Katapult, the international guest experience design agency, is celebrating the first anniversary of a whiskey-themed immersive visitor attraction, the Portmagee “Spirit of the Sea” Experience in Ireland.
The attraction was designed by Katapult, and visitors get in the spirit of the experience as they sample the whiskey and go aboard a real-life seine boat.
To mark its first anniversary, the attraction is holding a Star Wars festival in May.
The Portmagee “Spirit of the Sea” Experience is part-funded by Failte Ireland, the national tourism development authority, and has already become a key destination in the region with visitors rating it 4.8 out of 5. Christmas activities have proven particularly successful. The experience is set in purpose-built geodesic domes, with an experience time of up to an hour, and a ticket price of €15-50.
John Murphy, Portmagee Whiskey co-founder, says: “We’re incredibly proud to be celebrating our one-year anniversary and have welcomed so many visitors to our new experience in that time.
“We set out to create a destination that would both tell the wonderful stories of our home village of Portmagee, as well as become a home for our award-winning whiskey brand. The Katapult team has been instrumental in creating an experience that reflects those exact ambitions and put us on a path for success in the future.”
Star Wars film location
Katapult is the lead designer and executive producer on this project. Its remit has included working with suppliers in the local area and internationally, plus interpretation and storytelling – creating a 360-degree immersive cinematic show.
“It has been a delight to work with the passionate Portmagee team over the last few years to make their dream a reality,” Phil Higgins, Katapult’s chief creative officer and co-founder says.
“Doing this while strict travel restrictions were in place due to the pandemic, meant we relied on our in-house 3D capabilities to both design and direct the experience that guests can see today. I’m proud of our team in creating yet another immersive experience that visitors love.”
May The 4th Sci-Fi Film Festival, an annual Star Wars-themed event and comic book convention, will take place at Portmagee Whiskey this year to celebrate its first anniversary. Star Wars fans will recognise Portmagee as a filming location for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The event will take place from 4 – 6 May 2023.
Katapult was recently appointed to work on Gigantosaurus Land at ROARR!, the UK’s leading dinosaur-themed adventure park, adding to its portfolio of IP-based themed attraction projects. The park has announced plans for a four-acre interactive play-themed area based on the Netflix, Tiny Pop, and Disney+ smash series.
