In the lead-up to the US presidential elections, NBC News has recreated the iconic Rockefeller Center Plaza in virtual reality, working in partnership with AltspaceVR, enabling anyone with a VR headset to “visit” the plaza from the comfort of their own home and interact with others in the experience.

In addition, NBC News has created programming specifically for Virtual Democracy Plaza, including debate watch parties, live Q&A discussions with political experts, political comedy events and more. NBC said that Virtual Democracy Plaza is a first-of-its-kind use of social virtual reality for major news event coverage and direct, participatory viewer engagement.

The experience launches at 6pm ET today with a free event at which NBCs Al Roker, the mayor of the TODAY plaza, will debut the space with a custom avatar, chat about his favourite moments from the plaza and answer viewers’ questions.

You can create an Altspace VR account here, and RSVP to attend the event here.