As half-term drew to a close in England, families short on inspiration might have been grateful to learn of a new day out: on Friday, the Paddington Bear Experience opened its doors in London, promising a “unique and fun-filled interactive experience” spanning more than 2,400 sq metres (26,000 sq ft) and including themed rooms, character interactions – and marmalade sandwiches.
But the experience comes at a cost: with weekend ticket prices of £49 for adults and £39 for children, a family of four can expect to pay £176 for the 70-minute event – and a lot more should they wish to peruse the books, games and toys available to buy in Mr Gruber’s antiques shop afterwards.
The Paddington Bear Experience arrives at County Hall on the Southbank amid an apparent trend towards large-scale immersive “experiences” over traditional family days out, with far higher outlays attached.
Also on offer in the same venue is Shrek’s Adventure! London, an immersive tour lasting 70 minutes and costing from £21 a child for a standard ticket this weekend.
Elsewhere, on Tottenham Court Road in central London, families can book to play a life-sized version of Monopoly, with tickets starting at almost £50 a player.
The phenomenon is not limited to London, however, with the likes of Bristol’s Wake the Tiger Amazement Park offering a “self-guided, multisensory art experience for all ages’’.
And in February this year, Glasgow’s now infamous Willy’s Chocolate Experience charged up to £35 a ticket for an immersive attraction but ultimately delivered little more than a couple of jellybeans, a quarter of a cup of lemonade and some plastic props.
Last week, families compared Brick Fest Live, an event billed as “the UK’s biggest Lego festival”, held at the NEC in Birmingham, with the Willy Wonka event in Glasgow after they arrived to find it “basically empty”.
The growth of large-scale immersive activities is driven by “the demand for captivating, story-led experiences”, said Juliana Delaney, chief executive of Continuum Attractions, whose portfolio includes the Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh and Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower.
“These large-scale immersive interactions remove the guest from their everyday and transport them to an alternative space where they can forget about their day-to-day challenges for a while.”
These attractions come with increased operating costs, but strategies such as tiered pricing, VIP packages and “early bird” discounts can still ensure accessibility, she said. “Many are willing to spend on the right experiences that they feel offer them quality, value and memories that last.”
But as the cost of living crisis continues and child poverty increases, some believe rising attraction prices risk locking many families out of recreational opportunities across the country. A 2023 poll of more than 1,000 parents and carers by the charity Family Action found that 76% of families worried about the expense of days out because of the cost of living crisis and that more than a quarter planned to forgo them completely during the summer holidays.
Ellen Abbott, a single parent to two children aged six and 10 in greater Manchester, said she had cut back considerably this half-term. “It would cost more than my weekly wages to take them to new activities every day, and I’m already conscious of saving for Christmas as they’ve been desperate to go on a Polar Express train ride,” she said, noting that many such activities now require pre-booking weeks or even months in advance.
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“Even ‘old-fashioned’ museums, galleries and bowling are so costly when you think about snacks, travel and gift shops – especially as a single parent when I’m not usually eligible for family discounts,” Abbott said.
Lynn Perry, chief executive of Barnardo’s, said the cost of living crisis had “squeezed household budgets and tipped more families into poverty”. “Many of the people we support are having to make heartbreaking choices about what to cut from their budgets to make ends meet,” she said. “Living in poverty means children miss out on opportunities and the activities that make childhood fun and support their development.”
Charities supporting the country’s most vulnerable children and families said they were also feeling the effects of the rising cost of entertainment. “For families caring for children with additional needs, having a simple day out can often be an extra cost that is just unaffordable,” said Ryan Sinclair, chief executive of Happy Days Children’s Charity, which provides days out and experiences for children with a range of conditions, disabilities and challenges.
“The cost of living crisis has clearly exacerbated the pressures on parents already struggling to cope, and we work hard to help as many families as we can. However, the increase in requests for support in recent years inevitably means that our resources are becoming more and more stretched.”
Liat Hughes Joshi, an author of parenting books, said families should try to resist the “enormous pressure to arrange a packed calendar of expensive days out”. “There are no prizes for being the parent who took their children on the most days out over the school holidays … so ignore what anyone else is doing,” she said.
“It sounds cliched, but being the best parent you can be, in the circumstances of your family, isn’t about theme parks or the latest immersive experience – it’s about time, love and attention.”