'Ball pit bar' makes adults feel like kids again, but with alcohol
Growing up can be the pits. Unless that pit is full of balls and booze.
Forward Motion is an organization founded in 2015 by Ryan Lum and it hosted a unique 'ball pit bar' event in San Francisco earlier this month. The pop-up allowed patrons to submerge themselves in colorful balls while imbibing bright cocktails to match.
The bar was open for two days, March 19 and March 20, and it was an event for the ages. If the ages are over 21 and wished they were still five.
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The idea for the ball pit bar came to Lum after talking to the owner of San Francisco bar Romper Room. The two decided it would be fun to mix a childhood activity with adult drinks.
"It took a little over a year to actually make it happen as the biggest obstacle was trying to raise enough money to purchase 40,000 ball pit balls," Lum told Mashable in an email. "After several failed crowdfunding attempts, I decided to just start selling tickets to [the] event that didn’t even exist. It took a long time trying to raise the money but it was all worth it in the end."
Lum said the event was a huge hit.
"One of the bartenders tossed a small green plastic turtle into the ball pit and announced that if anyone found it, they would get a free shot," Lum explained. "It was also hilarious to see everyone dancing the Macarena, singing the Backstreet Boys, having ball fights with the upstairs crowds, forming conga lines, and [playing] a limbo game."
Sounds like your average Sweet Sixteen or Bar Mitzvah, but drunk.
"I believe there were even a couple people dressed as brides and a kangaroo at one point," Lum said. "It got weird."
But in a world where weird has become the norm, Lum thinks people are begging for the next ball pit bar event.
"I talked to many of the attendees as they left the ball pit with a huge smile on their faces," Lum said. "I overheard people saying things like, 'my inner child is so happy right now'. People loved the idea [and] wanted to know if there will be more."
Luckily, for those who want to attend another event -- or for the unlucky individuals who missed the first one -- a second ball pit bar will open at San Francisco nightclub Monarch for an event in April.
Lum also hopes to expand to other cities sometime soon.
Just promise not to let your inner child vomit all over the ball pit like an actual child might.
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