KidZania London has closed, and its space at Westfield London is being reopened as something quite different. Absurd City, made by the Wake The Tiger team behind Bristol’s Dream Factory, opens on 15 October 2026 in the same 80,000 square feet. If you searched for KidZania because you wanted a day out with children, this is the replacement, and it isn’t a role-play town with a bank and a fire station.
We read the official Absurd City site on 10 October. A few of its pages (plan your trip, full accessibility guides) still say they’re being built, and no ticket price was published anywhere we could reach. Booking runs through a ticketing partner, so the price only shows when you pick a date.
What it is
The operator describes five districts across two floors, with more than 100 spaces, interactions and pieces of immersive art, and says to allow three hours or more. The story is that you’re visiting Absurd City, a major city in a place called Meridia. It’s pitched at all ages. Booking early is promoted as saving up to 40%.
Rules that will decide your day
Children under 3 go free. Anyone 13 or over may go in unaccompanied, but under-13s need an adult aged 18 or over with them. That is a change from KidZania, where children were dropped in alone.
Pushchairs aren’t allowed inside. There’s a buggy park at the entrance, and babies need to be in a carrier. Lockers are provided for small rucksacks, handbags and coats, but not luggage or large bags. The whole place is cashless and air-conditioned.
Food and drink from outside isn’t allowed once you’re in, and nothing can be eaten or drunk inside the experience itself, with exceptions for baby food and medical needs. Photography is fine for personal use. Only assistance dogs are admitted (not dogs in training), on a lead, because of loud noises, mist effects and smells.
Evenings, groups and calmer visits
There’s a separate After Hours ticket for over-18s on selected evenings, from 7pm to midnight. School trips have their own booking, and groups of up to 200 can book online per 30 minute slot. Box office tickets depend on availability, so book ahead.
Calm Sessions for SEND and neurodivergent visitors, and their families and carers, are not on sale. The operator says it wants to launch them in 2027 so it can learn the space first, so don’t plan around one this year. Annual passes are listed as coming soon, and gift vouchers last 365 days. An accessibility map for each level is available, and the written and visual guides are promised closer to opening. The operator suggests reading the Dream Factory accessibility section in Bristol meanwhile.
The bar
The site’s bar and kitchen needs no ticket and is entered from the first floor next to M&S. The operator’s own pages call it both Wunderground and Nowhere, so look for either name. The kitchen is meat-free. There’s no phone line for the attraction, and emails are answered within 48 hours. A risk assessment is promised before the October opening.
The address is Westfield London, Ariel Way, W12.
Absurd City (formerly KidZania London) Closed
- Address
- Westfield London, Ariel Way, London W12
- Nearest
- White City or Shepherd's Bush, then through Westfield
- Hours
- Opens 15 October 2026. Allow 3 hours or more. After Hours sessions for over-18s run 7pm to midnight on selected evenings. Opening times for other days were not published when we checked on 10 October 2026
- Booking
- Online through the Absurd City site. Group bookings up to 200 people per 30 minute slot. Box office tickets are subject to availability
- Price
- Not published when we checked on 10 October 2026. Under-3s free. Early booking is advertised as saving up to 40 percent
- Standing
- Immersive attraction with five districts across two floors and more than 100 spaces, from the team behind Dream Factory in Bristol, in the former KidZania London space
How to get in
KidZania London has closed. Ages 13 and over may enter alone and under-13s need an adult aged 18 or over. No pushchairs, no luggage and no outside food or drink inside. Cashless. Assistance dogs only. Calm Sessions are planned for 2027
Where to go next
Westfield London covers the centre around it, and Bubble Planet and Frameless are other immersive options.
Questions we get asked
Is KidZania London still open?
No. KidZania London has closed. Its space at Westfield London is now Absurd City, which opens on 15 October 2026.
What replaced KidZania at Westfield London?
Absurd City, an immersive attraction from Wake The Tiger, the team behind Dream Factory in Bristol. It has five districts across two floors in about 80,000 square feet.
Can children go into Absurd City alone?
Only from 13 upwards. Under-13s need an adult aged 18 or over, and children under 3 go free.
Can you take a pushchair into Absurd City?
No. There is a buggy park at the entrance and babies need to be carried.
Can you bring food into Absurd City?
No. Only food and drink bought on site is allowed, and none can be consumed inside the experience, apart from baby food and medical needs.
Are dogs allowed in Absurd City?
Only assistance dogs, which must be on a lead. Dogs in training are not allowed because of loud noises, mist effects and smells.
Does Absurd City have Calm Sessions?
Not yet. The operator plans to launch them in 2027 and will announce them by newsletter and on social media.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 419 in the guide.
Last checked 10 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
