Archie Brothers Electric Circus

Archie Brothers Electric Circus is a retro, Coney Island-style amusement park that melds classic arcade concepts and old-world circuses of the past with the addition of virtual reality, a laser-tag arena and an interactive 3D-theatre ride.

When you enter the first thing you see is a jumble of neon lights, novelty props and prizes. There are the usual culprits but also festival tickets and whisky tasting.

Past this is a deconstructed carousel draped with festive lighting, velvet curtains and gold trimmings. That’s Dazzler’s Diner, a restaurant and bar serving carnival favourites including four types of burgers, pizzas, kransky hotdogs with chilli, fried chicken and loaded potato gems. And there’s The Ringmaster, an indulgent dessert of caramel, popcorn, whipped cream, Tim Tams and pretzel sticks.

At the bar you can order colourful virgin and spiked shakes. There’s the Salted Caramel Circpresso, which combines espresso, chocolate, Baileys, vodka and salted caramel, all adorned with whipped cream, popcorn and more chocolate.

There are 80 or so games including skee-ball, Mario Bro’s and Space Invaders XL. There’s a shooting gallery, a vintage ropes course and a vast laser-tag arena – a dimly lit maze brimming with obstacles, including gigantic tarantulas.

Then there’s the virtual reality. Try the loop-the-loop on a high-speed rollercoaster, or be involved in an unforeseen zombie attack. You can take a desert motorbike trip, do a ski jump or ride a “swing” over a city.

And at the dodgem-car arena guests can zip about in cars that have been restored to their former glory. There’s also a bowling alley with velvet lounges and an electronic backdrop that projects elephants; bearded and tattooed ladies; freak shows; bald eagles; and various other circus paraphernalia.

The venue is all-ages during the day, but from 8pm it’s strictly adults only.

Archie Brothers Electric Circus
55 Doody Street, Alexandria
1300 888 386
archiebrothers.com.au

Hours:
Mon to Fri 10am–12am
Sat & Sun 9am–1am