Otherworld Philly opened as a “mixed-reality playground” in 2023, and throughout its 55 rooms, locals have been able to explore immersive art experiences. But recently, the venue has announced plans for its latest addition, and it all surrounds live music.
On Jan. 18, the venue will host EDM veteran Mr. Carmack for its first concert. The inaugural event will mark the first of many musical experiences for Otherworld, and guests will also have access to the concept’s full exhibit while there.
When opening in 2023, Otherworld partnered with Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group for its Philadelphia location, tapping into the group’s long-standing expertise in creating cult favorite interactive experiences. The concept is the brainchild of 100 artists, modelers, animators, creative technologists, fabricators and more, led by founder Jordan Renda.
“The initial concept started bubbling back in 2015 when I was still creating escape rooms. It was going to be a hybrid of a larger-scale escape room and immersive theater: an open world explorable concept called ‘Lucidity’,” explained Renda in a previous statement. “We were developing that out for a while, and then pivoted to what became Otherworld. It was partly inspired by many visits to the City Museum in St. Louis as a kid.”
“The whole concept is left open for interpretation and there are a couple of different paths that you can follow,” he continues. “There is room for people to insert their theories about what’s going on. Generally, you won’t complete the whole experience in one visit…your experience with the gameplay element could be very different from anyone else’s.”
Renda also notes that this particular venue encourages guests to freely explore and interact at their own pace with each section of the building. Visitors will find installations from local artists like Big Howl, Adam Crawford, Mz Icar, Evan Lovett, Sue Moerder, Kristin Scholz, Justin Gellar and David Guinn.
The concept’s first location is in Columbus, Ohio, but for its second iteration, Renda always had his eye on the City of Brotherly Love.
“I was born in Pennsylvania and have family in the area and for a long time thought of opening up an exhibit here. It’s a major East Coast city with tons of great arts and culture, but nothing quite like Otherworld,” he explains. “People tend to drive from up to a couple [of] hours away, so we like to be somewhere centrally located with other museums, art and entertainment experiences nearby so people can make a weekend getaway out of their visit if they’d like.”
For its newly added musical element, tickets are currently on sale for $30 to see Mr. Carmack, who in recent years has sold out tours on five continents. The performer has shared stages with the likes of Hudson Mohawke, Just Blaze, Cashmere Cat, and Diplo. These influences, combined with a hunger for discovering the newest, most cutting-edge sounds are some of the ingredients to the now-Los Angeles-based producer’s distinct creative process, a release notes.
This show (8 p.m.) is a 21+ event, select food and beverage options (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) will also be available for purchase. In general, Otherworld Philly is for all ages, and Renda notes at the brand’s sister location in Ohio, the daytimes tend to see a lot of families, while the evenings shift and the experience can become more of a date night or crowd activity. This concert is the first venture into also becoming an “after-hours” locale for the Philadelphia area.
Otherworld Philly is open every day except Tuesdays with tickets beginning at $34.99 and is located at 2500 Grant Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. For more information, operating hours, and to purchase tickets, visit OtherworldPhila.com or follow them on Instagram at @otherworld.philly
