Room Escape Artist

“This puzzle hunt has an entry fee of $42,000 per team of 6 people.”

Nineteen teams of six players each descend on the streets of New York City. The entry fee is $42,000 per team, and the only prize is bragging rights. For twelve puzzle-packed hours, the teams must navigate New York City, all the way from the furthest reaches of Coney Island to the heart of Manhattan. This is Midnight Madness, New York City’s most exclusive puzzle hunt.

Midnight Madness is a one night puzzle challenge across New York City where teams sponsored by large financial institutions compete for bragging rights in a race to the finish line. The entry fee is quite staggering, but that money goes towards both funding the event and charity. At its core, the puzzles and activities of Midnight Madness NYC are about bringing players into unusual and exclusive locations where they compete in strange and novel puzzles… and this year’s event was awe inspiring.

Every year, fresh new puzzles are created for this event, so you can listen to this without fear of being spoiled for future puzzle hunts. And indeed, it may help you get a better understanding of how these puzzles work. I especially loved hearing about the puzzles at the boardwalk, where a contortionist creates angles with her body that players must translate into semaphore.

Midnight Madness is created, produced and run by Gotham Immersive Labs. Producer Theresa Piazza and puzzle creator Emma Alosi join us for a detailed walkthrough of this incredible event. It was a joy to experience this vicariously through their eyes.

How to Listen

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