Glowzone’s black-light bowling and laser mazes are coming to Surf City
Soon Huntington Beach residents will be able to test their agility on a glow-in-the-dark ninja course and face their friends in a game of bazooka ball.
A family-friendly entertainment center called Glowzone is expected to open in late February at 7227 Edinger Ave., the first in Orange County.
Co-owner Jason Hughes said he is still waiting for building permits to be finalized.
He said the 47,000-square-foot entertainment center will be entirely under black light, with the attractions in contrasting bright neon colors.
“There’s no real concept like this anywhere in the U.S.,” Hughes said. There are two other Glowzone locations, in Woodland Hills and Las Vegas.
The attractions are for all ages, Hughes said.
The new facility will have 12 lanes for cosmic bowling — actual bowling with laser lights and black lights — and two ninja courses, one for kids and one for adults. The courses are modeled on the popular television show “American Ninja Warrior,” where contestants compete on challenging obstacle courses for a cash prize.
The center will also feature laser mazes — labyrinths through which people will race as lasers shoot out from the walls. If you get hit, you lose.
More traditional attractions will include mini golf, bumper cars and a child’s gymnasium called the Soft City Jungle.
Hughes and his partner, Ron Whited, have been working in family entertainment for years.
Hughes was one of the owners of the Sky Zone Trampoline Park on North Kellogg Drive in Anaheim, and Whited headed the competing Sky High Sports, which has locations in various parts of Southern California.
Whited created the first Glowzone in 2014 in Woodland Hills, which eventually led to another location in Las Vegas. Hughes said Whited approached him in June 2016 with the idea of creating another center, in Huntington Beach.
“Huntington Beach is a great city to be in,” Hughes said. “It’s a fun-loving town, so it’s a natural place for us.”
Known as Surf City, the coastal community is home to a number of special gatherings, including the annual Beachcruiser Meet, AVP beach volleyball tournament, Concours d’Elegance classic car show, U.S. Open of Surfing and Breitling Huntington Beach Airshow, to name a few.
Hughes said the new Glowzone will be a prime location for private parties and fundraisers but that people can always walk in without a reservation.
The center will have four rooms for private gatherings, each with its own theme, he said. The Gamer Alley will feature a small theater where people can play video games on a large communal screen. Electric Avenue will have an interactive neon dance floor, and Ballocity will be specifically for bazooka ball, a game similar to paintball but gentler, involving nerf balls shot from guns, Hughes said.
And the fourth will have two cosmic bowling lanes.
Aside from the attractions, the center will also have a restaurant, bar and comedy club. Hughes said the comedy club is generally considered separate from the rest of the business and will feature adult and family-friendly comedy.
Visitors can pay a flat rate of $20 for an hour or $35 for two hours in the center. Hughes said the only exclusions are bowling, the restaurant and bar and the comedy club.
For more information about party packages, visit hb.glowzone.us/glowzone-parties.html.
Twitter: @benbrazilpilot
