Direct train from Haarlem, every half hour
Interactive game park · Beverwijk
A kids' party at 12 or 13
in Haarlem?
They'll take the train themselves.
An active party in 9 game rooms, entirely indoors. Seventeen minutes on the train from Haarlem station, then an eight-minute walk.
- 17 min train from Haarlem
- from €24.50 per player
- 100% indoors
A party for 12, 13 or 14 year olds
Somewhere around twelve, the ordinary kids' party stops working. Craft activities are out, and eight thirteen-year-olds at home grinds to a halt by about half past three. Everyone ends up on the sofa with their phone and you've got an afternoon to fill.
At PlayKinetix they play in 9 game rooms: light-up floors that react to their feet, walls covered in buttons that light up, challenges you can only crack together. A wristband keeps the score. No controller, no screen. And all of it indoors. We call it a teen party; Google stubbornly calls it a kids' party.
The weather gets no vote here
If your birthday falls in June you've got it easy. In November or February you haven't. The beach is out, the dunes are out, and the park in drizzle is not a plan. That's exactly what this is for: an active party that doesn't depend on the weather.
Indoors isn't a compromise here, it's the starting point. Heated in winter, cool in summer, and the games are built for running. They come out just as sweaty as after an afternoon outside.
Have a look at what happens in the game rooms before you commit to anything, and let the birthday kid look with you. At this age they get a say anyway.
From Haarlem they can get here on their own
From about twelve there's no need for a parent behind the wheel. Haarlem and Beverwijk are on the same railway line: the Kennemerlijn.
- 1every half hourBoard at Haarlem station
Haarlem is the start of the line. The Sprinter towards Alkmaar stops at Beverwijk and runs twice an hour. No changes, so nobody ends up texting on the wrong platform.
- 217 minutesThe ride via Santpoort and Driehuis
Past Bloemendaal, Santpoort Zuid, Santpoort Noord and Driehuis. Beverwijk is the stop after Driehuis. Short enough to keep track of, long enough to fall out over the teams on the way.
- 38 minutesThe walk to the Handelskade
From Beverwijk station it's about 480 metres, via Wijckermolen and the Viaductweg. One route, more or less straight ahead. Put the address in the group chat and nobody has to ring anyone.
- 4getting backAgree one time for the journey home
On Friday and Saturday you can still start until 22:00. Keep an eye on the trains then: after eight in the evening there are fewer of them. One time for the whole group to head back saves ten phone calls.
The objections, answered honestly
Four things parents ask us before they commit.
Isn't it childish?
No ball pit, no playhouse, no entertainer. What there is: teams against each other, a score running live, and a final standing that adds up. A fourteen-year-old takes that seriously.
What if one of them won't join in?
There's always one. Except his team loses points for as long as he's standing on the sidelines, and the rest work that out inside a minute. By the second round he's usually playing.
Is it boring after half an hour?
Every game room is a different game with different rules. LAVA ARENA is nothing like APEX CLIMB. That's also why there's a break halfway through: without a breather they're too worn out for the second round.
I'd rather drive them myself
That works too. By car it's about 20 minutes from Haarlem, via the A9 or the N208 through Santpoort. Free parking right outside the door, no parking disc and no ticket machine.
What it costs
The Teen Party Battle costs €24.50 per player: two blocks of thirty minutes with a break in between. Want to play longer? There's the Extended version at €29.50 per player.
With twelve guests you're at around three hundred euros. That's real money. It isn't going on a back room with a paper garland, but on 9 rooms full of technology that the group rotates through.
You can hold a date with no obligation before you book for real. Handy, because you usually have to work your way through about seven group chats before you know who can make it. See the packages.
Twelve is not the same as fifteen
The difference from one year to the next is bigger than you'd think. Twelve-year-olds often still arrive with a parent who stays. Thirteen-year-olds want that same parent to sit somewhere else. Fifteen-year-olds half organise it themselves and send us the questions themselves. Staying isn't required.
One more thing about Haarlem. More guests come from that city than from Beverwijk, even though Beverwijk is where we are. People in Haarlem have plenty to choose from and still come this way. That says more than anything we could write about ourselves.
Questions parents in Haarlem ask
Up to what age is this still fun?
There's no upper limit. Sports teams and companies play the same rooms, just with a different set of accusations flying about. What makes it bearable for a fifteen-year-old is that it produces a genuine result.
Can they come from Haarlem on their own, without parents?
Yes. Every half hour there's a direct train from Haarlem to Beverwijk, about 17 minutes, with no changes. From Beverwijk station it's another 8 minutes on foot. Watch the journey home on Friday and Saturday evenings: after eight there are fewer trains, so agree one time in advance.
What's included in the price?
The Teen Party Battle Standard is €24.50 per player: two blocks of thirty minutes with a break in between. The Extended version costs €29.50 per player. Food and drink are booked on top. Got something specific in mind? Just ask us.
Can we do it midweek?
We're open Wednesday to Sunday. We're closed on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday you can come from 12:00, on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30, and on Friday and Saturday you can still start until 22:00.
Other towns nearby
Is your group coming from somewhere else? The route and the journey time are set out separately for each town.
Hold a date from Haarlem
Hold a date with no obligation and check with everyone else afterwards. We only run a limited number of parties a day, so booking early saves hassle.