Soft Play and Rainy-Day Places Near Croydon

For soft play in Croydon most families go to Kidspace at the Colonnades on Purley Way, the biggest, with go-karts and a separate toddler area; Oxygen, the trampoline park next door, which also has soft play for under-5s; or Play Den at Clip ‘n Climb in the town centre, from £3.50. Every entry was checked against the venue’s own site on 28 October 2026.

We have not visited these places and nothing here is a rating. Each entry sets out what the venue publishes: ages, prices, opening times, food and parking. The food hygiene ratings come from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) register. Where a fact comes from somewhere else, we say so.

The big indoor play centres

Kidspace Croydon, Purley Way

Kidspace calls itself “a 30,000 sq ft indoor soft play and adventure centre” for children from 6 months to 12 years. It has a wooden play frame on several levels, an indoor go-kart track, the Black Hole slide, a soft-ball arena called Thunderdome City, and a new Toddler Village, a separate zone for under-5s. A general admission ticket gives a two-hour stay. On term-time weekdays, Monday to Thursday, children aged 3 to 12 start at £14.50, under-3s at £10.50 and adults at £4.50. Under-1s are free, prices are £1 more on Fridays, weekends and school holidays, and a £2.75 booking fee is added to each order. Teenagers aged 13 to 17 are not allowed on the equipment. You can eat only food bought on site; the cafe, Hobnosh @ Kidspace, is rated 5 by the FSA (April 2025). Free parking at the Colonnades is limited to 90 minutes unless you register your car at reception. Over this half term Kidspace is open 9am to 7.30pm. The 119 and 289 buses stop outside, and Waddon station is a 15-minute walk. The Colonnades, 619 Purley Way, CR0 4RQ. kidspaceadventures.com/croydon

Oxygen Croydon, Purley Way

A trampoline park in the same leisure park, which says it has interconnected trampolines, a parkour course, climbing walls, a mega airbag and dodgeball courts. A notice on its site says the lift, the inflatable and the climbing wall are currently out of order. For under-5s there is a soft play area with ball pits, slides and a mini climbing wall. There are also toddler sessions on the trampolines: 9.30am to 12.30pm on term-time weekdays and 9am to 10am at weekends and in the holidays, at £15.95 for one adult and one toddler and £7.95 for each extra adult or toddler. Open Play for over-4s costs £16.95 for 60 minutes. SEN Peaceful Play, with lower music and lights, runs from 5pm to 7pm on Wednesdays and Sundays. Online bookings carry a £1.50 fee, and walk-in prices are slightly higher. The site lists a cafe, a licensed bar, baby changing and disabled access. Enter your registration on the iPads inside and parking is free for your whole session. We could not find Oxygen Croydon on the FSA register. Unit 5, The Colonnades, Purley Way, CR0 4RQ. oxygenactiveplay.co.uk

Play Den at Clip ‘n Climb, town centre

A three-storey soft play for children under 9 inside Clip ‘n Climb, with hanging bags, spiral slides and climbing platforms. Prices are on the venue’s page. Children under 18 months pay £3.50 off-peak and £4.50 at peak times. Older children pay £5.50 and £8.50. Adults go free and may go into the play area with their child, wearing socks. Walk-ins are welcome, but booking guarantees a place at busy times. For over-4s, the climbing walls next door cost from £18.50 for a 60-minute session, of which 40 minutes is climbing. The South Ridge Café serves barista coffee, pizza, toasties and cakes. Clip ‘n Climb Croydon is rated 4 by the FSA (September 2026). The venue says it opens six days a week in term time and seven in the holidays. The nearest parking is at the Centrale and Whitgift centres. 51 Poplar Walk, CR0 1NB. croydon.clipnclimb.co.uk

The Playbarn, Addington Village

A weekend play centre for under-7s, run by Totstars, which runs a nursery and forest school on the site during the week. Its play frame is made from wood, and Totstars says it is designed “to mimic an outdoor adventure playground”, with a clatter bridge, tunnels and a 7-foot stainless steel slide. Stay and play runs on Saturdays from 9am to 11am and from 11.30am to 1.30pm. Children over 1 pay £7.50, under-1s £3, and adults go free. Rated 4 by the FSA (April 2026). Rear of 36 Addington Village Road, CR0 5AQ. totstarsuk.com

Play cafes for babies and toddlers

Abuela Play Cafe, Coulsdon

A family cafe on Coulsdon’s high street with a bookable play area. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4.30pm and on Sunday from 10am to 4pm, and visits are booked in 90-minute play sessions. Play passes for 5 or 10 visits and memberships are also sold. Its Happity listing describes the soft play as being for children up to 5 and placed “right in front of the seating area”, with room for prams, two large toilets and baby changing. On Monday mornings it runs a messy play session for 6 months to 3 years. There is street parking outside and a car park round the corner in Lion Green Road. Rated 5 by the FSA (July 2026). 38-40 Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, CR5 2RA. abuelaplaycafe.co.uk

Softplay by Coffee Cup House, Upper Norwood

A small soft play run by the Coffee Cup House cafe on Westow Street, on the Croydon side of the Crystal Palace triangle. Its listings on Happity show 90-minute sessions for children aged 7 months to 3 years, several times a day from Monday to Wednesday, at £6.50 a session, all year round. The venue does not have its own website, so check its Instagram or the Happity listing before you go. The FSA rated it 3 in May 2026. 18 Westow Street, SE19.

Free and low-cost rainy days

Museum of Croydon, Croydon Clocktower

The borough museum, free to visit, inside the Clocktower on Katharine Street. Its galleries are open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am to 4.30pm, closed on bank holidays. In the school holidays it runs free drop-in craft clubs that need no booking. This half term there is a paper camera workshop on 28 October and “creepy crafts” on 30 October, and it suggests ages 5 and over for the crafts. The museum says all areas are fully accessible. The Clocktower Café in the same building is rated 4 by the FSA (October 2025). The nearest car parks are Fairfield, in Barclay Road, and Surrey Street, and George Street is the closest tram stop. Katharine Street, CR9 1ET. museumofcroydon.com

Rhymetime at Croydon libraries

Croydon Libraries runs free Rhymetime sessions for under-5s at branches across the borough. Its events listing currently shows sessions at Selsdon, Ashburton, Thornton Heath and Coulsdon libraries, plus Reggae Babies at Thornton Heath, where young children join in nursery rhymes “with a Caribbean twist” and play instruments. Places are limited and some sessions are shown as fully booked, so check and book on the Croydon Libraries events page before you set off.

Historic Croydon Airport Visitor Centre, Purley Way

A volunteer-run museum, opened in 2000, inside Airport House, Britain’s first integrated airport terminal and control tower. It opens only on the first Sunday of each month, and visits are by guided tour. Book ahead: a tour of about 12 people takes roughly an hour, through the building and up into the control tower, and you are then free to look round the museum for up to 30 minutes. A one-off child ticket costs £2.50 plus a booking fee. On the day, places on a tour cost £11 if there is room. Parking is free, and Anita’s Kitchen, rated 5 by the FSA (February 2026), sells drinks and cakes. The next open day is Sunday 1 November. Airport House, Purley Way, CR0 0XZ. historiccroydonairport.org.uk

How we chose

These are the indoor play places Croydon families search for, plus three free or cheap rainy-day options across the borough. Each one is checked against the venue’s own website, and against Happity’s listings where a cafe has no timetable of its own. Food hygiene ratings come from the FSA register, and we leave out anywhere rated below 3. That rule kept out Flip Out in the Centrale centre, whose site lists soft play sessions for under-5s: the FSA rated it 2 at its last inspection, in December 2025. Prices and session times change with the school holidays, so check the venue’s booking page before a long trip. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@croydontoday.co.uk.

For outdoor days, see our guide to Croydon playgrounds and walks near Croydon. Also see things to do in Croydon, what’s on in Croydon this month, Halloween in Croydon, Santa’s grottos and our guides to Croydon cafes and brunch, or browse local businesses in Croydon in our directory.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest soft play in Croydon?

Kidspace at the Colonnades on Purley Way describes itself as a 30,000 sq ft indoor soft play and adventure centre for children from 6 months to 12 years, with go-karts, a Black Hole slide, a soft-ball arena and a separate Toddler Village for under-5s. A two-hour general admission ticket for a child aged 3 to 12 starts at £14.50 on term-time weekdays.

Where can I take a toddler on a rainy day in Croydon?

For under-5s, Oxygen Croydon runs parent and toddler sessions on term-time weekday mornings (£15.95 for one adult and one toddler), Abuela Play Cafe in Coulsdon is open seven days a week with a soft play area in front of the seating, and Croydon libraries run free Rhymetime sessions for under-5s at branches including Selsdon, Ashburton, Thornton Heath and Coulsdon.

Are there free indoor things to do with children in Croydon?

Yes. The Museum of Croydon in the Clocktower on Katharine Street is free and open Wednesday to Saturday from 10am, and runs free drop-in craft clubs in the school holidays (it suggests ages 5 and over). Library Rhymetime sessions for under-5s are also free, though some fill up and need booking.