NEW YORK—Sleepy Hollow: Autumn’s Harvest is a multisensory experience set to take over HERO, an immersive-storytelling venue nestled within NYC’s Rockefeller Center, beginning Oct. 12. The walkthrough experience heavily draws inspiration from Washington Irving’s iconic 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” where he referred to 19th century Hudson Valley as one of the “most haunted places in the world.”
The namesake IRL experience will be influenced by Hudson Valley folklore in its design, according to Max Pollack, the co-founder of MATTE Projects, the creative studio behind Sleepy Hollow, while also weaving in “colonial history... and the magic of autumn.” 
After being greeted by Irving himself, the 10,000-plus guests expected to attend the pop-up will venture into "The Hollows" to "uncover ancient tales scrawled on gnarled tree trunks and whispered by the wind," said Max Pollack, the co-founder of MATTE, the creative studio behind Sleepy Hollow.Rendering Courtesy of HERO
Pollack told BizBash that it took the planning team four months to plan and execute the 12,000-square-foot exhibition—located on the “rink level” of a post office-turned-Manhattan landmark. And as of this weekend, guests can finally journey through the experience, beginning with “The Sleepy Hollow Harvest,” where they’ll be “greeted with freshly pressed apple cider and a warm welcome from Washington Irving himself,” Pollack explained. He noted that the planning team is expecting Irving to welcome upward of 10,000 guests.
Next up: A venture through “The Hollows” equipped with “black lights [to] uncover ancient tales scrawled on gnarled tree trunks and whispered by the wind,” Pollack told BizBash. Then, “in ‘The Cornfield,’ guests can get lost in a field of golden corn, where each turn reveals a new character and setting from ‘Sleepy Hollow,’ brought to life through dramatic visuals and narration.” 
“Ichabod’s Enchanted Grove,” which features a mushroom bounce house, is Pollack's personal favorite touchpoint because it showcases just how much the experience has tapped into the magic of the Halloween season for kids and kids-at-heart alike, he said.Rendering Courtesy of HERO
Attendees can expect appearances from the likes of Ichabod Crane, the supernatural-obsessed Connecticut schoolteacher who serves as the protagonist in Irving’s tale, as well as brawny jokester Brom Bones and Katrina Van Tassel, the love interest of both Ichabod and Brom.
In a directly adjacent “chamber” to the cornfield, guests will stumble into “Ichabod’s Enchanted Grove,” where they'll find “towering toadstools” as their “imaginations run wild,” Pollack teased, adding that this is his personal favorite touchpoint.
The “Whimsical Woodland”—a mushroom forest bounce house—is a space Pollack and his team are especially proud of because it showcases just how much the experience has tapped into the magic of the Halloween season for kids and kids-at-heart alike.
Moving on, guests will then traverse into an area called “The Witch’s Hearth”—a nod to Katrina, a witch—where they’ll “settle into the enveloping aroma of herbal concoctions and roasting apples,” Pollack described, before heading toward the “Headless Horseman’s fateful midnight ride” in what’s called “The Haunted Tunnel.” 
Though most of Sleepy Hollows is a family-friendly experience designed for all ages, an adults-only happy hour will take place weekly in "The Witch's Hearth," where guests aged at least 21 can sip on seasonal concoctions.Rendering Courtesy of HERO
Other special programmed events surrounding the fall installation: "Seedling Saturday Harvest Parties" (costume parties) and "Sleepy Hollow Halloween Cinema" nights.Rendering Courtesy of HERO
And because no autumn festival is complete without a pumpkin patch, Pollack said the MATTE team was sure to include just that. Yes, guests will actually be able to pick their perfect pumpkin here—and “under a painted sunset,” Pollack said. But it’s not just any painted sunset, he noted. It's one generated with the help of a tablet, an array of LED screens, and ChatGPT.
Attendees will be able to use the tech to draw their dream clouds on a tablet—which will then be projected onto screens above, according to Pollack. And for guests who want to revel in the autumn air, an adjoining “Jack O’Lantern Atelier” will be dedicated to a carve-and-decorate-your-own pumpkin activity.
There will also be special programmed events surrounding the fall installation, including family-friendly "Seedling Saturday Harvest Parties," where guests are told to come in costume and expect seasonal treats and activities, as well as weekly happy hours in "The Witch’s Hearth," where adults can sip on seasonal concoctions. "Sleepy Hollow Halloween Cinema" nights are also running every Wednesday with a lineup of classic films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Beetlejuice.
Sleepy Hollow: Autumn’s Harvest marks the third-ever immersive experience of its kind at HERO, which most recently played host to BLOOM—a nod to the “forgotten Eden,” before all the skyscrapers took over NYC—for the spring and summer seasons. 
Before Sleepy Hollow: Autumn's Harvest, HERO played host to BLOOM—a nod to the “forgotten Eden” before all the skyscrapers took over NYC—for the spring and summer seasons.Photo: Courtesy of HERO
