Having a ball in the ball-pit for adults

At first people were a little tentative to jump in. But once the first brave revellers dived in, there was no stopping them!

Coventry’s latest bar has a lot to offer to those looking to kick off the shackles of adult responsibility for a few hours. Ballxrs, on Far Gosford Street, comes complete with a giant ball pit filled with more than 80,000 brightly colours balls. Chief reporter KATY HALLAM was invited down to the first VIP night for a sneak preview of the fun...

IF you’re fed up of going to bars just to stand around drinking and dancing in circles, then Ballxrs might be for you.

It definitely offers something different - a giant adult ball pit for one.

At first people were a little tentative to jump in.

But once the first brave revellers dived in, there was no stopping the crowds and the balls were soon flying.

A cheeky ball fight is a great way to make friends on a night out, and we had a great laugh submerging ourselves under the balls.

To get in the ball pit you need to buy a wristband either online or at the bar and guests have a choice of one hour, two hours, or a whole night.

You’re allowed to keep your shoes on, but there was a slight moment of sheer panic when I thought I had lost my bag in amongst the 80,000 balls.

Luckily it had just slid down around my waist, but it got me thinking about the guys out there carrying wallets and phones in their pockets and what they would do with them?

Maybe some lockers would be a good investment, then people could also make sure their drinks were safe too while they splashed around in the balls.

The Far Gosford Street bar is set to boast retro arcade games, board games, table tennis and a beer pong table too.

Unfortunately they hadn’t arrived in time we went along, and I was gutted I couldn’t challenge my colleagues to a match. But it should really help to get the fun atmosphere going.

We’re already looking forward to going back when they’ve arrived!

The bar doesn’t take cards, so make sure you grab some cash on your way in. The bar staff did tell us there were due to be ATM machines delivered shortly though, so you should be okay.

It’s probably best to take a handbag you can zip up to make sure you don’t lose anything in the ball pit! Searching for your house keys in there would certainly take some time!

There’s also a medium-sized smoking area out the back with candle-lit tables and benches for when you need a break from the ball pit.

You can also book VIP booths (holding up to six people each) to get your drinks brought to you by waiters.

If you pop ion the ball pit, no-one will be able to steal your table as it will have its own plush, red rope to warn them off! You can book them from 6pm to 10pm (pre-drinks session), or 10pm to closing time.

There’s three different packages – silver, gold and platinum.

The silver package costs £100 (or £80 for pre-drinks session) and will get you your booth and one bottle of Gordons, Smirnoff, JD, Prosecco, Tequila, Sambuca or Jaegermeister and two jugs of mixer. If you have prosecco, you can swap the mixer for one pitcher of a cocktail.

The gold package costs £200, or £150 for the pre-drinks session earlier in the night.

It includes your VIP booth, plus two bottles of either Gordons, Smirnoff, JD, Prosecco, Tequila, Sambuca, Jaegermeister, Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Johnnie Walker or Moet and unlimited mixers. If you choose prosecco or Moet, you can swap the mixers for a pitcher of cocktail.

The platinum package costs £250, or £200 for the earlier pre-drinks session. It includes your VIP booth, unlimited access to the ball pit all night, plus three bottles of either Gordons, Smirnoff, JD, Prosecco, Tequila, Sambuca, Jaegermeister, Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Johnnie Walker or Moet and unlimited mixer which can be swapped for a pitcher of cocktail if you choose Moet or prosecco.

Ballxrs opens 10am to midnight on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Late nights run on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays when the bar opens from 10am to 4am.

And on Sundays punters can unleash their inner child from noon to midnight.