What goes up, must come down, and the effects of that will largely be seen at a Skokie park that’s hosting the certified largest bounce house in the world on Saturdays and Sundays through Sept. 8.
Big Bounce America, which dubs itself the largest touring inflatable event in the world, opened its Chicago-area stop on Saturday at the Skokie Sports Park at 3459 Oakton Street, Skokie. The event has scheduled time slots for people of all ages, from babies to adults, to get their bounces in before warm weather leaves the Chicago area. The tour also has stops in different states, and has operated internationally in Canada and Australia, according to Tour Manager Connor Market. Tickets range from $22 to $45 depending on age group, and Market recommends guests buy tickets online to avoid arriving at a sold-out session.
According to Market, the event includes different bounce houses and inflatables with ball pits, bubbles, foam and confetti. The inflatables include a nearly 40-foot-tall slide, an obstacle course that takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, sports-themed bounce houses with goals, nets, and hoops and multiple opportunities for social media. Local food vendors also had trucks serving food and drink.
Market said the 24,000-square-foot bounce house named The Castle is the world’s biggest bounce house, certified by the Guinness World Book of Records. The Castle has multiple sections with obstacle courses and a DJ crew with music personalized to each age session.
Nicole Brennan of Skokie said she brought her 5-year-old son Mateo after she heard about it on social media. “It was amazing, I had no idea how big it was going to be.”
“It’s just a great idea, and family-friendly,” said Maria Kellner, who brought her son Wesley Kellner to the event with the Brennans. “Perfect for a hot morning to burn off some energy.”
Tiani and Fernando Vega of Chicago brought along their daughters Catalina, age 7, and Jannelli, age 10, to the Skokie event and said they would like to come back if given the chance. The four agreed their favorite attraction was the big slide that they were able to go down together holding hands.
“We’ve gone to like, little trampoline parks and had bounce houses at block parties, but this is huge,” Tiani Vega said.
The girls raved about the fun they had bouncing in the play areas, and their parents praised the event’s readiness with multiple areas for water, shade, a child and parent reunion place and medical assistance if necessary.
