The Retro Room Level 2
The neon lights have flickered into life, the paint is drying and 95% of our games are now nestled snugly in their new permanent home at Cityside (tons of people still call it Yorkgate it seems!).
The other 5% of our games are in various states of (dis)repair in the workshop but we've now got space to work on them so expect a few more choice additions in the coming weeks.
We'll be powered on permanently from September 12th!
Yep we'll be opening the doors at 1pm on Friday 12th of September. From there the Retro Room will be open to the public from 11am-11pm on Fridays, 11am-11pm on Saturdays and 1pm-9pm on Sundays until, well, perhaps the end of time. We'll also have additional openings for Fresher's Week, school holidays, bank holidays and Christmas time we'll publish these well ahead of time.
We've had a ton of enquiries about private hires of the arcade and yes it will indeed be available for private hire from 11am-11pm Mon-Thursday so there'll be plenty of opportunity for that corporate event, Christmas or birthday party or any other type of event you have in mind. Private hire booking will launch online and in the arcade from the end of September but if you've a date you'd really like us to hold before launch please let us know via email at hello@retroroombelfast.com
Join us for the first ever Hypersports and Track and Field Olympic Games on Culture Night, Friday 19th of September from 7pm-10pm. We'll have excellent prizes from Pure Running, our lovely neighbours at the Black Axe Throwing Company and Sunflower Wellness for some well needed recovery after all that button abuse! Entry is limited to twenty so get on it!
How will The Retro Room work and what will it cost?
Everyone we've spoken to at the unit (and firstly thank you for the kind comments and encouragement) has asked the same thing, how will it work and how much will it cost to go to the Retro Room?
Public Entry
First off, no coins are required we think that's just daft in this day and age and card readers to play these games are a rip off too. £1 or £2 for a game that typically lasts minutes isn't for us! We want you to have fun, not leave disappointed.
Instead you'll buy a ticket at the door and pay by the hour. Our introductory pricing is £7 per hour or £25 for an all day ticket (up to 12 hours of gaming goodness, come and go as you please!) Of course all of the games, consoles etc will be free to play once inside. That's it, no extras we promise!
Private Hire
The private hire of the arcade will cost £50 per head for a three hour session and you'll need a minimum of 10 people in your party. Bookings will be online or in person and in sessions (eg 11pm - 2pm, 2pm - 5pm etc). At the moment we're working off a maximum capacity of 50 people per booking however this will change in the coming weeks as we're launching an area outside the unit also. Consider it a conservative estimate at this point!
Bring your own will be a-okay for private events however there is a great bar and eateries on the premises at Cityside if you want to make a day or night of it! Obviously anyone consuming alcohol needs to be 18+ or we'll send the Chase HQ guys after you!
Age Policy
We'd really encourage that kids are 8+ (mostly because they need to be tall enough to play the games on a wee stool) but we won't have a strict limit.
Is there parking?
Yep there's tons of parking at Cityside!
Mon – Fri: Up to 5 hours free parking, for customers whilst on site only.
Sat - Sun: All day free parking.
Is it close to the city centre?
Yep in fact we timed it! It's just over a 6 minute walk from the Cathedral Quarter or University of Ulster (5 mins if you're young unlike Marty.) Grabbing yourself a fantastic sandwich from Hero on the way is not mandatory but you really should.
More questions? Please ask them in the comments below! We look forward to seeing you again on the 12th for the post pop up Retro Room!