Safari MK

What Safari MK does

Safari MK, trading as Safari Play, is a privately held, family-owned indoor soft-play and children's party venue operator incorporated in England as Forster Property & Leisure Ltd. The company runs two physical sites — a headquarters venue at 3 Carters Lane, Kiln Farm, Milton Keynes (MK11 3ET) and a larger venue at 18 Coningsby Road, Peterborough (PE3 8SB), the latter described as East England's largest indoor soft play venue. Its core offering is multi-tier indoor play frames and themed birthday party experiences for children aged 0–12, supported by laser tag, an on-site Watering Hole Cafe, and dedicated quiet sessions for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Adjacent services include the co-located Jungle Tots Day Nursery (Ofsted Good) inside the Peterborough building for ages 3 months–5 years, the Jungle Kids Holiday Club, club nights for youth organizations, and seasonal ticketed events (Halloween, Christmas Spectacular, Buddy Bear workshops).

The technology stack is a standard e-commerce / venue-management configuration rather than a proprietary platform: bookings, memberships, and gift vouchers flow through FuseMetrix Group-hosted booking software at bookings.safariplay.co.uk, while seasonal and special-event tickets are sold via Ticket Tailor. Compliance is delivered through Citation for HR, employment law, and health & safety, and both venues hold 5-star food hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency. Differentiation is operational rather than technological — themed party portfolio, SEND accessibility (Access Card scheme), award recognition, and integrated nursery — rather than digital IP.

Safari MK generates revenue through a mix of one-time transactional streams (play session entry fees at £7.50+ twilight pricing, themed birthday parties at £15.50–£29.50 per child, gift vouchers, ticketed seasonal events), recurring subscriptions (Premium Annual Play Pass £209/year or £21/month; Off-Peak Pass £139/year or £13.50/month with a six-month minimum contract), Food and Beverage sales on-site, and group / institutional bookings (schools, Brownies, Guides, Scouts at £8.50/child). The company goes to market directly to consumers through its own booking platform, website content, email newsletter, TikTok, word-of-mouth referrals, and community partnerships (BBC Children in Need, Harry's Rainbow, Light Project Peterborough), with no significant intermediated channel beyond Ticket Tailor for special events.

Name

Safari MK

Legal name

Forster Property & Leisure Ltd

Website

https://safariplay.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Safari MK is a privately held, family-owned UK indoor soft-play and children's party venue operator with two sites in Milton Keynes and Peterborough, serving families with children aged 0–12 via pay-and-play sessions, themed birthday parties, memberships, SEND-inclusive sessions, an on-site cafe, and a co-located Ofsted-registered day nursery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton Keynes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Play Session Entry Fees: Customers pay for indoor soft play entry sessions, typically 2.5 hours during peak times and 3.5 hours during off-peak. Tickets must be booked in advance online.
2. Birthday Party Bookings: Hosted themed birthday party packages ranging from £15.50 to £29.50 per child with various themes including Glow in Dark, Superhero, Jungle, Pirate, Princess & Prince, Football, Laser Tag, Plushie, and Safari Super Experience. Party bookings require £100 non-refundable deposit with balance due 10 days before event.
3. Play Pass Memberships: Subscription-based memberships offering unlimited play access. Premium Annual Pass at £209/year (7 days/week) or £21/month direct debit. Off-Peak Annual Pass at £139/year (term-time weekdays, after 4pm summer holidays) or £13.50/month. All passes include free entry for 2 named adults and 50% sibling discount.
4. Food and Beverage Sales: On-site Watering Hole Cafe generates revenue from food and drink sales including meals, snacks, coffee, and special offers. Only food purchased on premises may be consumed inside the venue.
5. Club Nights and Events: Youth organization nights at £8.50 per child with free adult entry. Special ticketed events including Halloween, Christmas Spectacular, Buddy Bear Workshops, and Laser Tag events with separate ticket pricing.
6. Gift Vouchers: Digital gift vouchers sold online in denominations of £10, £20, £30, or custom amounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Safari MK (trading as Safari Play) operates two indoor soft play and children's party venues in Milton Keynes and Peterborough. The business sells timed play sessions for children aged 0-12, themed birthday party packages, annual/monthly play pass memberships, seasonal ticketed events, Club Nights for youth organisations, SEND-exclusive sessions, on-site cafe food and beverages, digital gift vouchers, and co-locates Jungle Tots Day Nursery at its Peterborough site.

Product overview

Safari Play operates as an indoor soft play and children's party venue with two locations: Safari MK in Milton Keynes and Safari Play in Peterborough. The company offers a unified family leisure experience centered on soft play sessions (for ages 0-12), with themed birthday party packages (Football, Glow in the Dark, Jungle, Laser Tag, Pirate, Plushie, Princess & Prince, Superhero, Safari Super Experience, Dinosaur themes), Play Pass memberships (Premium and Off-Peak annual/monthly direct debit options), gift vouchers, Club Nights for youth organizations, and SEND Nights for special needs families. Jungle Tots Day Nursery operates as a sub-brand within the Peterborough venue. The Watering Hole Cafe provides on-site food and beverage services. Seasonal events include Halloween, Christmas Spectacular with Santa visits, Buddy Bear Workshops, and holiday celebrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jungle Tots Day Nursery: Children's day nursery for ages 3 months to 5 years located at Safari Play Peterborough.
• The Watering Hole Cafe
• Buddy Bear
• Jungle Kids Holiday Club

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-star food hygiene rating achieved and maintained at both Milton Keynes and Peterborough locations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CitationcoreOthers · 16 September 2023Safari is a current Citation HR & Employment Law client subscribing to Citation HR & Employment Law services. They are also a Citation Health & Safety client subscribing to Citation Health & Safety services. This demonstrates commitment to quality and compliance.
• AIP - The Association of Indoor PlaycoreOthersSafari Play is a member of AIP - The Association of Indoor Play. This industry association supports indoor play venues and Safari has been recognized at their industry awards.
• Light Project PeterboroughminorOthersSafari Adventure Play supports the homeless in Peterborough through Light Project Peterborough. Since opening, they have given 3 people jobs and helped one person off the streets and into housing. Staff volunteer hours and money are donated to the night project.
• Harry's RainbowminorOthersSafari MK participates in fundraising activities for Harry's Rainbow charity. An employee completed a skydive to raise money for the charity.
• BBC Children in NeedminorOthersSafari Play participates in BBC Children in Need fundraising activities. Events include spotty scavenger hunts and awareness campaigns.
• FuseMetrix GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe booking platform (bookings.safariplay.co.uk) is powered by FuseMetrix Group software. FuseMetrix provides the booking, membership, and e-commerce functionality for the business.
• Ticket TailorcoreTechnology or IntegrationTicket Tailor is used for special event ticketing including Christmas Spectacular events, Buddy Bear workshops, and Halloween events.
• Jungle Tots Day NurserycoreOthersJungle Tots Day Nursery operates within the Safari Adventure Play Peterborough building with a separate entrance. The day nursery shares facilities including the soft play area and garden. Rated 9.9/10 on Daynurseries and Ofsted Good.
• Access Card / Essential Companion SchememinorOthersSafari Play is proud to join the Access Card scheme. Customers with Access Cards featuring +1 or +2 symbols are entitled to an Essential Companion ticket free of charge for standing/queuing assistance and urgent toilet access.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rock Up: Rock Up runs indoor climbing and adventure centres across the UK, competing with Safari Play for family leisure spend via birthday parties and walk-in play sessions in a similar price band.
• Flip Out: Flip Out operates indoor trampoline and adventure parks across the UK, offering party packages and group events directly overlapping with Safari Play's party and event business.
• Jungle Island (Children's Play): Jungle Island is a UK indoor soft play and party venue chain with multi-tier frames, party rooms, and on-site cafes, broadly comparable to Safari Play in scale and offering.
• AirHop: AirHop is a UK trampoline and active entertainment park chain offering jump sessions, birthday parties, and group events. It competes for the same family discretionary spend and party bookings as Safari Play.
• Gambado: Gambado operates indoor soft play and adventure centres in the UK with multi-tier play frames, party hosting, and on-site cafes, directly comparable to Safari Play's core offering.
• Partyman World of Play: Partyman operates multiple UK indoor soft play and party venues with multi-tier frames, themed parties, and on-site catering, mirroring Safari Play's core proposition.
• Wacky Warehouse: Wacky Warehouse is the UK's largest soft play chain, attached to Marston's pubs, offering indoor play frames, themed birthday parties, and family dining. Directly comparable to Safari MK on venue format, party packages, and on-site F&B.

Emerging players

• Inflata Nation: Inflata Nation operates indoor inflatable theme parks in the UK with party packages and toddler sessions, an emerging adjacent indoor play format competing for the same family audience.

Broad incumbents

• David Lloyd Leisure: David Lloyd Clubs is a major UK family leisure operator with junior activity programmes, kids' clubs, and member hospitality. Comparable as a broader family leisure membership-driven competitor.
• Hollywood Bowl Group: Hollywood Bowl is a UK-listed operator of ten-pin bowling and family entertainment centres with party packages and F&B. A broader indoor family entertainment incumbent competing for the same occasion-based family spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/safari_play

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Safari MK