If you are looking for things to do in London, as I am on a weekly basis, then look no further. We’ve been to countless pop-up events, film promotions, random events and more, and nothing even comes close to the brand-new Peaky Blinders: Underworld experience that is open right now!
And before you ask, no, we’re not just saying it because we were invited for free to provide this review. We’re VERY honest about these things, sometimes to the point where we’re never invited back to certain press events, but at least we still keep our honesty, and this one, I promise, is a gem!
Check out our VLOG inside the attraction on our theme parks / attractions spinoff site below, which was officially the first video to go live on YouTube of this exciting new attraction!
As someone who isn’t familiar with the show, I was worried that I’d have to binge-watch countless episodes before taking the train down to London, but thankfully, this is not the case. What the team have created here (with the stamp of approval from show creator Steven Knight, who made an appearance during our preview night) is nothing short of fantastic.
Peak immersive entertainment begins at the Garrison Tavern, which will be operating as a themed pub even when the main Underworld attraction is closed. There’s just something about stepping into this pub that instantly transports you into the show and the heart of Birmingham, despite being in London.
Probably the only strange choice for me throughout my experience was questioning why this wasn’t in Birmingham, but I had no complaints as the location was perfect, just a stone’s throw from London Bridge station, and the entire indoor setting is complemented by the beautiful brickwork of the station. And the attraction is HUGE!
Once you see the scale of the pub, it’s hard to imagine how there could be more to the experience, but trust me, it goes on and on and on, and what lies behind that magical curtain within the pub will knock your socks off.
Throughout the bar and the Underworld experience, live actors bring the experience to life, interacting with guests and helping to push the story forward as you move between the various themed environments. Rather than simply walking around a collection of replica sets, there’s a genuine sense that you’re being pulled into the Shelby world.
Expect random live performances in the bar and actors coming up to you to recruit you into Shelby’s world, where your job is simple: catch the snitch (or the ‘rat’ in this case).
You are given a booklet which features your mission, but lots of other side quests too, when you enter the Underworld, and with 60 minutes on the clock when you enter (it works on a timeslot), time flies by. I feel there’s just a little too much to do within the booklet that will either distract you from enjoying the Underworld or take up all of your time, as inside, there are many distractions.
After a lager (highly recommend the venue-specific Garrison Tavern lager), we head on in, where you can visit a fairground with multiple fairground games to tick off (you get two goes at everything), you can get a temporary tattoo, you can shop for some unique and venue-specific merchandise, play games and more.
Now, what I will say is that on our visit, it was busy but not as busy as I imagine a normal public opening night to be, so expect queues for the fairground games, which will immediately rack up your 60-minute timeslot. There wasn’t anyone inside the Underworld keeping tabs on our timeslot, but I certainly feel like 60 minutes isn’t long enough to fully enjoy it. It felt somewhat rushed, and I wanted to take it all in.
If you want to do the main quest, you can. If you want to earn some real prizes in the fairground, you can, and there’s plenty of games to choose from, including Hook-A-Duck, Ring Toss, a Shooting Gallery, Ball in the Bucket, a coconut-throwing game and even throwing darts at playing cards. There’s an optional wheel spin (although you don’t win any prizes for this) and a high-striker strength tester.
They’re all so much fun and are led by actors in full Brummie accents, giving you some banter along the way which adds such a nice touch and fully immerses you once again as your surroundings and actors combine wonderfully to make you feel as though you’re there. The acting team are an absolute credit to this attraction as they amplified the ambience and show tenfold. You’re not just watching the series, you’re living it and they welcome you in with open arms (and an attitude or two).
From the bar to the physical sets, they’ve done a superb job of the theming. It’s some of the best I’ve seen in what is essentially a pop-up for a long, long time. It feels permanent and certainly feels as though they’re intending to stay up longer than the early 2027 dates the website suggests.
For fans, the opportunity to physically walk through the world that has previously only existed on screen is the real draw. Seeing the Garrison Bar, wandering through the highly themed sets and interacting with live performers creates some genuinely memorable moments.
Sitting somewhere between immersive theatre and a themed attraction, this is something quite special that the team behind it should be very proud of. And I can’t stress this enough, like I said earlier, you don’t need to be a fan of the show to understand it or appreciate it.
We spent more than enough time in the pub (thankfully, that isn’t on a timeslot), and the drink choices were plenty. They also serve pints priced at £9, which I thought was a little steep, but I didn’t see how big they were, unfortunately. I thought the drinks were reasonable London prices, but one thing that did shock me was the attraction price itself.
Priced at the lowest price I could find of £26.95 (or £20 each for groups of 10 or more) or £31.95 for weekends (prices seem to vary), I didn’t think this was too crazy for what you get as a whole. Now, this is the attraction price only. You can simply stroll in off the streets and visit the pub if you wish, and can pay on the day to enter the Underworld, but I recommend booking in advance. With it being timeslot-based, you can make sure you’re guaranteed entry.
It’s great that you can go into the pub and enjoy the live actors and entertainment on stage and dotted around the venue before heading into the Underworld. It allows you to be immersed in the vibe before stepping foot onto the cobbled streets of Birmingham to start your mission.
There is also a VIP ticket option, which includes a premium drink and a Peaky Blinders hip flask, that was going for just shy of £53 (once again, prices seem to vary depending on the date).
With a bag store to pop your bags in (£3 charge), you can get the weight off your shoulders and explore everything Peaky Blinders: Underworld and the Garrison Tavern have to offer.
Ultimately, Peaky Blinders: Underworld succeeds because it understands what makes the franchise so distinctive. It doesn’t just slap a Peaky Blinders logo onto an attraction and call it a day. Instead, it creates an environment that genuinely feels like you’ve stepped into Tommy Shelby’s world, and that’s where the creative team have stepped up and crafted something that blows just about every indoor theme park space in the UK off the map.
And for anyone who has ever watched the show and thought, “I’d love to actually walk into the Garrison…” — this might be about as close as you’re going to get.
By order of the Peaky Blinders… this one is worth a visit.
