Phenomenomaly welcomes the Flicker Wermzz migration in a fun, bizarre event.

Think of a bunch of bored kids on a rainy day coming up with a weird play about alien worms migrating to a new home. They use granny’s easter bonnets, dad’s raincoat, some throw pillows and sheets to come up with costumes for the “keepers” accompanying the worms, then add in some music because Teddy next door plays the tuba.

Now imagine those kids as adults with a lot more resources to create the costumes and effects, plus a full brass band, an immersive museum to stage it in and a much larger cast. You can see it now at Meow Wolf this summer, as the interactive art museum hosts Phenomenomaly. The show loops from afternoons into early evening Tuesdays through Saturdays, and while you really need to experience it to fully grok the whole thing, I’ll do my best here.

Grab one of the programs for the show at the entrance, then head into Convergence Station as you would normally. The program tells you what you need to know about “The Wermbloom”— the regular migration of the glowing “Flicker Wermzz” from, I dunno, somewhere to somewhere else. The main action takes place in the “Numina” world — which I think of as the sorta jungly area with, among many other things, an enormous llama-giraffe.

Listen to the OnStage Colorado interview with with Meow Wolf GM and Phenomenomaly co-creator Brie Lipari.

Soon, “Keepers” and other characters will start to appear. There’s one group in wild costumes who appeared to be the organizers, and they use mics and bullhorns to attract people to their traveling circus. (You may not understand what the hell they’re talking about, but they definitely drew a crowd of the curious.)

The Keepers are mysterious, silent figures in vaguely religious garb and headpieces who move slowly around and, like the guards at Buckingham Palace, speak to no one. It won’t be clear where all this is headed, just know that the key to seeing the grand finale is by just following the keepers.

Phenomenomaly characters whip up interest with the crowd before the Wermbloom. | Photo: Alex Miller

I’ve been to Meow Wolf half a dozen times since it opened in the fall of 2021, but I’d never seen much of the performative elements we were initially told would be part of it — like wandering characters you could interact with or ask questions. Maybe I was there on the wrong days or perhaps this part of the experience didn’t materialize, but the lack of any kind of structure is both a strength and a weakness of the interactive exhibit.

Sure, wandering around aimlessly looking at (and touching) a dizzying array of stuff aligns with the chaotic theme of Convergence Station — where four universes overlap. But one of the reasons we pry ourselves off the couch to go to places like this is for a communal experience. So, something like the Phenomenomaly is the perfect answer.

Best Wermbloom ever!

As the Keepers and other characters started to coalesce in the Numina, I could feel the wave of intrigue washing over myself and the rest of the visitors as we sensed something was going to happen. It was refreshing to not have some employee telling us what to do and where to go – we just let our gregarious human instinct lead us to where we needed to be to see the Wermbloom.

Rather than try to explain it, I’ll let some of the photos tell the story here. One of the neat things that’s part of it all is a mini jazz concert by Denver’s Brothers of Brass. In a short but explosive set, the five-piece band lit up the halls of Meow Wolf as the rest of the audience and Wermbloomers assembled. From there, we finally got to meet the Flicker Wermzz, celebrate their migration and meet the Wermzz’ “Big Mama” — articulated through an enormous white puppet.

If you want to know what’s going on at the Wermbloom, be sure to pick up this program at the Meow Wolf entrance.

Do we know what really happened? No. Will the Flicker Wermzz metamorphize or die or start a cult? Unclear. Does it matter? Nope!

Throughout its run, Phenomenomaly will feature guest performers from around town, so the experience will vary from week to week. It’s a family-friendly event (my tween granddaughters loved it) that is 100% unlike anything else you will experience in Denver this summer. I’d recommend opening your mind, accepting the reality of the Wermbloom and checking into Convergence Station for this wildly unique and unexpected event.

Check out Toni Tresca’s behind-the-scenes look at Phenomenomaly in Denver Westword.