BUTlIN’S is about to get loud as has launched new karaoke pods across all three of its three resorts.
Whether guests are on a family holiday or a Big Weekender, everyone can sing their heart out inside the newest attraction.
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Hotshot Karaoke Pods have been launched at all three Butlin’s resortsCredit: Butlin’sThe new attraction is a 55-minute session with over 45,000 songs to choose fromCredit: Butlin’s
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The new karaoke pods are a fun-filled private sing-along experience found inside state-of-the-art pods.
Groups of up to 12 can sing their hearts out and won’t have to worry about have a song stolen as there are over 45,000 tunes to choose from.
If you want to re-live the 55-minute stardom session, the high-tech pods capture everything with photos, videos and even GIFs.
Each pod also has studio-grade soundproofing and immersive effects too.
You don’t have to leave the pod for any part of the sing-along either as drinks can be ordered and delivered straight to the pod.
Heidi Watson, Head of Innovation at Butlin’s, said: “We’re thrilled to have partnered with the Coca-Cola brand to bring this exciting, new karaoke experience to all three of our resorts.”
The private pods have special lighting and are soundproof tooCredit: Butlin’s
Heidi continued: “It’s the perfect activity for families or groups of friends, to create unforgettable memories together while singing their hearts out to their favourite tunes.
“We’re confident the new Karaoke Pods will be popular with our guests, and an amazing addition to the activities already on offer across all of our different breaks.”
Found in Hotshots at all three resorts, pods can be booked in advance or on the day for £36.
The karaoke pods are already up and running, so can be booked in time for May Half Term breaks which start from £184 between May 22 and June 1.
You can book in advance or on the day at Butlin’sCredit: Butlin’s
For families there’s plenty of entertainment when it comes to shows from MPW Maximum Pro Wrestling to The Masked Singer Live as well as Peppa Pig and the Theatre of Rock.
Guests can also enjoy swimming pools and slides at waterworld, fairground rides, and daytime activities like Playxperience and soft play.
The karaoke pods will no doubt be a hit for adults heading on Big Weekenders too whether that be for the 90s Reloaded to the Ultimate 80s.
Currently with Spring Savings you can get an extra 10 per cent off on selected weekender breaks from £79pp.
Headline artists this year include iconsFatboy Slim,Wet Wet Wet,Jason Donovan,Madness, Peter Andre andScouting for Girls.
A NEW £11million attraction is opening in the UK next month, designed for every type of person.
Brits can expect all sorts of fun at the new Mega City, which will open in Slough on May 30.
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Mega City will open in May with several different activities insideCredit: Mega CityThe £11million attraction will include bowling, arcades and laser tagCredit: Mega City
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Across three floors, visitors can have a go at different games and tech-based activities.
For those who love arcades, there will be over 130 machines to explore.
And ideal for families, there will be 10 bowling lanes to get competitive on.
Don’t mind building up a sweat? The venue will also have a huge laser tag arena, where up to 24 players can play at one time.
It isn’t the only laser activity at the attraction though, as there will also be a laser raid and laser maze challenges.
Visitors wanting to try out their different sport skills will be able to have a go in batting cages as well as try augmented reality (AR) clay pigeon shooting and AR darts.
Gamers will be happy to hear there are also going to be virtual reality arenas.
If you prefer a traditional night out, the attraction has you covered with private party rooms, karaoke and pool tables.
In addition to all of this, there will be Flashpads – colourful interactive tiles on the floor where you carry out a number of games or challenges.
There will be a number of activities that use the latest tech too, such as AR and VRCredit: Mega CityAnd of course, if you get hungry there is a restaurant to grab food fromCredit: Mega City
There will also be the Total Football video game and a Digital Box Room for immersive gaming experiences.
The best thing is that the entire venue is indoors, so you won’t have to worry about the UK’s unpredictable weather.
Of course, the interior design matches the excitement of the activities, with neon lighting and a central atrium which connects each floor.
And after all the fun running around and getting competitive, visitors can eat in the restaurant, where the main focus is on comfort food – think loaded fries and huge chicken burgers.
Adults can also enjoy a tipple from the bar, which will serve everything from classic cocktails and beers to shakes and soft drinks.
The entire experience is cashless too, so visitors will either need to purchase credit at the site which is loaded onto a card that you then scan each time you go on a machine or into a laser experience.
There’s also a bar with cocktails and beersCredit: Mega CityThe attraction will open on May 30Credit: Mega City
The card will track your points from the games and challenges, which can then be redeemed for prizes – kind of like the tokens at traditional seaside piers.
Alternatively, visitors can book experiences and group games such as the bowling, laser tag, VR and AR activities online, where they will get a QR code that they scan when at the venue to activate their session.
Jeet, co-founder of Mega City said: “At its heart, Mega City is about bringing people together.
“We wanted to create a place where different generations can enjoy shared experiences, feel welcome and make real memories.”
The new attraction will be just an eight-minute walk from Slough Station which sits on the Elizabeth Line and is only 40 minutes from central London.
Brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer visited karaoke spots around the globe and almost always had the same impression.
“The drinks weren’t always great, the aesthetics weren’t always so glamorous, the sound wasn’t always awesome and the lights were often generic,” says Leo, a former bassist of the band Third Eye Blind.
As devout karaoke fans, they wanted to level up the experience. So they dreamed up Mic Drop, an upscale karaoke lounge in West Hollywood that opens Thursday. It’s located inside the original Larrabee Studios, a historic 1920s building formerly owned by Carole King and her ex-husband, Gerry Goffin — and the spot where King recorded some of her biggest hits. Third Eye Blind band members Stephan Jenkins and Brad Hargreaves are investors of the new venue.
Inside the two-story, 6,300-square-foot venue with 13 private karaoke rooms and an electrifying main stage, you can feel like a rock star in front of a cheering audience. Want to check it out? Here are six things to know.
The Kremer brothers hired sculptor Shawn HibmaCronan to create an 8-foot-tall disco-themed microphone for their karaoke lounge.
1. Take your pick between a private karaoke experience or the main stage
A unique element of Mic Drop is that it offers both private karaoke rooms and a main stage experience for those who wish to sing in front of a crowd. The 13 private rooms range from six- to 45-person capacity. Each of the karaoke rooms are named after a famous recording studio such as Electric Lady, Abbey Road, Shangri La and of course, Larrabee Studios. There is a two-hour minimum on all rentals and hourly rates depend on the room size and day of the week.
But if you’re ready to take the center stage, it’s free to sing — at least technically. All you have to do is pay a $10 fee at the door, which is essentially a token that goes toward your first drink. Then you can put your name on the list with the KJ (karaoke jockey) who keeps the crowd energized throughout the night and even hits the stage at times.
Harrison Baum, left, of Santa Monica, and Amanda Stagner, 27, of Los Angeles, sing in one of the 13 private karaoke rooms.
2. Thumping, high sound quality was a top priority
As someone who toured the world playing bass for Third Eye Blind, top-tier sound was a nonnegotiable for Leo. “Typically with karaoke, the sound is kind of teeny, there’s not a lot of bass and the vocal is super hot and sitting on top too much,” he says. To combat this, he and his brother teamed up with Pineapple Audio, an audio visual company based in Chicago, to design their crisp sound system. They also installed concert-grade speakers and custom subwoofers from a European audio equipment manufacturer called Celto, and bought gold-plated Sennheiser wireless microphones, which they loved so much that they had an 8-foot-tall replica made for their main room. Designed by artist Shawn HibmaCronan, the “macrophone,” as they call it, has roughly 30,000 mirror tiles. “It spins and throws incredible disco light everywhere,” says Leo.
Karaoke jockeys Sophie St. John, 27, second from left, and Cameron Armstrong, 30, right, get the crowd involved with their song picks at Mic Drop.
3. A concert-level performance isn’t complete without good stage lighting and a haze machine
Each karaoke room features a disco ball and dynamic lighting that syncs up with whatever song you’re singing, which makes you feel like you are a professional performer. There’s also a haze machine hidden under the leather seats. Meanwhile, the main stage is concert-ready with additional dancing lasers and spotlights.
Brett Adams, left, of Sherman Oaks, and Patrick Riley of Studio City sing karaoke together inside a private lounge at Mic Drop.
4. The song selection is vast, offering classics and new hits
One of the worst things that can happen when you go to karaoke is not being able to find the song you want to sing. At Mic Drop, the odds of this happening are slim to none. The venue uses a popular karaoke service called KaraFun, which has a catalog of more than 600,000 songs (and adds 400 new tracks every month), according to its website. Take your pick from country, R&B, jazz, rap, pop, love duets and more. (Two newish selections I spotted were Raye’s “Where Is my Husband” and Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” which both released late last year.) In the private karaoke rooms, there’s also a fun feature on Karafun called “battle mode,” which allows you and your crew of up to 20 people to compete in real time. KaraFun also has an entertaining music trivia game, which I tested out with the founders and came in second place.
The design inspiration for Mic Drop was 1920s music lounges and 1970s disco culture, says designer Amy Morris.
5. The interiors are inspired by 1920s music lounges mixed with ‘70s disco vibes
A disco ball hangs from the ceiling.
If you took the sophisticated aesthetic of 1920s music lounges and mixed it with the vibrant and playful era of 1970s disco culture, you’d find Mic Drop.
When you walk into the lounge, the first thing you’ll see is a bright red check-in desk that resembles a performer’s dressing room with vanity lights, several mirrors and a range of wigs. “So much of karaoke is about getting into character and letting go of the day, so we had the idea to sell the wigs,” says Oliver. As you continue into the lounge, the focal point is the stage, which is adorned with zebra-printed carpet and dramatic, red velvet curtains. For seating, slide into the red velvet banquettes or plop onto a gold tiger velvet stool. Upstairs, you’ll find the intimate karaoke studios, which are decorated with red velvet walls and brass, curved doorways that echo the building’s deco arches, says Mic Drop’s interior designer, Amy Morris of the Morris Project.
Sarah Rothman, center, of Oakland, and friend Rachel Bernstein, left, of Los Angeles, wait at the bar.
6. You can order nontraditional karaoke bites as you wait for your turn to sing
While Mic Drop offers some of the food you’d typically find at a karaoke lounge such as tater tots, truffle popcorn and pizza, the venue has some surprising options as well. For example, a 57 gram caviar service (served with chips, crème fraîche and chives) and shrimp cocktail from Santa Monica Seafood. For their pizza program, the Kremer brothers teamed up with Avalou’s Italian Pizza Company, which is run by Louis Lombardi who starred in “The Sopranos.” He’s the brainchild behind my favorite dish, the Fuhgeddaboudit pizza, which is made with pastrami, pickles and mustard. It might sound repulsive, but trust me.
As for the cheeky cocktails, they are all named after famous musicians and songs such as the Pink Pony Club (a tart cherry pomegranate drink with vodka named after Chappell Roan), Green Eyes (a sake sour with kiwi and melon named after Green Day) and Megroni Thee Stallion (an elevated negroni named after Megan Thee Stallion).
