Half term is always tricky to fill up with hashtagpreciousmemories, especially when you’re working for half of it. So when I heard that Wacky World was coming to a field very nearby, it seemed worth the hefty price to entertain the kids for 90 minutes or so. And it was fairly hefty – £13.50 each for the kids and £2 for a spectator ticket for myself. I assumed my ticket would come with some kind of complimentary beverage or at least a seat.
Spoiler – I assumed wrong.
It was a bit surreal being anywhere vaguely crowded and inside after so many months of having to socialise outdoors. We all got our temperatures taken as we went in and gave our contact details for Track and Trace but apart from that it was almost like real life. Oh, except for the spectators having to wear masks once we were in. But that is just normal life now, right?
Luckily it wasn’t too crowded. We’d gone for the 5PM session so that might be why it wasn’t overly manic…but it was definitely crowded enough. There wasn’t anywhere to sit -just a couple of chairs dotted about but they were quickly taken and the sightlines would have been pretty poor from them anyway. Towards the end, I noticed a thin balcony at the top of the Sports Hall that would have made a perfect viewing gallery for parents. Possibly even with some kind of cocktail bar as well.
Seating aside, the set up was pretty good. The kids were straight onto the bouncy castle and the only things they had to queue for were the ones where it was limited to two or four people at a time. Those ones could have done with a bit more staffing – there was a bit of a scene later on when I had to remove Eva from the gladiator platform after I thought she’d been on it long enough. She disagreed. But to be fair to her, it had taken her most of that time to even get onto the platform bit
That scene aside though, it went remarkably smoothly. It was a hot day so the kids got through a full bottle of water each, which I’d brought with me. There were signs around advertising drinks for sale but not a lot of staff to buy them from. It definitely felt like they had a good stretch out and run around though. As well as the bouncy castle and the gladiator platform, there was also a twisty ladder that Eva never quite managed to conquer:
And a total wipeout that almost didn’t exactly wipe her out but might have swiped her (Reuben loved this one):
And even a couple of inflatables that I’m considering adopting for the home environment. If I could keep Reuben tethered and bouncing all the time, I think he’d be pretty happy. It just needs to be a pile of snacks and bacon sandwiches in the middle instead of balls:
And this perfect game for siblings, where each one is in a separate injury-proof compartment and there’s a large wall between them:
So despite a few aspects which could have been better (seating for spectators, a bit more management on some of the inflatables) it was a fun trip out and the kids definitely seemed to enjoy it. It’s moved on from Walthamstow now but there are more details here if you fancy catching up with it elsewhere.
