Kids Retro Gaming Parties
The Centre for Computing History offers you a unique venue to host kids birthday parties. Kids will love the huge range of retro games.
The museum is typically available to hire from 5.30pm to 7.30pm, Wednesday to Sunday and you will have the museum to yourself.
We will supply tables in our foyer area where you can put your own birthday cake, snacks and drinks. The kids will have access to all of the hands-on gaming consoles and computers the museum has on display. As a low-cost self service option we ask that you take responsibility for clearing up any spillages and dropped food and leave the museum in the clean state that we provided it. We have the cleaning equipment available. You are responsible for taking any waste away with you.
Our package includes :
- Exclusive access to the three public areas of the museum - The Foyer, 80s Classroom and Main Gallery including the Gaming Generations Area.
- 'Party style' music and lighting will be provided in the Main Gallery.
- SO many retro games to play - there's no need to stress about organising a pass the parcel or prizes for musical statues - we'll satisfy their gaming needs all evening!
- Our BIG SCREEN Mario Kart set-up is in the 80s Classroom. Great 4 player fun for kids of all ages!
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What happens at a Kids Retro Gaming Party? Our kids parties run by a set structure to ensure the best experience for everyone. Please note that food and cake is saved until the end of our parties. We allow party hosts to enter from 5:05pm to set up. Once most of the guests have arrived, around 5:30pm, one of our Video Game experts will provide a brief introduction to the museum - This involves stating the ‘rules’ in a fun way, and asking the group to repeat them back (dependent on the ages!) These are:
Then we will open the doors to the main gallery and classroom. After 90 minutes of play, we will direct everyone to wash their hands before sitting down for food. The gallery and classroom doors will be closed. Food & cake time lasts until the end of the party. 17:05-17:30 - Set up time |
Cost
From April 2026 we have updated our retro gaming party costs and introduced a tiered approach to the pricing structure. The new prices are as follows:
Up to 10 children: £275
11 to 20 children: £315
21 to 30 children: £350
A £100 non-refundable deposit will be required at the time of booking, with the remainder payable 4 weeks prior to the event.
Party Extras
Take the stress out of party planning and give your child's special day a memorable ending with our ready-filled party bags! Prepared in advance for your convenience, each bag contains a fun mix of small treasures, from museum shop goodies to gaming themed toys.
It’s a simple, hassle-free way to make sure every guest leaves with a smile, allowing you time to focus on enjoying the celebration. Just add party bags to your booking and we’ll handle the rest!
Party bags are charged at an extra £3 per child.
If you would like to find out more please email events@computinghistory.org.uk
Requirements
Please bear in mind that we are a museum and we ask that all guests respect the displays and games at all times. Please also note that running is not permitted in the museum to ensure the safety of the collection and our guests. All invited guests must be informed of these requirements prior to or upon arrival.
The consumption of food and drink is restricted to the foyer area only. Alcohol is not permitted.
The maximum total capacity for attendees at a Kids Retro Gaming Party is 30.
Our policy for child to adult ratio follows the DfE guidelines:
6:1 if children are aged 5 -7 years,
10:1 if children are aged 8 - 10 years,
15:1 if children are aged from 11 years onwards.
Enquiries
To enquire about a birthday party, please send an email to events@computinghistory.org.uk.
The Venue
If you're wondering what the museum looks like inside, check out these 360 degree images.
The Foyer
The foyer is home to the 'MegaProcessor' the worlds largest working model of a microprocessor.
The Video Game Zone
A timeline of the greatest video game consoles and the best and worst of video games. All are interactive and fully playable.
The Main Gallery
The main gallery is home to the '8 Bit Eighties' display, the 'Convergence' display and lots more ...
The following video was filmed at one of our Family Gaming Nights and gives you a feel for the atmosphere at the museum.
