Exhibition on ancient Egypt, King Tut coming to Del Mar Fairgrounds

A sphinx made of sand at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar on Nov. 4 helped announce an exhibition about ancient Egypt and King Tut that will be coming to the Del Mar Fairgrounds in January.

“The inspiration was that the event is going to be in Del Mar, we have a beach, and the discovery of King Tut was in the desert. Thus, the sand castle,” said Hartley Miller, chief operating officer of Paquin Entertainment and producer of “Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience.”

Nov. 4 was also the 100th anniversary of the day King Tut’s tomb was discovered.

“After the return of King Tut’s treasures to Egypt, Beyond King Tut brings together the all-stars of immersive art and the National Geographic Society to present a fascinating story in a whole new way, with a multi-sensory journey,” creative producer Mark Lach said in a statement. “Guests will get to experience the splendor of Egypt all around them, then take an imagined voyage with us to the Ancient Egyptian afterlife.”

The exhibition will have nine galleries that use “cinematic storytelling and soaring imagery,” in lieu of a traditional artifact display, to take audiences through King Tut’s reign as a child pharaoh through his mysterious death, according to a news release.

“Beyond King Tut will be a must-see for anyone interested in Egypt and the history of King Tut,” Kathryn Keane, vice president of public programming and National Geographic Museum director for the National Geographic Society, said in a statement. “New technologies are making it possible to fully immerse people like never before in important stories from our past, allowing us to develop connections and understand history’s influence on our present and future generations.”

Ticket prices start at $37.50 for adults and $22 for children ages 5 to 15. For more information, visit beyondkingtut.com.