The UK-first Nerf attraction launches – with huge battle arenas and gaming zones
BRITS can now go into battle with one another in the UK’s first ever Nerf attraction.
Nerf guns, toy weapons that fire foam pellets, have become incredibly popular since they first launched in the sixties.
This year the country’s first Nerf Action Xperience (NERF AX) has opened in Manchester, allowing friends and family to engage in some friendly fire with one another.
A 35,000 square-foot space at Manchester’s Trafford Palazzo has been transformed into the Nerf battleground, with other activities also available on site.
Guests will have fun-packed zones to choose from, including two battlefields, as well as a training ground and other unique sports games.
For these, the team have added a twist to some classic sports to create the likes of Basketball Blitz, Velocity Volley and Crazy Climb, based on basketball, volleyball and climbing.
Competitors will have one hour in the battlezone, where they can choose from two thematic landscapes in which to go up against one another.
There’s Chaos City, a post-apocalyptic wasteland in which people blast one another between the rubble of an abandoned metropolis.
Then there’s Mission X, where visitors are invited to “step into the futuristic cargo bay of an abandoned spaceship” in order to “blast your way to victory and take control of the ship’s onward journey”.
Tickets for a session are available to book now from £16.50.
A diner-style restaurant called Archie’s serves food for people to get their energy back after their high-octane battles in the arena.
There is a huge dedicated Nerf store containing some products that are exclusive to the site.
The website says: “Nerf Action Xperience (NERF AX) is a huge indoor attraction dedicated to all things NERF where children, families and adults alike can experience a non-stop, heart-pounding, fun-fuelled adventure.
“Get ready to battle it out in various action-packed zones.”
The minimum age for competitors is five, while adults have to accompany any children under the age of 12 in the venue.
Visitors aren’t allowed to bring their own weaponry, with all blasters provided.
The experience is open every day, but only at selected times.
On weekdays, it opens between 4 and 8pm while weekends doors are open between 10am and 8pm on Saturdays and 10am and 7pm on Sundays.
NERF AX isn’t the only new indoor family attraction to have opened in Manchester this year, with Chaos Karts also opening its doors in September.
The carting experience has been compared to a real life Mario Kart, with players racing one another through fantastical worlds, while using crazy weapons and obstacles to hamper their opponents.
The website says: “Race your friends, compete, and get ahead with power-ups on the brand-new Chaos Karts immersive, themed race circuits in Manchester, opening this autumn.
“Chaos Karts transports you and your friends to immersive virtual worlds, where you can race through futuristic landscapes, overcome virtual obstacles, and unleash fantastical weapons … It’s like a video game in real life.”
Meanwhile, this new attraction allows families to explore huge interactive cinema screens for free.
And the tallest public viewing gallery in Europe is also opening its doors in the UK this year.