I've been meaning to visit Wake The Tiger with my kids since it opened in 2022 and this February half term it finally happened. And it ends up it's handy we hadn't been sooner as they've recently added a large second section, with plans to expand across more of the three-story, 6,000sqm, disused factory complex it occupies in Bristol. It's about a 10 minute drive from Temple Meads, if you're headed towards Paint Works. View their listing to find their address and map.
What even is Wake The Tiger?
Wake the Tiger call themselves an Amazement Park. My 6 year old daughter heard this as "theme park", or at the very least, a "park" - ends up it's hard to manage expectations around something you don't understand yourself. I think the easiest way to describe it is with video, so check out my reel on Instagram, but I'll have a go with words too....
It is basically an absolutely epic space to walk around with lots and lots of things to look at. Some parts are crafted to look like streets, some are rooms with windows to look through into various art installations. There are phones to pick up and listen to, there are hidden door ways to climb through, and now - in the new part - 2 slides (for over 5s, but I saw little people go down with their parents).
When you first enter, you're in a room like a disused workshop, with tools and lots of colourful mushrooms growing. My husband and I both commented it was the sort of place our Dads would have inhabited when we were growing up, but it was lacking a smell of oil and real dirt! So perhaps some extra smells would have been all the more immersive!
Here you can nip to the loo, or enter the cafe - or step into the imaginary world.
From what we saw, there are only 1 set of toilets, but you can access these from various points within the park - it is a MAZE people, an absolute MAZE. You have no idea, but you'll be walking around, see a sign for "toilets", go through a door and find you're right back at this beginning spot again.
(After a while of wandering around you start to recognise some of the short cuts or know some cut throughs - it's kinda like IKEA in that regard and you feel a real sense of pride for knowing where the heck you are.)
So, from the introductory workshop, you go through a little passage way and then have to walk through some kinda weeds over a doorway (left, below) - this was pretty much the only bit my 6 year old and 2 year old got spooked at (oh and the moving thing in a bed) just because they didn't know what would be on the other side and these kinda draping chunky fabric hanging things came into contact with you as you pushed them aside to walk in. But once through they were fine.
Once you are through, you're suddenly in a street with 2 storeys of windows and just so much to look at and take in. I won't walk you through each and every bit as you can experience it for yourself.
Near the end of the first main section, just before you enter the "Sorting room", there's the front of a faded yellow van / lorry, with baskets in a roof rack. As you've only just arrived you don't really realise at first that you can explore a LOT - there are so many little stair cases or corners to check out. And this van is one of them. When we went in the vehicle, there were various buttons to press - and gradually we realised that if we completed a series of tasks in quick succession we could start the engine of the vehicle. I say "gradually we realised" because we were there with an instantly-difficult 2 year old, with an excited 6 year old and 9 year old to watch too - so to say we were a little distracted was an understatement. But we completed the puzzles, the sound of an engine starting played, and I felt like we'd just won a challenge on the Crystal Maze! It was really brilliant!
Here in this first section, a lady spoke to us about the 4 Guilds of this world and told us how we would go through to a Sorting Room and be assigned to a Guild. She also mentioned challenges, and then moments later we were in the van trying to light all the bulbs green at once, so we were left very excited for what was next. But... that was kinda it in that regard. There were a couple of other puzzles, and the machine for opening doors A, B, C or D was very cool, but we felt afterwards that the experience kinda plateaued - not "went downhill", but plateaud, after that first section.
Part of the issue was the Sorting Room - it sounded like it was going to be some Harry Potter style elaborate ceremony, but we didn't really know what to do in there. There was a phone with a recorded message and a computer screen which we didn't get to do much... and left us wondering if we'd missed something to be honest. Whilst I was impressed that there were people / actors involved at all, we perhaps could have benefitted from a couple more to guide us (if there was more to do - perhaps there wasn't so there was nothing more for them to say).
Once you're through the Sorting Room, you're in the real heart of it - dozens of little rooms and walk ways full of lights, movement and things to look at. Baby sensory on acid. Clever use of mirrors makes it looks like bits extend forever, or screens in the floor (or in fridges) play videos. Art installations cover some of the walls, with familiar plastic toys over and over, or barbies made to look like tortured mermaids (a bit freeky, but honestly fine for the kids overall). We went through a fireplace, through a hidden bookcase wall, through kitchen cabinets, walked down an upside down corridor, walked down corridors that made us glow with UV lights, walked down corridors that had projections of our forms on the walls made of dots. We went through "caves" with pastel lighting, and walked past flurosecent plants and flowers. It is incredibly, incredibly creative and it's just phenomenal that anyone managed to think all this stuff up and put it all together. Again, if you want to see a video, watch my reel here (and do follow for more like this).
Does Wake the Tiger tell a story?
Whilst we really enjoyed our time there, and it was all very impressive - we were kinda left wondering how it all tied together. It was as if there were lots of different bits of stories, perhaps started at different times over the last 2 years, and they don't all perfectly go together any more.
When you first arrive in the reception, there's a scene depicting some luxury flats that were going to be built there, before strange things started to happen... (and there's a car half buried in the car park outside). Then, you have the lady telling you about the 4 Guilds, and how you'll be assigned one. Plus there's talk of the Tunneler and how they need our best ideas to fix the soil of the world we're in. Alongside this, we're told we're in a Dreamland. And whilst there are rooms that are old fashioned well adorned bedrooms (like the one where the bookcase door is), there are also distopian style workshops with make shift beds underneath wooden benches. The room with the "under the sea" theme was clearly highlighting the amount of plastic in the oceans, but then did the room with the angular mirror dome you could walk in teach you anything? Or were some of the rooms without a story or moral? There was a central kinda area where lots of walk ways met, with 4 coloured buttons you had to try and light together, but we didn't really know how to do it or what it meant.
I'm pretty sure that when I looked into going when it first opened in 2022, there was lots of information you could delve into before you went - you could explore the world and choose a team, and get more out of your visit by exploring a digital experience first. I've also read that originally tickets were an invitation to explore the luxury apartments, or something similar. Going this weekend, in February 2024, we didn't get or see any pre-visit information. I don't think we missed anything we were sent; maybe they found people weren't really bothering with it and it wasn't worth all the expense of the digital experience if they were going to change the story every few months to keep things fresh.
Overall, if there is still an overarching story, it could do with being clearer - and if there isn't, they might want to remove some of the signage about things like gems and soil if they're not longer fully relevant.
Booking your ticket
You are strongly advised to book before you visit as you need a timeslot. We booked online and it was a fairly simple process - although I found it odd that I chose to check out as a guest and yet they then still made me create an account on the next step. They seem to be keen to have people create accounts for future visits and to manage your orders, but it might just be because the ticketing system is powered by another tool which allows for repeat visits.
You need to show the QR code that you're emailed, and on the confirmation screen it stresses that you need to read your confirmation email for important information (I thought it would tell me how long our arrival slot was as I was worried about being late if we couldn't park) - but the email went to spam. Given that I forgot to look for the email until the night before our visit, I had a lot of spam to wade through which Gmail app doesn't make super easy on an iPhone. They also sent an email the day before with a repeat of the QR code which was great - but again it went into spam. Google and Yahoo have recently tightened up email deliverability security so it's possible Wake The Tiger or their ticketing platform haven't fully met these requirements just yet.
Parking at Wake The Tiger
There is, what they call a small, car park at Wake The Tiger so I wasn't holding my breath that we'd get a spot. But we did - a security guard pointed us in the direction of a space and gave me a thumbs up when I kinda indicated that I was in an electric charging bay. This was actually a tiny but really good start to the visit because we'd paid a lot of money to be there, and were aware it was going to cost us more to park, and that we might not be able to park yet had to arrive on time, and so it was kinda building up the vibe of a money making scheme that was going to be all hype and profit. To find the car park wasn't as small as I imagined and that there was a pragmatic approach from a friendly guy to using all the spaces, got things off on a really good footing.
The car park uses Ringo, and it cost us about £3.40 to park for 3 hours (we arrived 30 minutes early, so sat in the car, and being the honest gal I am I paid as soon as we arrived). I looked to add some extra time when we were 20 minutes from the end of our paid session, and saw the minimum I could get was another 3 hours so we just hurried on and left. Some shorter time options would have been good for that reason - we might have hung around the shop more. (Of course, you exit through the gift shop.)
Food and drink at Wake The Tiger
Whilst the booking process doesn't feel like it gives you a lot of info, it does stress that you can't take food or drink in with you (unless it's for babies or medical reasons). This kinda gave me the vibe that they were keen to get more money from you via their cafe. But having been there, I'm kinda now on the fence as to whether that's the true intention or if I just read it wrong or just they worded it poorly. It's fair enough they don't want kids munching packets of crisps all the way around the attraction - cleaning up crumbs would be a nightmare in there and spoil it for anyone visiting before the cleaners. Meanwhile it's quite normal not to be able to eat your own food in a cafe, that'd just be rude (although I did see some toddlers with lunch boxes). And there's no where else to eat, so I kinda get it. What would be amazing though, if they have still more empty warehouse space to develop, would be a picnic area - just a few picnic tables - for those who did want to bring their own food. If it could be next to the cafe for people who wanted to do a bit of both (and encourage those who bought a picnic to add to it with some fries or coffee) then that'd be the best of both worlds. With regards to prices, I bought a flat white, a can of sparking water, 2 half pints of lemonade, a cup of milk and a pack of crisps for £11.90. The crisps were £2, lemonade was sign posted as £2.50 but I think that was for a pint. A portion of fries would have been £4, burger and fries £11 I think, and cake - such as chocolate brownies - was around £4. The cafe itself is an extension of the rest of the park with plenty to look at - my 2 year old loved the little train moving around on a track overhead. There was quite a long queue though.
Do you have to arrive on time?
I don't know what would happen if you were late - we were early and sat in the car to eat a picnic as they say you're not allowed to take food in with you. But I did scour the confirmation email for any information around how long a "slot" you have for your arrival, as so many places who have booking in place actually give you a bracket, or at least tell you how late you could be. In the end, I stumbled upon the information in their FAQs under the question about if you can just turn up and buy a ticket on the day, whey they say that you enter the experience via 15 minute time slots. They also say here that they don't recommend that you just turn up without a booking as you need to book a slot, so you might walk up and find they're full. Plus it's apparently more expensive to buy on the door.
Why is it called Wake The Tiger?
My husband said this was his main FAQ but isn't covered on their FAQs page - so I did some digging. One of the founders was quoted in accessaa.co.uk as saying: "We went through this painful six weeks of trying to get a name. It was killing us. Eventually, Lak’s wife suggested the name and we all loved it. There’s a book called Waking The Tiger, which is all about finding your inner self, and that’s a big part of the idea behind the project. The name just seemed really appropriate, but there will be no tigers involved nor cuddly toys for sale."
Is Wake The Tiger worth the money?
We are a family of 5, but our youngest was free, as you don't pay for 0-4s. Therefore we paid £89.80 - £24.95 per adult and £19.95 per child (children are 5 - 12, 13 and over counts as an adult). This, to us, is a VERY expensive attraction as you could get around it in less than an hour. We took longer though...
How long does it take to get around Wake The Tiger?
We are a family who can whizz around stuff - not everyone in our tribe wants to hang around on things, so we generally do museums and galleries quite quickly. That said, we took 2.5 hours to go around Wake The Tiger, and they say on their website visits generally take 1 - 3 hours. So we were on the longer side - and we could have taken longer if our 2 year old wasn't very over tired and making things hard work. We did stop in the cafe for a drink, which probably took 20 - 30 minutes as there was quite a queue. And we went since the new part opened - which they say has doubled the size of the amazement park... but it honestly didn't take us very long to do the new part; it was a lot quicker than the first part. Even though we were tired and feeling a little drained from how dark everything was by that point, I don't think we rushed it that much, there just wasn't as much to see and do in the new part as there was in the old. Unless we missed a hidden door way.
There are 2 slides in the new part - one short and one longer - so maybe people spend ages going up and down them (our kids did do the short one quite a few times, but once we realised the long one was right by the end, we hurried on so as to not need to renew the car park).
As for whether it's worth £90, plus £3 parking, plus £11 for some drinks and crisps.... it's hard to say. We did all feel quite drained when we came out - it's very dark, if they could add a reprieve half way through with some natural light that might help you stay longer - although maybe they don't want you / need you to stay longer. So you don't really want to go and do anything else that day, meaning it's a day out even though it's only a 2 hour experience. The effort that has gone into building it is insanely impressive - we were going around saying "wow, we can see why they need to charge what they do to cover what this must have cost to set up"... but I can't quite decide if it's one of those things that, just because it cost a lot to build, doesn't necessarily mean it was worth it, or is worth it for people to visit. I think if there had been a touch more interactivity in regards to a mission or challenges, then that would have suited us - that first part in the van made me think it was going to be an exciting unlocked panic room kinda thing - and it would have made us bounce out excitedly talking and reminiscing! As it was, we just all kinda came out wondering about all the different story threads that didn't quite seem to tie together.
Last summer we went to Aerospace Bristol - the museum with concorde - and I found that highly interactive, and I felt like we learned a lot of history. The cost for a family ticket there was £55, so almost half the cost (they have a big free car park and an outside space for eating your picnic along with a cafe). That was large and light and bright and was a really enjoyable day out. We also went to the Bristol Zoo Project last year, and that comes to about £75 for a family of 5 (as we'd need to pay for the 2 year old - last year he would have been free so we would have paid less) and that is a lovely day out in a nice setting, but actually it's not the most exciting zoo in the world so for an extra £15 this is perhaps more "different" than that.
One small but significant difference with those attractions is that you can let your kids run free a little - they both have play areas, but also, there's space for them to be a few steps ahead of you. In Wake the Tiger, it's a very small dark maze, so you daren't let go of anyone small because you really worry if you'd find them again. That's maybe what, with hindsight, made it slightly exhausting - although it's honestly hard to tell if it was the tired 2 year old or the darkness that left me feeling drained! The kids all enjoyed it - we went partly because it was something to entertain a range of ages from 2 - 9 (or 2 - mid-40s).
Overall, a way to describe Wake the Tiger is that it's a modern art gallery with some hands on interactive parts. I've realised writing this it reminds me of Banksy's Dismaland that was at the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare a few years ago - it's got the same dark, end-of-the-world vibe, but is more child friendly and all inside so there's more electronics. I didn't come away inspired and renewed like I can from art galleries though, and I wonder if they need to refresh the message they're trying to convey a little. And if possible add some natural light - I think that, by the end, was a big thing for me. (The beginning of the new bit is very well lit and that was an appreciated change of pace, no matter how brief.)
So, as to whether it's worth £100 for a couple of hours, I think that really depends on what you'd otherwise spend £100 on. I'm glad we have been and have seen it, and the people who put it together and work on it should be incredibly proud of what they've built, but we won't rush back (Aerospace Bristol tickets included free return within 1 year which we do intend to use).
