GUINNESS: THE OPEN GATE EXPERIENCE
Guinness: The Open Gate Experience is a new kind of brand home in Covent Garden, combining a working microbrewery with an immersive journey through heritage, innovation and contemporary London culture. Designed for international visitors and local audiences alike, it moves beyond the traditional brewery tour to create a social, sensory destination that can be revisited rather than experienced only once.
Guided by Guinness Ambassadors, guests travel through five distinct spaces. Step into the Pint begins with a 360-degree cinematic environment that traces the story of Old Brewer’s Yard and brings centuries of brewing history into the present. The Brewery then reveals a fully functioning microbrewery, allowing visitors to see experimentation and live production at close range. Beautiful Guinness focuses on the visual artistry of the drink, including the millions of bubbles that create its distinctive appearance, through a striking and highly shareable installation.
The Brewer’s Room combines physical and digital storytelling with a communal tasting of beers produced exclusively on site. Rather than simply explaining the brewing process, it presents Guinness as a platform for creativity, craft and exploration. The final chapter, Bar 232°, takes its name from the temperature at which Guinness barley is roasted and invites visitors to try the perfect pour for themselves. Tastings and social interaction are built into the structure of the visit, ensuring that the convivial character of the brand is experienced as well as communicated.
The project draws on Guinness’s lesser-known relationship with London and the history of porter, giving the attraction a distinctive identity rather than reproducing the established Dublin experience. Its five-part narrative covers history, ingredients, sustainability, culture and creativity, while the working brewery produces core and rotating beers that cannot be sampled elsewhere. Carefully designed photographic moments extend the journey beyond the venue by encouraging guests to share their own perspective.
The opening response was strong: the first week sold out, 94% of tickets in the first month were purchased and independent Mystery Visitor scores reached 97%. The experience was formally opened by King Charles, reinforcing its position as both a major visitor attraction and a new cultural home for Guinness in London.