most attractions do charge admission. Add in a collection of bars and restaurants and it’s easy to spend several hours here.
Omega Mart
The interactive exhibits include Omega Mart (omegamart.com), an incredibly ambitious art installation created by the Santa Fe–based art collective Meow Wolf. The rapidly expanding group commissioned 325 artists to build the installation over a three-year-period, and the results are astounding.
Visitors find themselves in a mock grocery store with shelves stocked with fanciful, but unreal, products. Hidden from sight are two floors full of mind-bending spectacles. Guests must figure out how to move beyond the market, but there’s also a mystery to unravel about how this place got so…supernatural? Might the frozen-foods section lead somewhere?
Don’t miss secret bar Datamosh, hidden behind the meat counter. The specialty cocktails are deliciously potent.
Wink World
Chris Wink, cofounder of the world-famous Blue Man Group, is one of the masterminds behind AREA15 and in particular Wink World: Portals into the Infinite. Moving from room to room, visitors feast on cleverly designed visual productions – high-tech works of art – that appear to stretch into infinity. It’s literally all done with mirrors and choreographed to music.
Iluminarium
Housed separately from the rest of the complex, this attraction shows 3D movies with several extra dimensions. Viewers enter an interactive room where they can wander or relax on furniture while the film invites them on an adventure for all the sense. The floor vibrates, smells waft by and sound seems to spiral around the space. Shows change regularly, and sometimes sports are aired on the 360-degree screens. Visit illuminarium.com to see what’s showing during your trip.
Liftoff
If you’ve ever wanted to hop on a barstool beneath an "open-air balloon" and be carried 100ft into the sky – then give a toast with 360-degree views of Las Vegas that surround – Liftoff provides that. Drinks are $20 each, the experience is $18 during the day and $23 at night.
Other Entertainment
When you get tired of all the VR and AR and immersive everything, there are some regular attractions at AREA15 as well. For instance, Asylum Bar + Arcade is a great place to just have drinks and play games. The complex also has an intimate event space called The Wall, where you can find everything from karaoke to magic shows to a Tycho DJ set. Check the calendar (area15.com/events) for what’s on during your visit.
