2016 has shaped up to be a pretty bleak year; Brexit, Trump, Professor Snape died, for real! *insert sad face*
If you’re sick of facing the responsibilities and realities of being an adult this year, then throw them all away and dive straight into a pit filled with over 200,000 colourful and slightly sweaty balls. Yes, that’s right, the fun-loving minds behind Django Bango have opened their latest pop-up bar in East London, combining childhood mischief with grown-up indulgence.
Ballie Ballerson encourages adults to be kids again, boasting a huge ball pit in their basement, with DJs playing a range of music from techno to pop, right at the front of the ball pit. Try your best to stay on your feet, as it’s pretty hard to get back up when you fall in, because as soon as you do, you’ll have everyone trying to bury their balls in your face.
Word of warning, leave your phone in your bag before going in. The staff find around 4 poor trodden on and severely scratched phones per night submerged in the pit! However, if you must take it for those wild Snapchat stories or that perfect Instagram shot, then put it on loud before entering the ball pit, because you will probably lose your phone and you’ll have to come back when the bar is closed and wade through over 200,000 balls to find it, a testing task after a few drinks!
Upstairs hosts the bar and kitchen, serving up ball themed snacks such as chicken kiev balls and “Yorkshire ballsâ€. The barmen, Stephan and Elliot conjured up wacky and wonderful retro drinks based on your favourite childhood sweets, such as the Bubblegum Refresher, Skittle Sour and the Wham Bam God Dam. At £7 per drink, the cocktails look and taste amazing, with the added bonus of nibbling on some skittles!
The idea came to cofounder Wenny Armstrong after “A long car drive home to Cornwall and I had drunk too much coffee!â€. The bar has received huge response, so much so that they’ve extended the pop up from a 2 month to a 4 month period. Wenny comments “London seems to be really into balls! I would love to keep the venue going all year round, but I would need to continually evolve the idea to keep people coming back. I already have some more ideas, but I’m not sure how legal they are.â€
So, unfortunately Ballie Ballerson won’t be open for much longer, but grab your tickets soon as they’re selling out fast!
Ballie Ballerson is open from Tuesday-Saturday with tickets priced at £15
79 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, N16 8AD
