Monkey Town, the Dutch indoor play brand, will open three branded UK venues in October 2026: Kirkby on 18 October, Liverpool on 21 October and Romford on 25 October. They will be its first sites trading under the Monkey Town name in the UK, after two acquisitions of existing play centres since 2025.
Monkey Town describes itself as the largest indoor play centre chain in the Netherlands, trading since 2001, with more than 40 sites across Europe. It belongs to 24 Indoor, a Dutch leisure group that runs more than 80 sites across the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and the UK.
The brand entered the UK in July 2025 by buying Rascals Party & Play Centre in Preston, a family business that had traded for more than 17 years.
Three venues in eight days
Kirkby is a purpose-built site: a 16,000 sq ft venue on Cherryfield Drive in the town centre, with more than 15 jobs. In May 2026 the brand had given September as its opening month, so the October date comes a month later than first announced.
Josh Buxton, UK country director of Monkey Town, said at the time: “Kirkby is a hugely exciting project for us and represents a major investment in family leisure within the region.” The Liverpool venue is the former Yellow Sub on the waterfront, bought in April 2026 with a closure planned over the summer for refurbishment. Romford is listed on the brand’s UK site alongside the other two.
Two acquisitions since 2025
The brand’s first UK move was a purchase, not a new build, the same choice a prospective operator weighs between a resale and a standing start, as what it costs to open a franchise in the UK sets out. In July 2025 it acquired Rascals Party & Play Centre in Preston, which it described at the time as a major milestone in its UK rollout, without giving a date for trading under the Monkey Town name.
In April 2026 it followed with Yellow Sub, a family play venue on the Liverpool waterfront. The brand said at the time that Yellow Sub would keep trading in the short term, then close in the summer for a full refurbishment ahead of its reopening as Monkey Town Liverpool, now set for 21 October.
An entry built on acquisitions and new builds
Monkey Town’s UK route combines buying established play centres with building new ones. The Kirkby venue carries the full format: an under-3s zone, a jungle-themed adventure area with a volcano slide, an interactive sports pitch, pixel-floor games, a multi-level laser arena and family dining, sold on a pay-once, stay-all-day price.
The Preston centre does not appear among the three UK venues now listed on the brand’s UK website, and the company has not said publicly whether it will be rebranded.
Good to know
Monkey Town’s UK venues are operated by its parent group. The brand publishes no UK franchise offer on its website, so its UK growth is company-run rather than franchised, the distinction set out in what a franchise is.
More UK sites in the pipeline
According to Propel, 24 Indoor is targeting 13 to 17 openings across its portfolio, of which two to four would be in the UK. In April 2026 the brand said further sites were already progressing across England, London included, without naming them.
The next points to watch are the trading of the three October venues through the half-term holiday and the first named site beyond Romford. Brands in the sector that do recruit operators sit in the leisure category.
