Toronto has quietly become one of the best cities in North America for immersive entertainment. Visitors and locals looking for something beyond a dinner and a movie have options that would have been unimaginable five years ago. Here's our honest guide to what's running right now — starting with what's at our own venue, Illuminarium Toronto.

Illuminarium Toronto: Distillery District

Located inside the historic Fermenting Cellar at 28 Gristmill Lane, Illuminarium is Canada's first permanent immersive entertainment venue. The space is 13,500 square feet of floor-to-ceiling 360° laser projection, with 108 speakers built directly into the walls and LiDAR sensors that let the animated worlds respond to your movement.

There's no single way to experience it. Some people stand in the centre and take it all in. Others run straight to the edges and press their hands against the walls to see what happens. Kids race through it; adults tend to slow way down. There's no wrong way to be inside it.

What's running now: Mythos

Mythos is our current original production — and the most ambitious thing we've built. It takes guests inside creation stories from three world cultures: the Yoruba tradition of West Africa (centred on the orisha Oshun), the Chinese Zodiac creation cycle (featuring the Great Race), and the creation teachings of Turtle Island's Indigenous peoples (centred on the world-building turtle).

The three stories run simultaneously in different zones of the same room, each with its own palette, audio environment, and interactive elements. You can spend an hour and not see everything. Reviewed by the Globe and Mail and NOW Magazine, it's been called the studio's best work to date.

Best for: Adults, older kids, anyone interested in world mythology or stunning visual art.

Also at Illuminarium: the archive of original productions

Since opening in 2023, we've produced three other original shows that have each run at Illuminarium:

• Waking Wonderland — Our debut production: a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland with 30+ interactive moments, a motion-tracked mushroom forest, and the Mad Hatter's tea factory. Named by NOW Magazine as "the most immersive thing to do in Toronto."
• Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder — The iconic childhood toy scaled to a full 360° experience. Six animated worlds including a glowing ocean, a dinosaur forest, and a sci-fi city — all rendered in the pixelated language of Lite-Brite. Perfect for families.
• Journey to Oz — An original animated musical following Dorothy and Toto through six scenes from Kansas to the Emerald City. Painterly, warm, and designed for all ages.

What to know before you go

• Location: 28 Gristmill Lane, Distillery District, Toronto. Easily accessible by streetcar (King 504) or a short walk from the Distillery area parking.
• Duration: Shows run approximately 60 minutes, though most people find themselves staying longer.
• Age: All shows are family-friendly, but Mythos in particular is designed to engage adults as much as children.
• What to wear: Comfortable shoes. You'll be on your feet, moving around. The room can shift in temperature when the animated world shifts (warm desert scenes, cool ocean scenes) — it's subtle but real.
• Photography: Encouraged. The room is spectacular from almost every angle. The most impressive shots come from lying on the floor and pointing your phone at the ceiling.

Private events

Illuminarium Toronto is also available for private events — corporate activations, product launches, weddings, film shoots. The 7,000 sq ft of customizable event space and the 360° projection system turn any gathering into something genuinely unforgettable. We work with brands and event planners to create custom content for the space. If you're interested, reach out at hello@secretlocation.com.