You may remember a few years back when an insincere Facebook event “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us” caused a brief worldwide media frenzy as potential attendees began climbing into the millions.
As things escalated, the United States Airforce, the FBI, and other fearful entities warned anybody harboring real intent of storming Area 51, that it was not a good idea. Somewhat inevitably the event disintegrated, some headed to various spontaneous festivals like ‘Alienfest’, a couple of Dutch tourists were arrested for trespassing and the 40 or so people who came to carry out the Area 51 besiegement were dispersed by local law enforcement.
And so, despite the ephemeral excitement that an uncoordinated horde of conspiracy theorists, ufologists, and thrill seekers in the millions might uncover extraterrestrial evidence on Earth quickly quivered and died. What resides within the highly classified United States Air Force facility still remains unknown but what it did do is prove humanity’s interest in the extraterrestrial and pique the interest of millions around the world.
This summer, fully-fledged conspiracy believers, budding ufologists, and anybody interested in checking out what evidence could have possibly escaped the government, can entertain their contemplations of the extraterrestrial at a new “all-encompassing” Area 51 exhibition coming to Chicago this week.
While Chicago is rife with world-class museums where famous artworks and fascinating exhibitions can be seen throughout the year, this is an exhibition unlike any you will have experienced before.
Debuting on Friday, June 14 on the first floor of the former John Hancock Center, “Area 51 Encounter” will invite all inquisitive earthlings to explore 7 galleries that will “leave you questioning what’s real and what is science fiction” thanks to “evidence, stories, theories, and even actual artifacts allegedly recovered from UFOs.”
Designed to pique the interest and curiosities of earthlings of all ages, the exhibition will bring guests face-to-face with “original and reproduced alien artifacts” while spotlighting modern-day sightings, military involvement, and pop culture’s fascination with extraterrestrial life.
“We gathered the evidence — you uncover the truth. More than two-thirds of Americans believe intelligent lifeforms exist and that percentage is about to increase in Chicago when close encounters of the fun kind come to the heart of the city this summer” reads the official release.
The exhibition will feature interactive elements including video and audio recordings of famous sightings, a 3D short film, an alien hunt laser shooting game, an alien abduction simulation, and a virtual reality moon explorer.
Meanwhile, you’ll also be able to discover new worlds with a fascinating deep dive into the James Webb Space Telescope.
“We couldn’t be more excited to share this unforgettable experience with the people of Chicago for the first time ever,” says Brian Bouquet, President of The Event Agency, Inc.
“In a world where the possibility of life beyond Earth is becoming more plausible thanks to recent revelations of classified U.S. government files on UFO sightings and human-alien contact, Area 51 Encounter offers an unparalleled in-person experience that will ignite your curiosity and spark discussions about our place in the universe.”
Tickets are now on sale and cost $27 for adults and $22 for children while kids three and under are free.
Area 51 Encounter will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays on the first floor of the former John Hancock Center at 875 North Michigan Avenue.
More information can be found at www.area51encounter.com.