Montreal 2021

Update July 14, 2021 – SOLD OUT.

Updated February 23, 2021 – Due to apocalypse, this tour has been delayed from its original date to Sunday, October 10 – Tuesday, October 12, 2021. We will continue to actively monitor the state of the world and adapt as needed.

In fall of 2021 we are taking Escape Immerse Explore out of the United States. Our first international tour destination is Montreal.

Escape Immerse Explore Montreal will be our Grand Tour of 2021.

Escape Immerse Explore: Montreal 2021

Montreal is an artsy escape room market. The games on this tour combine detailed set design with puzzle-forward gameplay. You’ll enjoy some themes you’ve likely seldom encountered along with quirky game mechanics.

2021 Tour Dates

Sunday, October 10 – Tuesday, October 12

The events of this tour are spread across 3 days. We recommend arriving in Montreal on Saturday and leaving on Wednesday, unless, of course, you want to stay in town even longer.

There will be limited flexibility for individuals with tight travel schedules.

Escape Rooms

This tour will feature 3 escape room companies, with games at 4 locations.

Immersia (Boisbriand) – 2 games
Escaparium Montreal (Dorval) – 2 games
Escaparium Laval (Laval) – 3 games
Sauve Qui Peut (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) – 3 games

Tour Includes

10 escape rooms
Bus transportation to/ from Sauve Qui Peut
A weekend with Lisa and David as escape room guides
A talk by Lisa and David
A catered meal
Option to book in a hotel block in Laval
Exclusive discount codes to book additional escape rooms at these companies
Networking with other Explorers
Event t-shirt
Teammates who are as excited about this trip as you are!
… and surprises!

Ticket Options

There are two ticket options available:

Standard Tickets (playing in a group of up to 5 people) – $799 per ticket (buy now)
SOLD OUT ~~Small Team Tickets (playing in a group of up to 4 people) – $899 per ticket~~

Most Explorers will be happiest with a Standard ticket. There is a lot of do and take in in these games. Based on our experience with the majority of players who have attended our previous 4 tours, you likely won’t feel overcrowded with a group of 5. A little extra firepower will help. (On previous tours, most folks had played 25-150 rooms.)

If your escape room count is pretty deep into the triple digits, you’re an avid puzzle-hunter, or you habitually set records when you play escape rooms, you might want to consider the Small Team Ticket option. This means you’ll have a maximum of 4 players in any game.

~~If you hold a~~ ~~Guinness World Record~~ ~~in escape rooms, you should probably go with the Small Team Ticket.~~ They are all coming!

FAQ

What has changed since you first announced this tour in September of 2019?

First, a pandemic happened. We moved the original tour dates from June of 2020 to September of 2020, and then to June of 2021. Now we’ve moved again to October of 2021.

Given the pandemic, Codex decided to close their doors. Although they were part of the original tour itinerary, they will not be included for 2021.

Luckily, Immersia opened up their impressive Boisbriand location after our original visit to Montreal and we had the opportunity to play their newest games in early 2020, before the pandemic. They eagerly accepted our offer to be a part of the 2021 tour.

Given that we’ll be running the tour a full year later than originally planned, we expect to offer a slightly different lineup of games at each participating company. What remains unchanged, however, is that the tour will include each company’s best games.

So, the dates are changed. One awesome company is swapped for another equally awesome company. Some games are changed.

Most of the attendees remain the same, with a few exceptions. Also, the structure of the event remains the same. Moreover, our excitement and passion for the Montreal market and Escape, Immerse, Explore tours is unchanged.

Why Montreal?

We took a trip to Montreal in 2019 and we absolutely loved the games. There was a uniqueness to each game that we played that struck a chord with us.

We were about halfway through the trip when we started thinking, “we might want to take a tour here.” We started planning this on the drive home at the end of the weekend.

We’re excited! You should come to see why.

Are there any Golden Lock Award-winning games on this tour?

Yes!

The Wizard Four and the Rise of Lord Thulsa at Escaparium and Wrath of Poseidon at Sauve Qui Peut won Golden Lock awards for 2019.

Also, The Lost Island of the Voodoo Queen at Escaparium and The Grand Immersia Hotel at Immersia won Golden Lock awards for 2020.

Do I need a passport?

If you are not Canadian, yes, you will need a valid passport to enter Canada.

You are responsible for your own border crossing.

If you are an American and you don’t have a passport yet, start that process early. It can take a while.

Can I buy a ticket to Escape Immerse Explore: Montreal if I’ve already played games at these companies in Montreal?

That’s going to depend how much you’ve already played.

How will we get from game to game?

We will be going by bus to Sauve Qui Peut, as it’s about an hour from Laval, where we’ll be staying.

For the games in Laval, Dorval, and Boisbriand, Uber/ Taxi should suffice. You could also rent a car if you wanted. We have more detailed recommendations for transportation in the attendee documentation.

What is this “Laval/ Dorval/ Montreal” thing I keep reading?

Laval is a Canadian city in southwestern Quebec, north of Montreal. It forms its own administrative region of Quebec. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third largest municipality in the province of Quebec, and the thirteenth largest city in Canada (Wikipedia).

Dorval is an on-island suburb on the island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada (Wikipedia).

Boisbriand is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada (Wikipedia).

Escaparium has 2 locations: Dorval and Laval. On their website the Dorval location is called “Montreal” and the Laval location is called “Laval.” On this tour, you’ll play some games at each of their locations.

Immersia has 2 locations: Boisbriand and Laval. On this tour, you’ll play at the Boisbriand location.

Do I need to be able to speak French?

No. All the escape rooms are 100% playable in English. They can also all be played in French, and you’ll see different ways of tackling bilingualism in escape rooms over the course of the tour.

Quebec is bilingual. Don’t be alarmed when people greet you by saying “bonjour – hi.” It’s a Montreal thing. They will also speak to you in English.

When do events start and end?

The first official event is early Sunday morning (October 10, 2021).

There will be an optional, casual gathering on Saturday evening (October 9, 2021). We encourage everyone to stop by, say hello, and pick up goodies.

The last event is on Tuesday evening, likely pretty late.

Please plan your schedule so that you can spend all of Sunday and Tuesday in Montreal. (If this isn’t possible, please contact us.)

Will I get to choose which escape rooms I play?

No, but we’ll choose games specifically for you. You’ll fill out a fun pre-tour survey about your escape room preferences. We’re confident you’ll play a lot of games that you’ll love.

You’ll find out your escape room agenda far enough in advance that you can book additional games for yourself (at discounted prices) during the rest of your time in Montreal.

Can I choose my teammates?

You may flag 1 other person to play all of your games with. We guarantee this request will be honored… provided that you both request one another.

You may request as many people as you’d like to have on your team for at least a few games and we’ll honor these requests to the best of our ability.

I’m coming with a group of friends and we’re going to schedule additional rooms outside of the tour. Can you make sure we play the same schedule during the tour?

Yes. If you’re traveling in a group of 4-6 people, you won’t play all your games on the tour together, but we will arrange it so that you play all the same games as each other, even though you’ll play them at different times. This will simplify your scheduling for additional games outside of the tour.

In order to ensure this, you must tell us who you are traveling with in your pre-tour survey.

I don’t know anyone else coming. Will that be a problem?

Not at all. Coming alone is just an opportunity to meet new friends.

We’ll put you in groups with other escape room enthusiasts from far and wide.

What if I don’t like my teammates?

We will use the pre-tour surveys to group you with teammates whom we think you’ll enjoy playing with. On past tours, many groups loved playing together so much that they booked additional rooms together at the end of the tour.

That said, we will vary your teammates. You likely won’t play more than 3 games with the exact same team.

What should I do about airfare and hotels?

Your ticket does not cover travel or lodging. We are setting up a hotel block in Laval. Hotel block information will be emailed to ticket purchasers soon.

Are meals included in the ticket price?

Your ticket includes at least one catered group meal.

I can’t make it that weekend. Will you run this tour again?

We can’t really say. We are planning to run additional tours, but they may go to other destinations.

What about New Orleans? Will you run that tour again?

We will not be running a tour to New Orleans in 2020 or 2021. We may run it again in future years, but it’s too early to say.

I’m an escape room owner/ employee or immersive experience designer. Can I participate?

Yes! All are welcome.

I have nothing to do with the escape room industry. I just want to play all the games! Can I participate?

Yes! Really… all are welcome.

I live in Montreal and I’ve already played all the games. How can I participate?

Send us a message. We’d love for you to be involved.

Can I buy a ticket for someone under 18?

Unfortunately, no. All participants must be 18 years of age at the start of the tour.

This is an insurance thing.

Room Escape Artist