Review: HUMBUG! Immersive Christmas Dive Bar (2024)

Santa is propping up the bar in his favourite watering hole, and lacking in Christmas spirit. Can we save Christmas and get him back on his sleigh, or has he hung up his boots for good? Our review of Humbug, the immersive Christmas dive bar.

Photo: Humbug

Temperatures are dropping, and it's getting dark at 3pm again, so that can only mean one thing: Christmas is fast approaching. Kicking off London's immersive offerings is Humbug, the immersive Christmas dive bar, which has recently opened its doors at The Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

Back for 2024 after a successful debut in 2023 on Leake Street in Waterloo, this year's edition of Humbug has had quite the festive glow-up. Not only has it doubled in size, but it's also added a bunch of new activities, new areas, and a live band, alongside an updated 2-hour-long immersive experience.

Photo: Grant Walker

Guests first enter Humbug through an elaborately decorated hallway covered floor to ceiling in wrapping paper and bows. It's our first introduction to the maximalist design displayed throughout the venue. Every inch of Humbug is covered in Christmas memorabilia, referencing classic Christmas films like Home Alone, The Grinch, and Die Hard.

Daphne (Savannah Beckford), a disgruntled waitress who has long since mentally clocked out of their job, welcomes guests at the end of the hallway before letting them know that Santa (Drummond Bowskill) is inside and has been propping up the bar for some time. With him refusing to pay his bar tab and loudly denouncing the holiday season at every given opportunity, it's safe to say he's lacking in Christmas spirit. Daphne explains that we must try and help Santa find their mojo again in order to save the holiday season before ushering us to our seats.

Photo: Grant Walker

Once inside, we're quickly introduced to the other regulars at Humbug as they roam the space. Guests can expect to meet Rudy (Neil Frost), the overworked bar owner, who's recently taken over day-to-day operations from their father. Struggling to stay on top of everything and live up to the high standard set by their predecessor, their storyline largely revolves around trying to maintain some element of control over the goings on in the bar, with a special focus on getting the bar's snow machine to trigger on his cue - something that proves to be an uphill battle from the start.

Howard (Perry Meadowcroft), the bumbling mailman, is also having an equally rough day at Humbug, having lost all the letters due to be delivered to Santa after a few too many after-work cocktails. They spend a good amount of the show running around desperately trying to cover their tracks, stuffing letter after letter back into their postbag.

Daphne, Rudy, and Howard make up a large part of the immersive interactions on offer throughout the evening, with each stopping by tables sporadically to interact with guests. Howard provides the most substantial immersive interactions away from people's tables, with their mail room hosting small groups of guests across the evening. After being sworn in as honorary Humbug Mail workers, we're tasked with helping Howard restock their mailbag by writing new letters to Santa. A frantic search through all the pigeonholes within the sorting office for any stray letters bound for the North Pole adds a fun moment of interactivity before guests are told to exit the mail room through the 'Die Hard tunnel'. There's no explanation for its existence, but any chance to act like John McClane is a welcome one, even if half the group find themselves trying to crawl through the air vent with drinks in hand.

Photo: Grant Walker

VIP ticket holders also get a chance to speak to Santa in the bar's stockroom, which has been taken over to create a makeshift grotto at the back of the venue. Groups of roughly 15 are ushered into the bar's stockroom, where Santa confirms that they're lacking in Christmas spirit this year. Sporting a pair of red Crocs and surrounded by empty bottles, Santa invites the group to share their own cherished Christmas memories, all of which they confess to having no memory of.

Both of these main interactions, along with the smaller moments with Rudy and Daphne, are all light-hearted and fun. While the cast all do a great job of involving guests and improvising based on any given interaction, they're sadly spread too thin given the number of guests, which ultimately prevents Humbug from feeling like a complete and satisfying experience for immersive fans.

Those happy to explore at their own pace and forgo these interactions will find a range of other activities to enjoy instead, including Beer Can Bowling, Santa's Sacks (cornhole), and Rudolph's Rings (ring toss), as well as a private karaoke booth and plenty of photo opportunities. The self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, gets an entire shrine for worshippers to enjoy, and there's also a huge painted mural of Kevin McCallister on one of the venue's walls. On top of all this, there's a series of competitive party games that take place on the main stage for a few selected guests, with the winners receiving a free shot from the bar.

Photo: Humbug

It'll come as no surprise that by the end of the evening, Santa has regained their Christmas spirit. With the big man in red playing the role of MC on the main stage, each of the bar's regular patrons enjoys their moment in the spotlight, which rounds off each of their storylines nicely. While the show’s finale delivers the biggest sing-along moments, one standout performance is a true deep cut likely unfamiliar to most. Santa, backed by Humbug’s house band, Johnny Whisky and the Barflys, performs 'All I Want For Christmas Is Booty', a song from a 2013 episode of Saturday Night Live.

Photo: Humbug

Overall, Humbug is a booze-fuelled evening of festive cheer, sing-a-longs, and light immersive elements. For those who are looking for a Christmas-themed night out with friends or colleagues or are sick of visiting Winter Wonderland for the umpteenth time, it's a great alternative, even if some of the magic present in last year's more intimate version of the show has been lost.

★★★½

Photos: Grant Walker/Humbug

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Humbug runs at The Vaults near Waterloo Station until 31st December 2025. For more information and to book, visit feverup.com. Tickets start from £22.00.