After highly successful visits to Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth, Van Gogh Alive, the world’s most visited multi-sensory experience opens at The Grand Pavilion, Foreshore Park from Thursday 22 September 2022. 

Created and produced by Grande Experiences, Van Gogh Alive is now on the fifth leg of its multi-city Australian Tour. This large-scale, multi-sensory experience has now been visited by over 8.5 million people across 80+ cities around the world. This digital spectacular gives visitors the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in Van Gogh’s artistry and truly venture into his world. In partnership with the City of Newcastle, it will make its temporary home on Foreshore Park, and open its Newcastle season as part of the New Annual Festival.

Van Gogh Alive is housed in The Grand Pavilion, a giant, 70m X 25m bespoke marquee. In fact, The Grand Pavilion is the largest touring showroom in the southern hemisphere and features a themed bar & café space.

Make no mistake – this is no ordinary art exhibition.

Traditions of tiptoeing through silent galleries and viewing paintings from afar are forgotten during the Van Gogh Alive experience. Supported by a vibrant symphony of light, colour, sound, and fragrance, Van Gogh’s masterpieces come to life, giving visitors the sensation of walking right into his paintings.

“Van Gogh Alive is an exceptionally innovative multi-sensory experience that took 18 months and countless iterations over the past decade to create. Says Bruce Peterson, Grande Experiences owner and creator. “It was the very first of its kind in the world. Van Gogh Alive has really redefined the way many people around the world engage with art and culture – art galleries and museums can be quite intimidating places, but it’s 2022, so it’s no longer about standing in front of a painting and staring at it quietly from afar. Using technology cleverly means that it’s now possible to experience art in a more inclusive way that offers a much deeper, more immersive, multi-sensory experience that draws you into the art.”

Says Andrew Kay: “The Grand Pavilion is not only home to the Sensory 4TM Gallery which houses Van Gogh Alive but it features four additional immersive spaces including the instagrammable Van Gogh’s bedroom, Van Gogh’s Café Terrace at Night, where you can sit and enjoy a glass of Taittinger champagne, the amazing infinity Sunflower Room, where you can stand in a never-ending field of sunflowers. The spectacular Starry Night Room allows visitors to walk on air through Van Gogh’s famous painting ‘Starry Night’”.

 Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said, “Securing Van Gogh Alive is a coup for Newcastle that will enhance the city’s reputation for hosting world-class events while boosting the local economy by attracting thousands of visitors to the city”. 

Van Gogh Alive is proud to have Lexus as Presenting Partner and Champagne Taittinger as the Official Champagne Partner.