Start with the ceiling, not the floor
A bouncy castle needs height as well as footprint, and that is what rules it out of most function rooms and lift lobbies. A ball pit is low. If you are in a ballroom with a dropped ceiling, a carpark deck with a height bar, or anywhere with a beam running through the middle, measure the height before anything else.
Every castle on our site lists its own footprint and height where we have it confirmed. If the one you want does not show a size, ask us before you plan around it. We would rather check than have a crew arrive at a venue it does not fit.
Match it to how long people stay
A bouncy castle suits an event where children arrive, play hard and move on, so a family day or a carnival with a programme running elsewhere. Queues move fast and turnover is high.
A ball pit suits an event where families settle in one place, so a birthday at home, a mall activation where parents are shopping nearby, or a dinner where the adults are seated. It is quieter, it needs less supervision energy, and younger children can use it alongside older ones.
The age mix matters more than the age
Mixed ages are the common case and the usual mistake. A castle sized for seven year olds is intimidating for a three year old, and a castle sized for toddlers gets wrecked by teenagers. If your guest list spans both, two smaller items beat one large one, and a ball pit next to a castle covers the gap better than a bigger castle does.
What both include
Our prices are nett and include setup, delivery and manpower. The crew arrives about thirty minutes before your event to set up. That applies to castles and ball pits alike, so the choice is about the space and the crowd, not about what you are paying for.