Havana Club to serve up virtual reality alongside immersive theatre at ultra-experiential pop-up
Rum brand Havana Club will take its first steps into virtual reality next month when it launches Casa Havana, a pop-up destination that aims to bring Cuba to the capital.
Casa Havana will include a VR experience, restaurant and bar
The activation will launch in Soho on 11 August and run for the following two nights. It will comprise a bar, ticketed restaurant and art gallery, while guests can also expect immersive theatre and tactile ‘sensory elements’ powered by Arduino hardware.
The Casa will also feature a secret space where the VR will be housed. Found Studio, which is working to deliver the project, has stated the Oculus powered virtual reality offering will feature ‘real-time 3D animation’, which distorts seemingly normal real-world scenarios.
The first VR renders released by the brand hint at an experience based in a traditional Havana home.
Liam Murphy, senior brand manager at Pernod Ricard, said: “The VR experience we are delivering within our brand home allows us to genuinely transport people to Cuba and give them a true sense of this unique and fascinating country where the Havana Club brand was born.”
The pop-up is set to be a physical representation of Havana Club’s strategy to re-establish the brand’s “integrity and balance”, which includes a steadfast focus on its Cuban roots.