As soon as you walk into the venue you are thrown into the world of Alcotraz, a bespoke prison/speakeasy, right in the centre of Bristol, where the only “rule” is NO ALCOHOL. But don’t worry, with the help of corrupt officers and prison staff, we snuck some rum and vodka in anyway. We were handed some bright orange jumpsuits, fit for rebel convicts like ourselves, and got settled into our cells for the afternoon.
A bit too happy for dangerous criminals
Greeted by various characters like Officer Wilmot, Convict Cassidy and Warden Gordon, we felt like part of the hilarious story immediately. The ‘Kitchen Staff’ came over to ask if we had any special ingredients for today’s “chicken soup” and we handed over the smuggled goods. After telling the mixologist our taste preferences, next thing we know we are drinking delicious cocktails out of soup cans.
The chicken soup was a little fruity... and strong!
Alarm bells! The warden is on the prison floor! Get in your cells! There are rumours of alcohol within the prison and the warden is set on finding out who is behind it. We watched on as the scenes unfolded, sitting on the edge of our seats, and toilets for some, eager to know what would happen next. Steve even got in on the action and became the janitor.
Drinking on the job?!
Various scenes played out throughout the hour and a half we were there, and the actors even interacted with the groups in between them to keep the whole experience fully immersive. More cocktails arrived and we got stuck in, while Steve got rubbish that was stuck in the toilet out, with the help of Cassidy. The interactions each cell had with the actors were different than all the rest. You could probably come multiple times and have a completely different experience each time!
Evidence hunting
Later we were escorted to the warden’s office for him to decide if our parole would be denied or not, using the prisoner ID cards we had filled out at the start of the experience. We had filled out the cards with information on why we were in prison, our cellblock nickname and even a place to draw a mugshot. Reading out the cards and making fun of our nicknames, his verdict was that we were all too criminal to ever leave the prison walls.
Rocking those bright orange jumpsuits!
Little did he know, we were tasked with finding out his safe combination. Using our inside information, the corrupt officers were able to find the evidence needed to take the warden down and break us out!
You're TRAPPED!
Team LNOF would definitely recommend Alcotraz to groups who are looking for a unique way to cell-ebrate your last night of freedom. You can even get the stag or hen a special stitch up by assigning them a character like the janitor.
"Cooks" hard at work
To book this activity please check out our or view our Bristol Guide for more recommendations.
The Alcotraz immersive prison bar experience is also available in Brighton, Cardiff, Liverpool, London, Manchester.