Last Updated on August 6, 2022

I once watched a video on Facebook (here’s the YouTube link) where a guy set up a ball pit in the middle of the street and asked people walking by if they were ‘too busy to have fun’.  Most were business people on the way to work etc. You could see their dilemma. Did they have time to take a minute for themselves and just do something fun?  Ball pits are more commonly something associated with kids. But when I visited Ballie Ballerson, an adult ball pit bar in London, I can honestly say it brought a smile to my face. I left wishing that I could have stayed for longer because the time FLEW by!

Updated: December 2021

Ballie Ballerson: Ball Pit Bar London

🗺Location: Ballie Ballerson London, 97 – 113 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, London, EC2A 3BS

Ballie Ballerson started as a ‘pop up’ bar. Due to its huge popularity it then moved into a newer, bigger permanent location in Shoreditch.  Just like the Ice Bar London, it’s best to book a time slot.  Slots last for 2 hours and cost either £5 (Sun – Thursday), £10 (Fridays) or £15 (Saturdays).  £5 is an absolute bargain so if you can, I’d recommend visiting on these off peak days!  It’s also an 18+ venue so make sure you have ID on you as entry could be refused without it!

The ‘instagram ball pit

The entrance fee then gives you access to two ball pits with over a million balls between them!  You can see one of the ball pits from the street. It’s every instagrammer’s dream…believe me. My post from this ball pit was one of my best engaged posts for a long time. (I started questioning if Instagram had truly died for me…turns out my tribe like a good ball pit too!) It’s pink. Very pink.  And Ariana Grande themed.

Since my visit, the theme of this ball pit has changed! It’s now decorated with ‘love heart sweets’ with various sayings on. The balls are also pink AND blue, rather than just pink!

This ball pit isn’t as deep and has a carpeted floor.  I was surprised at how comfortable it was just to lay in a ball pit.  After a busy weekend in London I was exhausted and could have quite easily have fallen asleep!

The main ball pit

The second ball pit at Ballie Ballerson is much bigger as well as being quite a bit deeper. It was almost like a swimming pool!  Like a big kid I couldn’t help but constantly ‘flop’ into the balls and just sink into them like a stone! My sister had visited when it was in its original location and she got a little freaked out going under. It can be a bit tricky to ‘resurface’ and can be a bit of a workout!

This ball pit has white/clear balls that glow with the colour changing lights in the room.  We found this to be the most popular out of the two. When there were almost 4 staggered time slots, this one did start filling up a bit!  As each slot has a limited number of places, it never felt OVER crowded though. Most people ‘disappeared’ in the balls, you could only really see the tops of people’s heads!  The ball pit is surrounded by mirrors which also gave it the impression of being a lot larger.

I also liked the way that the music wasn’t TOO loud.  Sometimes you find yourself in a bar or club having to shout to be heard over the music. However at Ballie Ballerson it was at a volume where you could still comfortably talk to the people you were with.

There is actually a THIRD ball pit at Ballie Ballerson which I didn’t actually see because it’s in a VIP section which you can pay extra for.  However this one is apparently gold!

Ballie Ballerson Dress Code: What To Wear To Ballie Ballerson

Ballie Ballerson has a dress code, however it’s pretty relaxed (smart casual).  Their only requirement clothes wise is that you don’t wear tracksuits or gym clothes.  In all honesty it’s probably better if you are wearing some sort of jeans. You are in a ball pit after all so dresses and skirts aren’t exactly the most practical options. They are allowed, but as I said, not practical.

Shoes

Shoes on the other hand are where the rules come into play. You DO have to wear shoes in the ball pits and trainers/running shoes ARE allowed. Extreme high heels are a no no (medium wedge heels are OK, just no pointy ones). Flip flops and sandals/shoes with open toes are a no go too.  

Be wary that slip on shoes may…slip off.  One woman was freaking out because her shoe fell off in the ball pit. She was having a go at one of the workers because ‘how could she leave with only one shoe?!?!’. She was told that she just had to search for it and hope for the best (she even grabbed my foot while searching for her shoe…awkward!).

The balls at Ballie Ballerson are washed/cleaned once a week. This is when the majority of lost property is found.

Ballie Ballerson Cloakroom

There’s not really anywhere to keep your ‘stuff’, unless you store it in the cloakroom. Storage per item is £2 – cash only.  I wore clothes with zip pockets and just had my camera bag, so kept everything on me.  There were people in the ball pits with their backpacks and bags. Obviously you do all this at your own risk.

Nostalgic Cocktails at Ballie Ballerson

Just like the ball pits, the cocktails are just as fun too and aim to spark up nostalgia too.  They cost between £9 – £12 which is standard for London prices.  Some of the cocktails are made with retro sweets.  Me and my friend decided to buy 2 and share them.  The first one we chose was the ‘Dibbie Dabberson’ which was made with a sherbet Dip Dab and gin! (Other sweet cocktails include ones made with: Skittles, Hubba Bubba, Bounty and Curly Wurly)

The 2nd cocktail we tried was ‘You’re A Wizard Harry’ which was rum and rhubarb flavoured, BUT it also smoked!

There is also a food menu (mainly pizzas), however we didn’t eat at Ballie Ballerson.  Food and drink isn’t allowed in the ball pits. So you will have to drag yourself away from these areas if you want to experience the actually BAR part of this ball pit bar in London!  You can enter the bar area for free on Sundays to Thursdays but this obviously doesn’t include access to the ball pits.

I really enjoyed my time at Ballie Ballerson, it was really nice to see everyone just having child like fun without feeling embarrassed or self conscious!

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