Game of Thrones is brought to life in multi-million pound attraction

Based at the Linen Studioes in the town, the Game of Thrones Studio Tour is sure to be a hit with fans of the show.

Soem of the cast paid a visit to the attraction last week for the official opening, including former Friends School Lisburn student Ian McElhinney, who played Barristan Selmy in the HBO phenomenon.

“Visitors are going to get what they haven’t had before as a punter. They have seen it on the screen and now they’re in it and surrounded by it, immersed in it,” Mr McElhinney said.

“It is a properly immersive experience. It’s a truly fabulous experience, people will be blown away. How long will it (legacy) go on for? Generations. There are franchises where 50-year-olds are bringing their 14-year-olds to them because they fell in love with them.”

Ian Beattie, who played Meryn Trant, also attended the opening. “It’s the gift that keeps giving, it has turned Northern Ireland into one of the leading film and television locations in the world,” he said. “When HBO brought this here, it is the biggest gift this province has ever been given. This was, and in my opinion still is, the greatest television show ever made, and it was made here and that is something that everybody who lives here should be incredibly proud of. I know I am.”

The brand new 110,000-square-foot interactive experience will allow fans to explore a vast array of original sets, costumes, props and set pieces, with the aim of bringing visitors closer to the Seven Kingdoms than ever before.

Fans can step inside the iconic Great Hall at Winterfell where Jon Snow was proclaimed the “King in the North,” see Daenerys Targaryen’s imposing Dragonstone throne, delve into the incredible props, weaponry and visual effects of Game of Thrones and learn more about the skills and craftmanship that helped bring the show to life on screen. The immersive experience brings Westeros to life and will evoke the show’s epic scale -- from King’s Landing, Winterfell, Dragonstone, The Wall and the lands beyond.

Peter van Roden, Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be opening the doors to the first-ever Game of Thrones Studio Tour at Linen Mill Studios. Knowing you are in the very same spot where some of the series’ most memorable moments were filmed is an incredible feeling and we know fans of the franchise will feel the same when they see the rich detail in the sets, costumes and props up close and personal.”

Andrew Webb and David Browne, Executive Directors at Linen Mill Studios, said: “This incredible and unique experience is set to bring the making of the show to life like never before and we look forward with much excitement to welcoming fans and visitors from near and far as we throw open the Studio Tour doors and start a new chapter in the Game of Thrones story here in Northern Ireland. After many years as a closed and ‘off limits’ film studio, it is now time for fans from across the world to step inside the Seven Kingdoms and make their own personal journey through the world of Westeros at Linen Mill Studios.”

Niall Gibbons, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, who visited the attraction last week, said: “We are really excited about the opening of Game of Thrones Studio Tour at Linen Mill Studios – which will give fans of the show everywhere an extra special reason to book a trip to Northern Ireland in 2022 and beyond. Within easy reach of Dublin and Belfast, the new Game of Thrones Studio Tour will give fans a fantastic opportunity to go behind the scenes and be immersed in the sets, props and costumes used in the series.”

For more information visit www.gameofthronesstudiotour.com.