Bowlarama, on Glassford Street in Glasgow, is opening its downstairs bar at the end of the month to create what is describes as “the new home of social sports”. The “competitive socialising floor and party bar” an entertainment hub that includes four state-of-the-art steel batting cages – a first for Scotland and powered by machine learning and augmented reality where players can choose between baseball, tennis or cricket modes- as well as three augmented darts lanes where players can dive into the world of disco darts.
The fully licensed downstairs bar will also serve signature cocktails, shooters, and a selection of snacks and casual sharing dishes like burgers, wings and tenders available from the first-floor restaurant.
Meanwhile, upstairs at Bowlarama, the bowling lanes have expanded from four to eight, all powered by next-generation technology including automated bumpers, personalised image graphics, high-tech SYNC scoring.
Beyond the multi-activity social sports, the venue has a collection of retro arcade game machines, including Down the Clown, and a two-player NBA Basketball Hoops game as well as classic arcade games including Pac-Man, Street Fighter II and Pinball.
Independently operated by entrepreneur Ian McColm, who launched Tiki Bar and Kitsch Inn in 2010 and Bowlarama in late 2019, the addition of the downstairs venue is part of Ian’s visionary expansion. Ian McColm said, “Creating fun social experiences and bringing people together is my passion. The fantastic response to Bowlarama since its opening in 2019 inspired me to elevate our offerings further.
“Activity-led social experiences are in high demand, and we wanted to introduce something truly unique to Glasgow. We’ve invested significantly in technology and user experience, allowing guests to seamlessly plan multi-activity days for friends, corporate events, or family gatherings.”