No more mall-hopping on the weekend. Bengaluru turns to zorbing, go-karting and air hockey instead

BENGALURU: The weekly mall outings were becoming predictable and drab for the Bhagath household. “It had become a routine for us to visit one of the malls, watch a film, shop a little, eat at the food court and head back home,” says Sujatha Bhagath.

That changed a year back for good when the family was invited for a weekend picnic by their friends to a sports entertainment venue in the city. “Now, every alternate weekend, we are exploring a multitude of active entertainment. Not only has our interest in various sports been piqued, we’ve also become fitter and more disciplined as a family,” says Sujatha, 45.

Sports entertainment venues that have cropped up in the city are becoming a huge hit with Bengalureans who are looking to engage in activity-based outings over the monotonous mall hopping. An indication of this is a rise of 30 venues from just two in the past three years.

Says Gauravjeet Singh, founder, Playo, a location-based sports mobile app with four lakh users,

“Bengaluru tops the list of largeformat venues in the country. Of the 2,000 transactions per day on our platform, 15-20% are booking for such venues.” The popularity is because venues are bundling pure sporting activities with technology like virtual reality to offer a plethora of games for various age demographics and interests, Singh adds.

“We’ve noticed a happy transition of people towards active entertainment since we started in 2013,” says Sharath Reddy, founder, Play, a sports entertainment venue. What started as an experiment with three acres is now spread over six acres, with facilities like zorbing, go-karting, pool, air hockey, as well as sports like tennis, badminton, football and swimming. “Bengaluru has always been an adventure and outdoor sports-seeking city. Earlier, there was a lack of such facilities but we’ve grown 20% year on year, indicating the success and need for such venues,” says Reddy, 35, a tech professional-turned-entrepreneur.

Vivek Naidu, 30, founder, BaddyZone, says they have over 300 people walk in on weekends at their facility on Thanisandra road. “Interests in badminton has increased after PV Sindhu’s achievements. Also, individuals are increasingly becoming health and fitness conscious. However, they are looking at alternatives to the gym. Sports venues are creating positive engagement, social interaction and communities, which are making them so popular,” he adds.

Muthu N, 32, a sports enthusiast who plays racket games at one of the venues, says: “Earlier, I would play with my friends in a disorganised manner. Most of these facilities have international standards and playing there has improved my game immensely.”