Now, if activity themed bars are the in thing, Roxy Ball Room can consider itself as one of the trendsetters. The gamesroom/bar has been operating since 2013, and made a big impact on Manchester’s social scene.

There are two locations in Manchester, one on Deansgate and one by the Arndale Centre. It was the latter site that I visited this week, shortly after the completion of a refurbishment which has seen two new games and a new cocktail menu introduced.

The new games are Tech Darts and Tech Shuffle, which both offer interactive and engaging twists on long-loved pub games. Using sensors and screens, you can play different modes against friends to try and establish who has the better ability/luck in each of these mini games.

Having tried other versions of similar games in recent months, I was pretty impressed with the standard of the technology and the genuine desire I felt to win, there was only one case of a dart registering as a wrong score, which is no massive problem.

The new cocktail menu paid homage to bands such as the Arctic Monkeys and Oasis, with the “She’s Electric” making a decent attempt at becoming my new favourite drink - coconut rum with Jalapeno, Lime and mango, with a Tajin-rimmed glass… delightful. The bowling and infamous Crazy Pool were both great fun too, but what this refurbishment has really done is secure Roxy’s place as a great venue for a couple of drinks with friends or a work do.

Check out our visit in the video report above.

I went to the refurbished Roxy Ball Room in the Arndale and left with a new favourite Oasis-themed drink

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