As the first phase of a new
immersive experience celebrating
the life of Bob Marley launches in
Las Vegas, we go behind the scenes
to find out how it came together
The live show sees performances taking place across six themed rooms / Bob Marley: Hope Road
When production company Fivecurrents teamed up with music rights company Primary Wave Music to create an immersive Bob Marley experience for Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, they knew they were entering an incredibly competitive market. Visitors to the city already have an enormous range of high octane shows and cutting-edge immersive offerings to choose from, whether that’s awe-inspiring visual and immersive experiences at Sphere or mind-bending interactive art and technology attractions like Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at Area15.
Rather than trying to set themselves apart with technical wizardry and spectacle, they made the decision to focus on authenticity.
“We wanted to hang our hat on the intimacy of emotions, rather than spectacle,” says executive producer Scott Givens. “You’re three feet away from the performers, if you choose to be.”
Two of Bob Marley’s children, Cedella and Ziggy Marley, were brought on board as executive producers to ensure that Marley’s life and spirit are portrayed as authentically as possible. Their involvement was crucial to the credibility of the project.
“Bob Marley Hope Road is a profound celebration of my father’s legacy,” said Cedella Marley, speaking to Las Vegas Magazine.
“When you come to Hope Road you’ll feel his spirit. You’ll say, ‘I felt Bob. We invite everyone to feel the resonating power of his music and message.”
From day to night The attraction consists of a daytime experience and an evening show. The evening show is the first part of the project to launch, with the daytime experience set to launch later this year.
The daytime experience is self-guided, and transports guests virtually to the streets of Trench Town, Jamaica. Visitors start their journey in a recreation of Hope Road – a hall filled with the history of Marley’s life and music via LED projections. A series of six rooms and various experiences offer visitors the chance to learn more about Marley, including the wooden Jammin Tree, which features vibrational netting and interactive drums that illuminate the tree canopy. Guests can mix their own music in a recreation of the Tuff Gong recording studio, watch rare concert footage in a Jamaican dancehall and feel the vibrations of the music in the multimedia Cathedral room.
At night, the venue transforms into a performance space hosting a 75-minute show that sees guests guided from room to room, with colourful sets and visuals acting as a backdrop for the performances.
The immersive show starts in the Dance Hall, where visitors learn about Jamaican culture, and moves through the various rooms, with the sets brought to life via projections and performances. In the final room, guests are given 3D glasses to watch a performance by Bob Marley on a huge LED videowall.
Larry Mestel, CEO of Primary Wave Music, said, “Bob Marley’s music is more than just sound — it’s a movement, a message and a source of unity that has transcended generations.”
Bob Marley: Hope Road
"Bob Marley’s music is more than just sound — it’s a movement, a message and a source of unity that has transcended generations" – Larry Mestel, CEO of Primary Wave Music
Bob Marley Hope Road
Executive directors:
Cedella Marley: Eldest child of Bob and Rita Marley and CEO of Bob Marley Group of Companies and director of the Bob & Rita Marley Foundations. In April 2021, Cedella also launched Tuff Gong Collective in partnership with Universal Music Group, dedicated to carrying on Bob Marley’s legacy
Ziggy Marley: Eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, musician and producer and activist. Ziggy was also lead producer and force behind the highly successful Bob Marley: One Love biopic in 2024.
Larry Mestel: Founder and CEO of independent music publishing company Primary Wave Music.
Scott Givens: Chief creative officer and CEO of live entertainment company FiveCurrents and chief creative officer of London immersive art experience Frameless.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2025 issue 2
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People: Thelma Golden
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People: Linda Conlon
A driving force behind the creation of the International Centre for Life, CEO Linda Conlon has seen massive change over the past 25 years. So what’s next for the science centre?
People: Fiona Eastwood
With a passion for the industry, the new CEO of Merlin Entertainments says she is ready to lead the company to a new era of expansion and growth
Design & fabrication: Making a scene
As Adirondack Studios celebrates its 50th birthday, we speak to co-founders Michael Blau and Tom Lloyd, and production art director Lara Brunelle
Theme parks: Out of this world
The first major US theme park to open in almost 25 years, Universal Epic Universe is big news for the industry. We hear from the creative team that made it happen
Immersive experiences: One love
The creators of new Vegas immersive experience Hope Road have partnered with Bob Marley’s children to tell the story of his life and music
Zoos: Into the wild
Billed as Asia’s first adventure-based zoo park, Rainforest Wild Asia lets visitors experience animals in a whole new way. We find out more
Theme parks: Sleeping beauty
Fairytale magic meets traditional grand hotel at Efteling’s newest accommodation offering. Its designer shares the vision
Immersive attractions: Lost in music
As immersive music and hospitality company the Lost Estate announces its latest production, co-founder Eddy Hackett shares its global expansion plans
Immersive: Virginie Valastro
A dramatic ancient canyon made for an amazing starting place for the creation of a spectacular new scare attraction, says its creator
Museums: Roman Vinoly
The recently-opened National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, was one of architect’s Rafael Vinoly’s final projects. His son tells us what the project meant to his father, and how he intends to continue his legacy
As the first phase of a new
immersive experience celebrating
the life of Bob Marley launches in
Las Vegas, we go behind the scenes
to find out how it came together
The live show sees performances taking place across six themed rooms / Bob Marley: Hope Road
When production company Fivecurrents teamed up with music rights company Primary Wave Music to create an immersive Bob Marley experience for Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, they knew they were entering an incredibly competitive market. Visitors to the city already have an enormous range of high octane shows and cutting-edge immersive offerings to choose from, whether that’s awe-inspiring visual and immersive experiences at Sphere or mind-bending interactive art and technology attractions like Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at Area15.
Rather than trying to set themselves apart with technical wizardry and spectacle, they made the decision to focus on authenticity.
“We wanted to hang our hat on the intimacy of emotions, rather than spectacle,” says executive producer Scott Givens. “You’re three feet away from the performers, if you choose to be.”
Two of Bob Marley’s children, Cedella and Ziggy Marley, were brought on board as executive producers to ensure that Marley’s life and spirit are portrayed as authentically as possible. Their involvement was crucial to the credibility of the project.
“Bob Marley Hope Road is a profound celebration of my father’s legacy,” said Cedella Marley, speaking to Las Vegas Magazine.
“When you come to Hope Road you’ll feel his spirit. You’ll say, ‘I felt Bob. We invite everyone to feel the resonating power of his music and message.”
From day to night The attraction consists of a daytime experience and an evening show. The evening show is the first part of the project to launch, with the daytime experience set to launch later this year.
The daytime experience is self-guided, and transports guests virtually to the streets of Trench Town, Jamaica. Visitors start their journey in a recreation of Hope Road – a hall filled with the history of Marley’s life and music via LED projections. A series of six rooms and various experiences offer visitors the chance to learn more about Marley, including the wooden Jammin Tree, which features vibrational netting and interactive drums that illuminate the tree canopy. Guests can mix their own music in a recreation of the Tuff Gong recording studio, watch rare concert footage in a Jamaican dancehall and feel the vibrations of the music in the multimedia Cathedral room.
At night, the venue transforms into a performance space hosting a 75-minute show that sees guests guided from room to room, with colourful sets and visuals acting as a backdrop for the performances.
The immersive show starts in the Dance Hall, where visitors learn about Jamaican culture, and moves through the various rooms, with the sets brought to life via projections and performances. In the final room, guests are given 3D glasses to watch a performance by Bob Marley on a huge LED videowall.
Larry Mestel, CEO of Primary Wave Music, said, “Bob Marley’s music is more than just sound — it’s a movement, a message and a source of unity that has transcended generations.”
Bob Marley: Hope Road
"Bob Marley’s music is more than just sound — it’s a movement, a message and a source of unity that has transcended generations" – Larry Mestel, CEO of Primary Wave Music
Bob Marley Hope Road
Executive directors:
Cedella Marley: Eldest child of Bob and Rita Marley and CEO of Bob Marley Group of Companies and director of the Bob & Rita Marley Foundations. In April 2021, Cedella also launched Tuff Gong Collective in partnership with Universal Music Group, dedicated to carrying on Bob Marley’s legacy
Ziggy Marley: Eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, musician and producer and activist. Ziggy was also lead producer and force behind the highly successful Bob Marley: One Love biopic in 2024.
Larry Mestel: Founder and CEO of independent music publishing company Primary Wave Music.
Scott Givens: Chief creative officer and CEO of live entertainment company FiveCurrents and chief creative officer of London immersive art experience Frameless.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2025 issue 2
Editor's letter: Betting on horror
Year-round horror experiences are a fast-growing trend, but will the companies betting big see their investments pay off?
People: Thelma Golden
As the Studio Museum in Harlem prepares to reopen, its CEO explains why the institution is more important than ever
People: Linda Conlon
A driving force behind the creation of the International Centre for Life, CEO Linda Conlon has seen massive change over the past 25 years. So what’s next for the science centre?
People: Fiona Eastwood
With a passion for the industry, the new CEO of Merlin Entertainments says she is ready to lead the company to a new era of expansion and growth
Design & fabrication: Making a scene
As Adirondack Studios celebrates its 50th birthday, we speak to co-founders Michael Blau and Tom Lloyd, and production art director Lara Brunelle
Theme parks: Out of this world
The first major US theme park to open in almost 25 years, Universal Epic Universe is big news for the industry. We hear from the creative team that made it happen
Immersive experiences: One love
The creators of new Vegas immersive experience Hope Road have partnered with Bob Marley’s children to tell the story of his life and music
Zoos: Into the wild
Billed as Asia’s first adventure-based zoo park, Rainforest Wild Asia lets visitors experience animals in a whole new way. We find out more
Theme parks: Sleeping beauty
Fairytale magic meets traditional grand hotel at Efteling’s newest accommodation offering. Its designer shares the vision
Immersive attractions: Lost in music
As immersive music and hospitality company the Lost Estate announces its latest production, co-founder Eddy Hackett shares its global expansion plans
Immersive: Virginie Valastro
A dramatic ancient canyon made for an amazing starting place for the creation of a spectacular new scare attraction, says its creator
Museums: Roman Vinoly
The recently-opened National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, was one of architect’s Rafael Vinoly’s final projects. His son tells us what the project meant to his father, and how he intends to continue his legacy
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
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