Butlin’s to open huge new £1.8million soft play this year that will be the biggest of its kind
A HUGE new £1.8million indoor soft play and puppet theatre will open at Butlin’s Bognor Regis in time for the Easter holidays.
Announced today, it’s slated to be the biggest ever indoor Soft Play centre and Puppet Theatre at a Butlin’s site, with enough space for 200 kids.
The new attraction will be spread across four storeys and span over 3,000 square feet.
It will have interactive and sensory play features, according to a press release by the holiday park company.
The interactive and sensory soft play centre will be 8m-high.
And it will be split into three different spaces for babies, toddlers, and juniors.
The attraction will be themed around Butlin’s Skyline Gang – a group of colourful children’s characters.
Each Skyline Gang member will have a devoted section, packed with climbing challenges, slides, log ramps, cargo nets and more.
There will also be a multi-sensory space for babies and a seating area with enough space for 100 people.
A new Puppet Theatre space will also open in time for the Easter holidays, with family-friendly classic string puppet shows on the cards.
New Puppet Castle shows will include Under The Sea, Jingle in the Jungle and Christmouse Wonderland.
Both the Puppet Castle shows and entry into the huge new indoor soft play centre will be included in the price of a family break and day passes.
The superhuman stars from the hit TV show Gladiators are set to headline over the Easter holidays too.
Gladiators will compete in a series of fun un and interactive games at Butlin’s.
Breaks at Butlin’s Bognor Regis during the Easter holidays start from £49 per person, based on four sharing a two-bedroom Comfort Room for four nights.
The price includes all live shows and headline acts, free flow access to Splash Waterworld pools, unlimited fairground rides, the new Skyline Gang Soft Play and playgrounds.
Butlin’s boss, Jon Hendry Pickup, said: “We’re excited to open our biggest ever Soft Play and Puppet Theatre space this Easter.
“With both included in the price, they have always been popular with our guests. These incredible new spaces are bright, fun and full of personality just like the Skyline Gang and their performances which are always a standout part of family’s breaks.”
Last year, the £15million PLAYXPERIENCE opened at Butlin’s Bognor Regis.
Set across two floors, covering 50,000 square feet, the immersive hub features nine state-of-the-art experiences from Escape Rooms to digital arts and a huge gaming wall.
You can read more about the opening of the PLAYXPERIENCE at the Bognor Regis site, here.
BIG WEEKENDER HEADLINERS 2025
This year, Butlin’s will host 15 different Big Weekender themed breaks, featuring a choice of musical eras from the 80s, 90s and 00s.
Pop legends like Matt Goss and Busted‘s Charlie Simpson will be performing on set weekends in 2025.
Platinum-selling artist Matt Goss will be headlining an “Ultimate 80s” break, while Charlie Simpson will perform a DJ set straight from the 00s.
Other artists are also slated to perform throughout the year, including Peter Andre, Blue and Boyzlife.
How has Butlin's changed over the years?
TRAVEL writer Catherine Lofthouse has been visiting the Butlin’s parks for 40 years – here’s her verdict:
“When I was little, my family would head to Butlin’s every July for a week by the sea, and I even worked at the Minehead resort as a lifeguard in my teens.
“One thing that’s always set Butlin’s apart from its rivals is the photo opportunities that you have during your break, including Teletubbies and TV star Stephen Mulhern.
“There’s also lots of sports and activities to choose from, like football, archery, crafts and soft play.
“One of the things I miss from holidays gone by are the monorails that ran at Skegness and Minehead from the 1960s for forty years.
“I think Butlin’s lost its way a bit in the 2000s when it seemed to become a mecca for stag and hen dos, but in the last decade, there’s been a bit of a turnaround in terms of rebranding and investment.
“I would say that anyone who hasn’t been for a while or who has written Butlin’s off as not for them might be wise to give it another go.”
I’m A Celeb star and WAG Coleen Rooney raved about her budget break at the holiday resort last year.
Meanwhile, there are lots of exciting upcoming additions at the holiday parks.