Roundhouse

What it’s like

Creative workshops, animation clubs and live gigs for older kids and teens, plus step-free access throughout.

This one's aimed squarely at the older end of the family, not a toddler soft-play situation. There's Animation Club and a Saturday Sounds Drop In, both pitched at 11 to 14 year olds, and beyond that the creative workshops stretch up to age 30, so a teenager who's into music production or filmmaking has somewhere to actually go rather than just hang about.

Live music and gigs are the other half of what happens here, and that's where the age rules get specific. Under-16s need an adult with them, and if your child's under 14 they'll need to be in seated areas only, which is worth knowing before you pick tickets. Not a venue where you can just wander off and leave a young teen to it.

The building itself is step-free and wheelchair accessible, with an accessible toilet and a hearing loop, so access isn't an afterthought here. There's indoor seating if you need a sit down, and the Roundhouse Bar & Café does snacks alongside sofas to lounge on, though it only opens from 6:30pm on show nights, so it's not somewhere to turn up for lunch.

Given the age range on the workshops and clubs, this suits secondary-school kids and up far more than primary. If you've got a music-mad 12 year old who wants to try their hand at animation or drop into a Saturday session with other kids their age, this is the sort of place that takes that seriously rather than treating it as a way to fill an afternoon.

Facilities

Need to know

Best for

Ages 11 to 14, with older teens catered by wider workshops

Food

Roundhouse Bar & Café with seating and sofas opens from 6:30pm on show nights serving snacks

• Under-14s at gigs must sit in the seated areas, not general admission
• The café doesn't open until 6:30pm on show nights, so eat beforehand
• Animation Club and Saturday Sounds Drop In are specifically for 11 to 14 year olds

Plan your visit

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