A spooky, immersive ‘Stranger Things’ drive-in experience is coming to L.A.
Downtown Los Angeles will be transformed into 1985 Hawkins, Ind., this fall for an immersive “Stranger Things” drive-through production featuring live sets, costumes, performances and special effects inspired by the hit sci-fi series.
On Thursday, Netflix unveiled plans for “Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience,” which will take groups of 24 cars on a spooky tour of various Hawkins hot spots, including the Starcourt Mall, Russian labs and even the Upside Down. Fans can join the wait list for tickets, which go on sale Aug. 26 at noon Pacific and start at $59 per car.
“Stranger Things has always been larger than life and we wanted to flip the world upside down for our fans,” said Greg Lombardo, head of experiences at Netflix, in a statement.
“So buckle up like Billy is driving, keep your eyes on the neon lights, and steer clear of the shadows because there’s no telling who or what you might come across in Downtown Los Angeles this October. Whatever you do, don’t get out of your car!”
The hour-plus theatrical adventure will direct drivers to multiple pit stops, where they will park for extended amounts of time as scenes featuring familiar friends and foes play out around them before moving on to the next “chapter.” Netflix has also taken precautions to create a safe environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring guests to drive and stay in their own cars during the show.
Like most film and TV shoots, production on the highly anticipated fourth season of “Stranger Things” came to an abrupt halt in March due to public health concerns. A month earlier, Netflix had just released the first Season 4 teaser, featuring a somewhat surprise appearance from Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour), who was (spoiler alert!) presumed dead at the end of Season 3.
A new teaser trailer for “Stranger Things” Season 4 suggests David Harbour’s fan-fave character Hopper is still alive — though a little busy.
In May, Harbour speculated about the return of the series on Times staff writer Yvonne Villarreal’s “Can’t Stop Watching” podcast. The fourth season of “Stranger Things” was originally set to premiere later this year.
“People love the show, and I think they will continue to watch it, but I’d like to get it to them as soon as possible,” Harbour said. “I’m very invested in trying to put out as much content from this thing that I love as possible, as well. So I think everybody’s working on it, and Netflix is one of the biggest corporations, most creative corporations, in the world right now. They are on it and we’re all trying to make it happen.”
In the meantime, “Stranger Things: The Drive-In Experience” will open in October at a central location in downtown L.A. to be announced later.
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