Get drawn in.
A chance encounter with a character becomes an invitation. Visitors register on their phones and receive their first assignment.
LIVE THEATRE. REAL STREETS. ONE GREAT MYSTERY.
Your streets.
Their next
obsession.
Turn festival foot traffic into an adventure—with five live characters, a mobile casebook, and a mystery that leads visitors deeper into your event.
The Strand Murders of 1888 · An XP Houston experience
THE GALVESTON DISPATCH · ILLUSTRATIVE EDITION
A CITY FULL
OF SECRETS.
Five people have a story.
Someone is hiding the truth.
INVESTIGATORS WANTED
Curiosity is your only qualification.
THE STRAND
1888
MURDERS
A FESTIVAL BECOMES THE PLAYING FIELD.1888
MURDERS
5live characters
~60minutes of discovery
Solo + teamsmultiple ways to play
Free to playfor festival visitors*
01 / THE EXPERIENCE
A story visitors step into.
An event they keep exploring.
The festival isn’t the backdrop.
It’s the game board.
Follow the evidence.
Interview suspects, inspect carried props, and collect character tokens. Two acts lead players through discoveries across the grounds.
Make the accusation.
Name the culprit, weapon, and motive on the mobile companion. Receive a private reveal, then return to the editor to claim a prize.
MEET YOUR POSSIBLE SOURCES
01The Editor02The Police Chief03The Mayor’s Wife04The Woman in Black05The Coroner’s Assistant
02 / A TASTE OF THE INVESTIGATION
One small detail.
A different story.
Good mysteries reward attention. Inspect this illustrative clue, then test your deduction.
Standalone sample. No spoilers from the full game.
EVIDENCE FILE / THE MISSING WATCH
“Six bells rang as I left.”
A witness insists they heard the shop clock strike six as they left. The shopkeeper says the clock had stopped at five.
03 / A REASON TO EXPLORE
Designed with your event in mind.A mystery for visitors.
An opportunity for your community.
PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT
Make the whole footprint part of the story.
Give visitors a reason to explore beyond the main stage. A planned investigation route can connect quieter corners, participating vendors, and memorable character encounters.
Discuss this approach ↗- ✦Distribute discovery across the grounds
- ✦Offer a free activity for solo visitors and teams
- ✦Create a shared talking point between performances
Built around participation, not forced purchases.
Optional offers and merchant rewards can complement the route. Partner stops, sponsorship placements, and reporting are proposed options, agreed during planning.
04 / EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL
What could a little
curiosity unlock?
Explore a simple spending scenario for participating businesses. Change the assumptions to suit your event.
Illustration only—not a forecast or promised sales uplift. Purchases may replace spending visitors would otherwise make. Delivery costs and margins are excluded.
ILLUSTRATIVE GROSS PARTNER SPENDING$300100 players × 20% × $15 per purchase
Build a plan for your event ↗05 / THE PRODUCTION CONVERSATION
Big atmosphere.
A considered footprint.
The live layer
Five performers carry props, evidence, tokens, and NFC passports. Distinct encounters give visitors a personal connection to the story.
The digital layer
The planned mobile companion supports assignments, evidence, and a private finale. The full player app is in development; this site previews the concept.
The event layer
We scope the route, access, operating windows, queue flow, partner participation, and prize logistics with your team.
Approximately 100 players last year.
Organizer-reported participation from the prior version. A foundation for the next chapter of the experience.
THE QUESTIONS BEFORE THE CASE
A few things worth knowing.
Who is this for?+
Festival organizers, destination teams, historic districts, and businesses exploring a shared visitor experience. The mystery is designed for teen and adult players.
What does free to play mean?+
Visitors do not pay a separate game fee. Hosting, performers, technology, and prizes require an agreed event budget. A proposal defines what is included.
Will it increase sales or attendance?+
The route is designed to encourage exploration and create opportunities for business visits. Sales and attendance gains are not guaranteed. We can agree on measures such as registrations, completed stops, and offer redemptions during scoping.
Does it need a booth or a large set?+
The current concept uses actor-carried props and NFC passports. Specific locations and any additional scene dressing are agreed with the venue.
What should visitors expect?+
A fictional Victorian murder investigation with mature themes. Full player materials will include an appropriate content advisory. No solution details appear on this buyer site.
What does it cost to host?+
Pricing is scoped to event dates, operating hours, location, staffing, technology, and partner requirements. Send your event brief for a tailored conversation.
LET’S OPEN A NEW CASE
Give your visitors
a story to
follow home.
Tell XP Houston about your event. Let’s explore a mystery that fits your grounds, your visitors, and your business community.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Share your brief → Discuss the fit → Scope a proposal
Your inquiry, handled with care.
We collect the details you submit and any campaign tags in the page URL to understand and respond to event inquiries. Inquiry records are available only through the site owner’s protected lead desk. We do not sell inquiry details or automatically subscribe you to marketing. To request a correction or deletion, submit an inquiry with that request and the email you originally used.
*Free player entry is the current game format. Host production costs are scoped separately. This is a buyer presentation for an experience in development; merchant integrations and measurement options are subject to scope.