Chi-Town here we come! Get a deep-dish pizza in the oven for Joey because the wildly popular FRIENDS Experience is coming to Chicago. Originally created for the show’s 25th anniversary, fans can celebrate their favorite friends and revisit some of the series’ most iconic moments with this two-story, enhanced experience created by Superfly X, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Warner Bros. Television Group. “The One in Chicago” will be located at The Shops at North Bridge on the Magnificent Mile at 540 N. Michigan Ave. (the corner of N. Michigan Ave. and E. Ohio St.). Tickets go on sale Wednesday, September 2, at 10:00 a.m. CDT exclusively at www.FriendsTheExperience.com.
The interactive space features 12 nostalgia-packed rooms and activations plus several all-new experiences including Monica’s kitchen and balcony and the iconic FRIENDS fountain. The space provides opportunities to explore the show’s history and re-create your favorite moments including peaking around Rachel and Monica’s purple door, relaxing in Chandler and Joey’s recliner, or helping Ross with the infamous sofa pivot. And of course, the space will feature a re-created Central Perk with the legendary orange couch where you can be like Phoebe and serenade your friends with “Smelly Cat.”
The experience opens October 1 and runs through January 3. Hours are posted on the website at www.FriendsTheExperience.com. Guests can reserve a timed entry to visit with a ticket priced at $35.00 plus taxes and fees. The experience includes a FRIENDS retail store featuring exclusive product that will also be open to non-ticketed guests.
“We hope The FRIENDS Experience will bring a bit of joy to Chicagoans in these difficult times,” said Jonathan Mayers, Founder and CEO of Superfly X. “Our team has worked diligently to ensure that the experience provides fans of the show with a fun yet safe environment while visiting."
To ensure that we are creating a safe environment for our staff and guests, we are taking measures throughout the space including but not limited to social distancing, requiring masks, non-invasive temperature checks and thorough cleaning and sanitization measures. Learn more about the enhanced cleaning and safety protocols at www.FriendsTheExperience.com.
Guests who visit the retail store will also get to experience a life-sized LEGO® re-creation of our FRIENDS’ favorite coffee shop. Built by acclaimed artist Nathan Sawaya, the Central Perk re-creation is nearly 700 square feet and was built out of 900,000 LEGO bricks. It features everything from the iconic sofa to the latest menu board.
The FRIENDS Experience is committed to investing in our youth and supporting education and arts in underserved communities. In addition to complimentary tickets to the experience, a portion of every ticket will be donated to My Block, My Hood, My City, an organization that provides underprivileged youth in Chicago with opportunities beyond their home neighborhoods.
For more information, visit www.FriendsTheExperience.com.
FRIENDS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s20)
About Superfly X
Superfly X is the global themed entertainment division of Superfly. Founded in 1996, Superfly’s expertise is bringing people together at the intersection of culture and commerce through iconic live experiences like Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Outside Lands and Clusterfest as well as for some of the most recognized brands in the world. Superfly’s creative and strategic offering helps brands like Citi, Intel and Bravo establish and raise their profile and navigate the cultural marketing landscape through programming, design, digital, social and experiential platforms. Superfly is headquartered in New York.
About Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, extends the Studio’s powerful portfolio of entertainment brands and franchises into the lives of fans around the world. WBCP partners with best-in-class licensees globally on an award-winning range of toys, fashion, home décor, and publishing inspired by franchises and properties such as DC, Wizarding World, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera , HBO, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. The division’s successful global themed entertainment business includes groundbreaking experiences such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. With innovative global licensing and merchandising programs, retail initiatives, promotional partnerships and themed experiences, WBCP is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.
About Friends
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of its debut in 1994, Friends remains one of television’s most beloved series. One of the highest-rated shows on television in its original network run, the series still remains a perennial go-to in syndication and on streaming services, where it continues to be a smash hit worldwide. A favorite among critics and fans alike throughout its 10-season run, Friends not only won the Emmy® for Outstanding Comedy series, but also garnered Emmy® Awards for series stars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. From Warner Bros. Television, Friends follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston). Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who executive produced the series with Kevin Bright through Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.