The Magic Bus Experience Returns – A Toker’s Paradise

Last year, the Magic Bus Experience made waves for “stoner” holiday 4/20 by providing a wonderland of trippy and nostalgic art installations and activities. This year, the Magic Bus Experience returns with new immersive zones (like the Rooms of Whimsy), favorite activities from last year (like close-up magic and a pillow fort), a new black-light mini-golf course, live music, games and an Unlimited Tater Tot bar! Fall down the rabbit hole with me as I talk to one of the creators about what psychedelic fun guests can look forward to this year at the new location, the Globe Theatre.

Q: What’s changed from last year’s experience to this year?

The Magic Bus Experience has changed a lot from its first season. Our biggest change is our new venue, the historic Globe Theatre, in DTLA! It’s an absolutely magical place and will immediately change the overall aesthetic of the show. We’ve developed 4 NEW interactive zones, in addition to some of last season’s favorites, and upgraded the scenic design. We have a brand new trippy rock show called Led of the Rings, using the 1978 animated Lord of the Rings film synced with Led Zeppelin. The new venue also has an adjoining smoking section, another vital upgrade from last year.

Q: Did the turnout for last year’s event meet your expectations?

Given the fact that it was our first year and no other program like this had existed in Los Angeles (or anywhere, for that matter), we were extremely pleased and honestly a little surprised by the fantastic turnout!  We hope the show and the audience continues to grow. There is something for everyone, even if you’re not a cannabis user! 

Q: What challenges and/or exciting surprises does the new location present?

The Globe Theatre, our new venue, is full of fun, new surprises! There are little hidden rooms, fun passageways and entrances into different areas. You’ll find yourself exploring a lot more of the venue then you might imagine, just because of its unique layout. It has a lot of character and we couldn’t be happier to be there.

Q: What kinds of immersive zones can guests look forward to?

In addition to some of last season’s favorites like the Pillow Fort, Inflatable Horse Races, and High Score arcade, we’ve developed four new zones, including Down the Rabbit Hole, an Alice in Wonderland themed black-light mini-golf course, the Rooms of Whimsy, which are tactile interactive art installations where you can color on Human Robots and sculpt with Play-Doh. The Hot Box Silent Disco is new this year and we’ve expanded the Cosmic Temple, a place to relax, meditate and reflect on all the mind-blowing things we see around us everyday! 

Q: What was your favorite activity from last year? What new activity are you most excited to share with guests?

The goal of each of our environments is to bring a sense of PLAY and NOSTALGIA to the guest, allowing them to let their hair down and get in touch with their inner child for a few hours. The Pillow Fort tunnel crawl-through was extremely fun and we’ve expanded on that this season, as well as the Coloring Book Room, which was a surprise hit and one that we’ve also brought back and expanded on as one of the Rooms of Whimsy. I think we are most excited to share Down the Rabbit Hole, the Alice in Wonderland inspired putt-putt course.

Q: I loved the close-up magician from last year. What do you think was the crowd’s favorite activity?

It wouldn’t be the Magic Bus Experience without MAGIC! We loved our up-close magicians, Joel Ward and Rodrigo Garcia.  They, and a few more friends, will be joining us this season and they’ll even have their very own lounge area to visit! The crowd really seemed to love our house band EMG as well, as they performed Alice on the Wall and Dark Side of the Rainbow rock shows. This year, they’ll be performing Alice on the Wall again, as well as our brand new show Led of the Rings with a female lead vocalist, The Lady Sings Rock. We’ve very excited.

Q: Will the Yeti of Munchie Mountain make a return appearance?

The Yeti has been stalking the slopes of Munchie Mountain all year and can’t wait for you to spin the wheel and win yourself a treat! 

Q: This year, there are three ticket packages. What benefits do guests get with each?

Our three ticket tiers this season are GA, Munchies Package, and High Society VIP.  GA tickets grant access to all zones and activities. Munchies Package includes a GA ticket, as well as access to the Unlimited Tater Tot Bar and free fun snacks and munchie foods in most of the zones. The High Society VIP ticket includes a Munchies Package ticket, as well access to the exclusive VIP Balcony Lounge with stellar views, Unlimited CBD Tea, and expedited check-in. 

Q: I saw the High Society VIP package comes with unlimited CBD tea. Will there be other cannabis products for sale at the event?

There is a big misconception about the new laws surrounding the legalization of cannabis in California. The law states that cannabis use is for adults 21+ for at-home recreational use only.  There are no catering licenses allowed for ANY event venues in California (except for a few county fairgrounds), therefore no cannabis products can be legally sold or distributed at public events in California. CBD, in particular, is not regulated and does not contain THC so it falls into its own category, which is why we can offer those products for sampling. One of our sponsors this year is Sprig, a CBD-infused soda. That will be something everyone will have access to sample.

Q: Is smoking allowed at the venue?

There is a designated smoking area.

Q: An unlimited tater tot bar is rad. What is your personal record for tater tots and will you try to break it this year? Also, what happened to the chicken nuggets?

Our All-You-Can-Eat Nuggets and Tots was definitely a very popular ticket item, exclusively for our VIP guests last season and offered to both the Munchies Package and VIP package this year.  It is definitely something unique to our program and since it had never been done before, there were no statistics for it! As a result, we were given a run for our money to try and keep up! Now we have the pleasure of knowing how many Tator Tots we need per minute, how I’ve survived this long in my life without that knowledge is beyond me.  This new knowledge has helped us develop a much more streamlined system for our new Unlimited Tater Tot Bar, but to keep it efficient, we needed to sacrifice the nuggets to the Munchie Gods. Hmm… what’s my personal record?  I don’t believe I’ve ever counted. Sounds like a contest might be a great idea.

Follow the Magic Bus Experience on Facebook, and find out more info and buy tickets at their website.