Should You Take Your Kids to Camp’s ‘Bluey’ Experience in Chicago?
It's worth it, if you've got the dollar bucks.
Bluey x Camp, an immersive experience for young Bluey fans, is coming to Chicago this spring! But what is it, exactly? Is it worth attending? And how much money are we talking about?
Here’s everything you need to know about Bluey x Camp, from a real live parent who survived the experience.
What is Bluey x Camp?
Camp is a retailer that puts on “immersive experiences” for children. These experiences are based on popular movies and TV shows—hence the Bluey experience—and they bring the shows to life by recreating sets, props, characters, and activities.
In the Bluey experience, kids explore a recreation of the Heelers’ home. After an introductory mini-episode in which Bluey and Bingo start a game of hide and seek with their parents, kids enter the house, where they can explore each room, play with toys, listen to stories, and play games like Dance Mode and Keepy Uppy with the counselors who facilitate the experience. After about 45 minutes of exploration and play, kids get to meet and have their picture taken with Bluey and Bingo.
What age group is Bluey x Camp for?
The Bluey x Camp experience is aimed mainly at preschoolers and kindergarteners. If you have a toddler or a first-grader, they’ll still have fun. My kid is 6, and although she was one of the older kids in the Los Angeles experience, she still had a blast. If you’re a parent, you’ll definitely be bored, but you can occupy yourself by taking lots of pictures of your ecstatic kiddo. Oh, and make sure you act like a chicken when the counselor points the magic asparagus at you, or you’ll scar your kid for life. I’m not kidding.
When and where is Bluey x Camp Chicago happening?
Bluey x Camp Chicago is taking place from May through September 2024. It’ll be held at Camp’s Lincoln Park neighborhood store, located at 647 W North Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60610.
How much are Bluey x Camp tickets?
Here’s the bad news. Bluey x Camp tickets are $44 a pop, for an experience that lasts less than an hour. That’s per person, which means that one kid and one parent comes to $88, and that’s not including all the merch Camp will try to sell you. (The good news is that if you opt out of the Bluey ears headband, which costs extra, your kid won’t be the only earless participant. Almost no one was wearing them when I went.)
You can get tickets by heading over to Camp’s website.
So should you take your kid to Bluey x Camp?
Look, from our perspective, Bluey x Camp might seem a little inscrutable. I mean, if you look up, you can see the industrial HVAC system where the Heelers’ ceiling should be!
But what can I say? My kid loved it. So yeah, spend the dollar bucks. Spend an hour taking pictures. And here’s a pro tip: the mini Bluey plushies are pretty affordable, when it comes time to exit through the gift shop.
(featured image: Disney+)
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