This week has seen breaking news of several new attractions in the UK and US. Here’s a rundown of what’s in the pipeline:
UK - A former Grade II listed pub in Leeds is the proposed home for the Arcade Club’s second location. With its original venue in Bury, hailed as the largest in Europe, having enjoyed a hugely successful run since opening, the new Yorkshire site will also house retro video, pinball and console games. The plans will see the Leeds version spread across two floors and employ 15 staff, if planning permission is granted.
UK - A water park with a hotel, holiday homes, ziplines and climbing walls, restaurants and shops is being planned for a disused quarry in a Derbyshire village. Built within the derelict Crich Quarry, Amber Rock Resort (pictured) will cover an area the size of 22 football pitches. The indoor waterpark is planned to span two levels, featuring waterslides, a raft ride, a lazy river, an outdoor pool and a swim-up bar. Some of the quarry faces would be turned into the climbing walls, overlooking a boating lake, a fitness suite, a sports hall and mini-golf among other attractions. 210 holiday apartments would be built into the quarry face with amenities such as a bowling alley and a supermarket serving residents. If plans are approved, construction is expected to take five years.
US - One of two planned mini-golf courses at the American Dream mall in New Jersey will be Angry Birds-themed, according to a statement from the mall’s developer. Upon completion, American Dream Meadowlands will be a retail and entertainment complex that is planned to contain over 500 stores. The 18-hole indoor course will open this year and it will be inspired by the Angry Birds Movie 2 film. Characters from the game will be rendered in 3D form, golf balls will be designed to look like the birds and putters will be shaped like the game’s slingshot. The attraction will also feature a unique "lights-out" interactive experience. “Partnering with American Dream for our first ever location-based entertainment offering in the US is a perfect hole in one," said Joe Lawson, SVP of content licensing and US brand development at Rovio Entertainment. The mall is expected to open this autumn.
US - AlleyOops, a new indoor entertainment complex and restaurant, is opening soon in Ocean City, Maryland. The restaurant, which will have mini-bowling, arcade games and virtual reality, is due to start trading at the end of June. To separate the dining area and arcade, AlleyOops will have a tank filled with live sharks. The owners are also planning a second AlleyOops location for Ocean City due to open in March 2020.
US - An arcade-bar-grill concept is coming to San Antonio. KPG Hospitality plans to open a Kung Fu Saloon location, its seventh nationwide, in the north-east of the city. The 6,000sq.ft bar with a 1,100sq.ft patio will feature around 20 vintage arcade games, private rooms for karaoke and other entertainment. A mix of American grill and Asian fusion dishes will be served in the restaurant. The company expects to break ground in July and open by late spring 2020.
US – Theatre operator Smitty’s Cinema will be opening a new family entertainment centre later this year in Sanford, Maine. The chain’s usual focus is offering dine-in cinema experiences, where guests experience a meal and drinks while enjoying a movie. The new FEC will feature 10 lanes of bowling, more than 50 arcade games, air hockey, and a 100-seat bar and lounge area with multiple TVs.
US – Later this week, Bear River Family Entertainment Centre will open its new facility to the general public in Loleta, California. Opposite the Bear River Casino, the venue will boast 10 state-of-the-art bowling lanes, a large arcade and a two-storey LaserTron-branded laser tag arena.
US - A 16,000sq.ft family entertainment centre and restaurant will open in Greater Cincinnati next year. In the Game, a national franchise of party and events venues, is scheduled to open in the Liberty Centre in Butler County by spring 2020. Operated by the Family Entertainment Group, the centre will be the franchise’s first location in Ohio. FEG currently operates five other In the Game locations in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts and Texas. The venue will include six-lane boutique bowling, virtual reality and an axe throwing arena. In the Game joins iFLY, an indoor skydiving attraction that opened this month in the Liberty Centre, which includes more than 800,000sq.ft of retail, restaurants and entertainment.
UK - Newcastle Trampoline Park and Gym is nearing completion on a new monster-themed soft play area. The Tyne and Wear park is currently closed to allow the new attraction to take place, with a number of its trampolines being taken out to make way for it. The soft play area is set to open on May 27, with a dodge attack zone also opening.
UK – A £2.5m trampoline park is to open in Essex. Flip Out at the Lakeside Shopping Centre will be opened on June 8 and will create 75 jobs in one of the biggest centres of its kind in the south of England. Flip Out franchise co-owner Richard Beese said: "Lakeside is the next in line of the exciting evolution of Flip Out and it will be like no other arena of its kind in the world."
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