Tobacco Dock Turns Into A Virtual Venue For VR And Hybrid Events
Words: Angel
February 8, 2021

Electronic music promoters London Warehouse Events (LWE) are launching the Tobacco Dock Virtual by turning the iconic venue into a fully immersive virtual and hybrid event.

The founders of Junction 2 Festival have teamed up with Sansar to recreate the 16,000m² venue accurately in “minute detail from its sweeping staircases to the cavernous dancefloors”.  After successfully turning Junction 2 into a virtual livestream version in 2020, London Warehouse Events has entrusted social VR platform Sansar with digitising the iconic East London events space.

Tobacco Dock Virtual invites party-goers, music fans and gamers alike to enjoy a range of gaming options that amplify and enhance the online experience, alongside pre-parties and after-parties surrounding the main shows. Participants will be able to roam the virtual building and dancefloors via mobile, Mac, tablet, PC or VR through the Sansar app. Livestream and media partner Beatport will also broadcast sets on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and Beatport.com.

Similarly, it was recently announced that gaming live stream platform Twitch has partnered up with house label Defected for six months’ worth of virtual entertainment programming.

Once live events can reopen safely, future festivals, gigs and shows will be able to take place simultaneously across physical and virtual spaces such as the Tobacco Dock venues, creating a new kind of “hybrid” event.

LWE director Paul Jack said, “Tobacco Dock Virtual is our next step in the evolution of LWE and the development of our long-term event concepts where we see virtual worlds sitting alongside the real world. Tobacco Dock has hosted some of our most exciting shows and led the way in the UK for vast daytime events. This next step on our journey will pave the way for hybrid events within a fully immersive digital and physical space, providing a huge new platform to showcase music.”

Virtual reality has taken the world by storm, and while it might not be able to create the same atmosphere as a live event, it is certainly a fun experience while we wait. Create your TDV account today or find more details here.

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