Soft Play and Rainy-Day Places Near Brighton

The soft play most Brighton families land on is Palace Play on the pier (no booking, £9 a child for the day), Funplex in Bevendean, and Level Up at Withdean Sports Complex, with its tag games for older children. For under-fives on a budget, the community and leisure centre sessions start at £3.50. Every entry was checked against the venue’s own site on 27 October 2026.

We have not been to these places to test them and nothing here is a ranking. Each entry sets out what the venue publishes: prices, ages, opening hours, booking rules, cafés and access, with the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating where the venue serves food. Prices are per child unless we say otherwise, and almost all of these play centres ask that both children and adults wear socks.

Soft play centres in Brighton

Palace Play, Brighton Palace Pier

A soft play frame on the pier itself, which the pier describes as a place where “kids can get lost inside for hours”, with “a massive slide”. Bookings are not taken and no time slots are issued: you turn up. Children under 0.9 metres have their own downstairs toddler area, where a parent can sit in with them; taller children use the top three floors, and children over 1.5 metres are not allowed in. Entry is £6.50 for under 0.9m and £9 for over 0.9m, for the whole day, or it comes with a pier rides wristband. Staff supervise, but parents must stay in sight of the play area. There are no toilets inside; the nearest are in the rides area about 20 metres away. The Palace Play Café opposite the gates sells coffee, slushies and cakes. Note that the pier charges £1 admission per person from March to October at peak times, free for under-2s, Local Resident Card holders and wristband holders. The pier was open 10am to 7pm on the day we checked. Hygiene rating for Brighton Palace Pier: 5 (Food Standards Agency, August 2018). Madeira Drive, BN2 1TW. Palace Play.

Funplex, Bevendean

An independent indoor play centre on The Hyde Business Park, with laser tag and parties as well as the play area. It describes itself as “a parent friendly venue with comfortable settees and the finest cappuccinos”, and its café cooks paninis, burgers, pizza, children’s meals and vegetarian and vegan dishes. Only food bought there can be eaten on the premises, which Funplex says is because it tracks allergens. Entry is £7.45 off peak in term time and £9.95 at weekends, inset days and holidays, with adults £2.25 at any time. Children must be supervised by someone over 16, and socks are required for adults too. Its website does not list opening hours; ring 01273 690888 or check the booking page. Hygiene rating: 4 (Food Standards Agency, 15 January 2026). Unit 2B, The Hyde Business Park, Auckland Drive, BN2 4JE. Funplex.

Level Up, Withdean Sports Complex

Freedom Leisure’s soft play at Withdean calls itself “an immersive gaming play experience”: the main frame for ages 3 to 12 has slides, rope bridges, climbers, bash bags and spinning elements, and a sensory toddler zone serves 0 to 3s. A wristband, bought at reception, lets children tap 40 LED points around the frame for a 60-minute Treasure Hunt (aimed at 3 to 7s, set up before school on weekdays) or a 15-minute Tag Colour Challenge (aimed at 8s and over, after 4pm on weekdays and at weekends). Credits cost £5 for 5; the wristband is optional. Sessions last 90 minutes, and it opens 9am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm on Saturdays. There are SEND sessions with reduced capacity and supervised under-5s sessions. Online booking costs 50p; by phone (01273 542100) or at reception it is free. Freedom Leisure’s page does not publish the standard entry price. Accessible toilets on both floors and a lift. Tongdean Lane, BN1 5JD. Level Up.

Leisure centre and community sessions

King Alfred Leisure Centre, Hove

Freedom Leisure puts soft play out at the King Alfred on two days a week: Tuesdays 9am to 12.30pm, and Fridays in two sessions, 8am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm. Prices start from £5.25 for one child, paid at reception on arrival. For younger swimmers, Splash and Play sessions run on Mondays at 11am and Wednesdays at 11.30am, £8.45 or £6.85 for members. The plans for the replacement King Alfred, approved by councillors in July, include children’s soft play (our report). Kingsway, Hove, BN3 2WW. Freedom Leisure kids’ activities.

Portslade Sports Centre

A toddler gym with soft play and bouncy castles runs every Thursday, 9am to 3pm. Freedom Leisure says no booking is needed: drop in and pay £5.60 at reception. At weekends, when no parties are booked, the centre puts up its Jungle Run inflatable obstacle course for £5.20 a child; Freedom Leisure asks you to contact the centre to check it is available. Hygiene rating: 5 (Food Standards Agency, April 2024). Portslade Community College, Chalky Road, BN41 2WS. Freedom Leisure kids’ activities.

The Old Boat Corner Community Centre, Hollingbury

The community centre in Carden Park runs under-5s mornings in its main hall: soft play, arts and crafts, early learning toys and outdoor play on Mondays 9am to 12pm, and soft play with ride-on cars and slides on Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9.30am to 12pm. Each costs £3.50, the cheapest regular soft play we found in the city. Tumble Tots classes for 6 months to 7 years also run there. Hygiene rating: 5 (Food Standards Agency, September 2025). Carden Hill, BN1 8DA. Old Boat Corner under-5s listings.

Just outside Brighton

Meridian Mayhem, Peacehaven

Peacehaven’s indoor play centre, which calls itself “new”, is on the Meridian Industrial Estate. It is for ages 0 to 12, with multi-level climbing frames, slides, balance beams, separate baby and toddler zones and an on-site café. Older children can try MultiBall, an interactive wall of digital throwing and reaction games, and a stamp-book “Mission” treasure hunt that changes with the seasons. Its SEND play sessions have reduced capacity, no background music and free entry for an accompanying carer. Play is booked online. It opens 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm on Saturdays and 10am to 5pm on Sundays. Hygiene rating: 5 (Food Standards Agency, 9 May 2026). Meridian Way, Peacehaven, BN10 8JQ. Meridian Mayhem.

Rainy-day places that are not soft play

Sea Life Brighton, Madeira Drive

Sea Life says the aquarium opened in 1872 and is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the world. It was designed by Eugenius Birch, the architect of the West Pier, and the building is listed by Historic England. Tickets start at £16 per adult when booked online, and under-2s go free. Extras include a glass-bottom boat experience from £25 per group and virtual reality from £6. It was open 10am to 5pm, last entry 4pm, on the day we checked; hours change through the year. The café in the Victorian arcade holds a hygiene rating of 5 (Food Standards Agency, June 2019). Marine Parade, BN2 1TB. Sea Life Brighton.

Brighton Toy and Model Museum, Trafalgar Street

A museum in four Victorian cellars under Brighton station, covering 4,000 square feet and drawing on a collection of more than 12,000 items, with a 1930s model railway layout at the centre that runs on special train days. It opens 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Friday and 11am to 5pm on Saturdays (last admission 4.30pm), and is closed on Sundays and Mondays, though it opened on Monday 26 October for half term. Adults are £10, children aged 5 to 18 £6, a family ticket for two adults and two children £20, and under-5s free. Brighton residents (BN1 to BN3) pay £8. A Captain Scarlet exhibition opens on 10 July 2027. 52-55 Trafalgar Street, BN1 4EB. Brighton Toy and Model Museum.

Hove Museum of Creativity, New Church Road

Free entry, and the museum says its Wizard’s Attic on the first floor is “fun for all the family”. It opens 10am to 5pm on Mondays and Thursday to Sunday, including bank holidays, and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It closes from 22 December 2026 to 1 January 2027. Café Rust in the museum opens 10am to 4.30pm and holds a hygiene rating of 5 (Food Standards Agency, February 2026). There is a lift to the first floor, but the museum says wheelchair access is limited to the ground floor because the upstairs fire exit is too narrow. Blue Badge parking is free on site; there are three steps and a ramp at the entrance. Children under 13 must be with an adult. 19 New Church Road, Hove, BN3 4AB. Plan your visit.

Hollywood Bowl, Brighton Marina

The one chain in this guide, included because it is where the city’s indoor bowling is. Hollywood Bowl has 26 lanes and an arcade at the Marina, and was open 9am to 11pm on the day we checked. Prices vary by time of day and package; the site lists offers from £9. Hygiene rating: 5 (Food Standards Agency, September 2025). Marina Way, BN2 5UT. Hollywood Bowl Brighton.

Closed for now

The Booth Museum of Natural History on Dyke Road has been closed to the public since 20 April 2025 while its collections are reworked. Brighton & Hove Museums says it holds occasional drop-in days during the closure and lists them under What’s On (Booth Museum).

How we chose

These are the soft play centres and indoor places Brighton and Hove families search for, chosen from what the venues publish, not on taste. We included every soft play centre and regular soft play session in the city that we could check on the operator’s own website, added the nearest large centre just outside, and four indoor attractions for wet days. We left out venues whose websites no longer work or that publish no current prices or times. Prices, hours and session details come from each venue’s own pages, hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency, and everything was checked on 27 October 2026. Holiday hours and session times change, so check before you set off.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@brightontimes.co.uk.

For outdoor play, see our guide to Brighton playgrounds, and for somewhere to eat afterwards, Brighton cafes and Sunday roasts. For more ideas, see things to do in Brighton, what’s on in Brighton this month and walks near Brighton, or browse the cafés in our Brighton business directory.

Frequently asked questions

How much is soft play in Brighton?

Palace Play on Brighton Palace Pier is £6.50 for children under 0.9 metres and £9 for taller children, for the whole day. Funplex in Bevendean is £7.45 in term time and £9.95 at weekends, inset days and holidays, plus £2.25 per adult. The cheapest sessions are the under-5s soft play mornings at the Old Boat Corner Community Centre in Hollingbury at £3.50, and Freedom Leisure’s King Alfred sessions start at £5.25.

Do I need to book soft play in Brighton?

Not at Palace Play, which says no booking is needed and no time slots are issued. Portslade Sports Centre’s Thursday toddler session is drop in and pay at reception, as are the King Alfred soft play sessions. Funplex, Level Up at Withdean and Meridian Mayhem in Peacehaven take bookings online; Level Up adds a 50p charge for booking online but not by phone or at reception.

Is there soft play for children with additional needs in Brighton?

Yes. Level Up at Withdean Sports Complex runs SEND sessions with reduced numbers, and Meridian Mayhem in Peacehaven runs SEND play sessions with reduced capacity, no background music and free entry for an accompanying carer.