We visited the new Lane7 bowling alley in the Bullring in Birmingham - it’s the perfect playground for adults

Lane7 launched its glamorous flagship venue in Link Street - which connects Bullring and Grand Central shopping centres in Birmingham - on Thursday (October 5), and the massive venue is the perfect playground for adults.

We visited Birmingham’s latest activity venue during its VIP launch night and ended up having more fun than we ever imagined. The first thought on entering Lane7 for us was ‘how big is this place!’

Open to the public from today (October 6), the boutique bowling complex, which is also present at The Cube, is spread across three floors that make up 28,000 sq ft space. So, you can imagine our astonishment on entering.

The core concept of Lane7 is that it is an activity bar - much like Roxy Ball, NQ64, Golf Fang and others in Birmingham - but it’s a one-stop venue for all kinds of activities.

I’ve already visited Golf Fang in Digbeth, Roxy Ball in Victoria Square, Tilt in City Arcade, and Flights Club in Temple Street - so Lane7 had a lot to live up to.

And it didn’t disappoint on the activity front. Lane7 has bowling, curling, floor shuffle, arcade games, karaoke, darts, retro video games and..phew! I’d run out of breath before listing everything they are offering.

On the opening night, they offered their Signature Stein Cocktails as welcome drinks - which were amazing. My bright blue Big Gin Spritz and my friend’s pink Big Spiced Sling were so good - but they didn’t last long.

Everywhere we looked, neon and glow in the dark painted walls were vividly welcoming us with a very retro and shiny disco ball on the roof. There was some live entertainment with dancers in shiny outfits and on stilts walking along and taking photos with the guests, as well as a magician playing card tricks.

Even though it was the opening night, the place was packed and the waiting time for games lasted hours, so we definitely recommend booking in advance if you’re visiting with your group of friends and family. On making our way to the Games Desk, we found availability for an hour-long slot for Darts.

My friend and I spent the evening throwing darts (badly). The screen above the dart board kept us entertained with the funniest memes while reacting to our awful attempt at playing the different games - The Killer, Cricket & more.

Eventually, we made our way upstairs - where there were multiple ping pong and snooker tables - and downstairs. The lowest floor holds all the arcade games - for which you can tap your card to play.

The photo booth - which is named the Kissing Booth - is also on this floor. Unlike the other floors, this room is flooded with normal bright light and you can see through the clear glass walls at people passing through Link Street and at Burger and Sauce, which had a pop-up for the night for food.

Apart from the interesting games, a 360 degree photo booth caught our eye. Theme Team, a Birmingham-based company, made us feel like pop stars, making it one of the interesting highlights from the night.

Lane7 is 18+ and it’s a massive playground for adults who want to let their competitive side loose while participating in team sports and sipping on great cocktails. The bar also offers hard slush, beer, and even champagne! Not only is it great for celebrating an occasion but is also perfect for a date night - especially, if you are worried about how to keep conversation flowing.