The Dragon's Den

The experience starts right before you enter, where you interact with merchants, outdoor musicians, and the City Watch of King’s Landing. Merchants convince you to look at their textiles, metalwork, and goods from Drone, while a pickpocket walks around attempting to grab a few items from them (and sometimes, even attempt to fight the City Watch).

Your group enters through the doors of the Red Keep. In the ancient hall, you come face-to-face with a Targaryen Dragonkeeper.

Covered in a lifetime of burns and scars, they impress on you the seriousness of dragon bonding. As the doors shut behind, you know there’s no turning back.

Guided by your Dragonkeeper, you step into the salty air of a seaside cave. In the center of the room stands an iron nest where, like shiny jewels, 12 colorful eggs sit on a bed of hot coals.

You enter the hallowed halls of the Skull Room.

Standing before Balerion with your egg, you start to understand the power and responsibility you hold in your hands.

Stepping through a stone doorway, you find yourself in a volcanic, Dragonstone cave.

Billowing with sulfuric smoke, you place your egg into one of the volcanic vents and hope that it will hatch.

Your Dragonkeeper leads you from the Hatchery before abruptly stopping you outside of a dark, cave door.

As he speaks of a final test, ominous dragon sounds escape from the darkness — a warning of what’s to come.

You must now enter the den and face the dragons. Guided by a rope, you and your group venture into the the dragon’s den. With each step, the nearly pitch black cave comes to life with unseen dragons.

Using multiple practical and special effects such as multiple speakers, digital screens, and a pulsing “dragon belly,” touch, smell, and hear the dragons in the dark den.

From the darkness you step into a large, cathedral-like Throne Room. As the court musicians play, you’re greeted by royal handmaidens and the stoic Kingsguard.

As dragons fly in the stained glass window, you have your photo taken on the Iron Throne.

Having proven themselves true Targaryens, each person will hatch their personalized, virtual dragon egg in a new augmented reality app, House of the Dragon: DracARys, before exiting, enabling them to “raise” their dragon at home.

As a final takeaway, you’re given a dragon egg pin as memorabilia.

The cast and George R. R. Martin himself stopped by and enjoyed the activation! George also wore the pin during the panel for House of the Dragon.

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Agency: Giant Spoon
Client: HBO

Role: Associate Creative Director, Art
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Tommy Dudley
Creative Director: Katie Honig
Associate Design Director, Experiential: Kristina Soteri
Associate Director, Specialty Design, Experiential: Eric Zhou
Group Creative Director: Monica Herman
Executive Creative Director: Ian Grody
VP, Experiential Production: Margaret Morici
Senior Producer: Haley Madsen
Experiential Producers: Hazel Encarnacion, Miranda Harrison
Senior Business Director: Victoria Sobel
Senior Account Manager: Anya Markowitz
Senior Content Producer: Devin Glass
Content Photographer: Dylan Makar