In summary
Oxygen Activeplay is giant indoor trampoline park with lots of different areas for bouncy, climbing, soft play fun.
When did we visit?
We visited Oxygen Activeplay Croydon on a Saturday lunchtime in mid January. The park is open seven days a week. Opening times may vary between parks so you'll need to check available booking slots on the website. You don't have to book in advance but I'd strongly recommend, as it can get very busy, especially on weekends, when the venue hosts lots of birthday parties. Booking in advance also means you'll get on to the trampolines quicker, as you can fill out the required waiver in advance of your arrival. But even if you have booked in advance, aim to arrive at least twenty minutes early to give yourself time to pick up your trampolining socks. These will cost £3 per person (but I love my brightly coloured trampoline socks and have since been wearing them with my trainers!) You'll also need time to put your shoes, coats and bags in a locker. These are combination code and free of charge. And then there's a short pre-session briefing that you'll need to allow time for.
Where is it located?
I visited Oxygen Croydon at The Colonnades, Purley Way, Croydon, CR0 4RQ with my husband and our sons Odhran, 9, and Reuben, 6. The Colonnades is on an out of town leisure park that is also the location of a Kidspace indoor play venue, and popular eateries including Pizza Hut, Nando's, McDonalds, KFC and Costa Coffee. Parking is free but your car is clocked going in and out and there's a three hour parking time limit.
Oxygen Activeplay has 12 parks across the country. Other sites include Acton, Derby, The O2 in London, Rayleigh, Reading, Romford, Wilmslow, York, Leicester, Nottingham and Coventry. So there are lots of choices of venues for an active family day out.
What does the experience involve?
After you've got your socks on and stowed away your belongings, you enter a tunnel with surround lights that adds to the excitement of beginning your experience. There's a short safety briefing and then the group is encouraged to shout 'Oxygen' in unison before the doors are flung open and everyone runs into the trampoline park. There's a whole floor covered in interconnecting trampolines and the venue is spotlessly clean, brightly coloured and newly renovated. We hopped along like bunnies, chasing each other across the trampolines, before we reached the site's new parkour obstacle course, which Odhran and Reuben absolutely loved. They were balancing and leaping over soft obstacles, somersaulting, and throwing themselves against the spring walls. Myself and my husband also enjoyed racing each other round the course. This seemed to be the boys favourite part of the park, and they spent the most time here.
But they also loved the basketball and dodgeball courts. There were lots of sponge balls to toss at each other, and we all got a little competitive bouncing on the trampolines to try score a slam dunk. The reaction walls were my favourite part of the park. After hitting a button to set a 60 second timer, you must bounce on a trampoline to hit and knock out lights on as many buttons as possible within that space time. Some are really high up and some are really low down. So, you get a good workout! And it's really great fun.
We then headed to the battle beam. The boys took their turn to grab their foam Pugil sticks and go head to head. The beam is covered in thick sturdy foam, and it wasn't long before they both fell into the soft padded pit. Reuben also loved the balancing strap and climbing across the wobbly rope bridge. Something I tried but couldn't manage!
There are also climbing walls at the park, which you can access as an additional activity at an extra cost, and there's a designated soft play area for babies and children under the age of five. The venue has plenty to keep kids active and it makes for a great February half-term family day out.
We were booked in for the 60 minute Open Play session. But when the announcement came that our band's time was up (each session has a different coloured wristband), the boys were still trying to squeeze in a couple more goes on the giant airbag, where you can jump from a platform and land softly on your bottom or back. We'll definitely be back, as it's a great rainy day activity.
What age is it most suitable for?
Oxygen is suitable for all ages from toddlers to adults. The Open Play sessions are for ages 4+. But there are also Toddler Play sessions designed ages 0-5, making Oxygen a lovely day out for toddlers too. During these sessions, the team run interactive games and actives including animal sound games, musical movement and dancing, puzzle piece hunts, building blocks, balance and co-ordination games, parachute games and more. All games are optional. So little ones can join in or just use the park as they please during these sessions. There's also a softplay area for under 5s. For jumpers aged 4+, Oxygen also runs Neon Nights on the first Friday of every month.
What about food and drink?
There's a cafe where you can get everything from breakfast foods to pizza, paninis, hot dogs and jacket potatoes. There are hot kids meals for £5.95, and a toddler's lunch box costs £4.95 and includes a sandwich, choice of juice, and the choice of three snacks such as apple, raisins, yoghurt and crisps. Ella's pouches are also on sale. Oxygen offers 'feed the family' platters - The Big Time, costs £25, and the Get Stuffed Feast costs £35. We had the Get Stuffed Feast, which included two pizzas, eight chicken tenders, six halloumi fries, two baskets of fries and two jugs of juice. This was more than enough for our family of four. If you pre-pay for 'feed the family' platters, you can get a discount of 20 per cent off your food.
The boys were also gasping for a slushy after all the jumping. There's also a separate ice-cream counter selling a variety of flavours of Carte D'Or. So, plenty on offer to refuel after all the fun.
From age 5+, kids can do the free jumping sessions solo. So, if you want the kids to burn off some energy, but you'd rather sit and relax, then the cafe has an elevated platform that allows you to sit and relax with a hot drink, while keeping an eye on the kids, as they run and bounce around.
How long will you spend there?
We were booked in for the 60 minute free play session. But you can also book a 90 minute session. I felt the 60 minute session was long enough, as the boys were by then, red in the face, thirsty and hungry. But while eating, they were disappointed to learn that their time was up and they couldn't go back in. And we'd gone there after Reuben's morning football club! So, I guess it depends on your child's energy levels. And your own stamina levels! After trampolining, we ate at Oxygen. So, altogether, we were there for around two hours.
How much does it cost?
Prices may vary slightly between parks. But at Oxygen Croydon, a family open play ticket for 60 minutes of jumping fun will cost you £49.50. This includes two adults and two children (aged 4+), or one adult and three children. A toddler play costs £15 (this is for an adult and a toddler). This February half-term, Oxygen has a Super Pass offer, where you can enjoy 60 minutes of Open Play from Monday to Friday. That's five days of fun - for only £30. Find out more here
Take a Break's verdict
We loved Oxygen Activeplay. There were plenty of staff on duty to ensure people had speedy access to the trampolining park. And within the park, there were lots more staff to ensure safety. The park was clean, slick and modern. There was a great variety of activities and interactive trampolining and softplay games on offer, and the staff also organised a couple of games during the session. It's got lots to offer all ages. The party packages are a little on the pricey side, and the food, while nice and fairly priced, does have room for improvement. Overall, we'd rate Oxygen Activeplay Croydon 4.6 out of 5.