Peel fills Quayside’s ‘I’m a Celeb’ void with indoor activity park
Oxygen Activeplay will take over the 26,400 sq ft unit two years after ITV closed the jungle-themed attraction.
Quayside’s newest tenant, which will feature more than 30 trampolines among other activities, will invest £2.5m in the venue.
A mega airbag, “Excite Tunnel”, and a high ropes course will accompany the trampoline-led attraction.
Oxygen Activeplay MediaCity will be open to all from next February and will host peaceful play sessions, “designed for neurodivergent guests, who prefer a calmer, quieter playing environment”, the company said.
The attraction will sit above food hall Kargo MKT within the unit previously occupied by the I’m a Celebrity Jungle Challenge, which closed in 2022 due to viability issues.
The MediaCity site will be Oxygen Activeplay’s tenth indoor activity park to open across England. The others are in Acton, Croydon, Derby, Rayleigh, Reading, Romford, Wilmslow, York, and at London’s O2.
Stephen Wilson, chief executive at Oxygen Activeplay, said: “With Oxygen at MediaCity being our 10th park, we knew we had to do something really special, so we have some really big and exciting plans.
“We couldn’t think of a better home for the newest addition to the Oxygen Activeplay family, than at MediaCity. We’re starting the build very soon, we’ve already started recruiting for our new Hero Crew and the countdown is well and truly on for our opening in February.”
Ben Hey, asset director at Peel Retail & Leisure, said: “We’re really pleased to be welcoming Oxygen to Quayside MediaCity.
“There’s been a concerted effort over the past 12 months to start bringing more experiential and leisure offerings into the centre as part of the 2030 vision for MediaCity and Oxygen fits the bill perfectly. We have no doubt it will be a hit with the incredible number of families already visiting thanks to the likes of Kargo Mkt, Vue Cinema and The Lowry.”
