- It's a bit "bold" to invest a lot of money after this period

The activity center in Nydalen has recovered from the epidemic. At the time of writing, several new rooms are under construction – and more locations are on the way.

Needaline: Corona time was tough for the prisoners in the fort at Nydalsveien, but despite the many long shutdowns, they weren’t lazy. Within a short week, many new rooms will be opened, and a number of old rooms will be renovated.

Weird, but sexy

Albert Polley, who has been the Managing Director since the activity center opened in 2016, is finally breathing a sigh of relief. The prisoners in the castle, which fall under the “stadiums and arcades” category, had to keep the lawns closed more than anything else.

– It’s so nice to be open as usual again! It feels really good. Just meeting clients who can finally come up with something.

For the longest time, Polly says, the fort had to be closed for six months in a row, but they took the time to think new. Several months before the first shutdown, they opened a location in Bergen, and in the summer of 2020 in Stavanger.

– It was very embarrassing, but a little exciting at the same time. People have always lived with the hope that “in two weeks, we will open our doors, in two weeks”. However, we chose to invest a little.

But now hopefully it will be over for good, all the locations have survived, and they have more cities in their sights.

– Now we are about to sign a room in Trondheim, so we will open there. It will probably be next year. We are also already looking for places to work in Copenhagen – very exciting! And we want to unlock more. We have a little dream about Iceland.

new challenges

Before the prisoners in the fort establish themselves outside, the first location is adequately updated. The most recent renovation in 2019 expanded the center with an area of 250 square meters and two games rooms. Polly says they change rooms regularly, so it must be interesting to visit a few times, this time bypassing both the new and the old rooms.

Here you can see some of what’s coming:

– We are expanding with three rooms, there are also ten rooms for new missions. Computer technology has also changed a lot in six years, so we’re going to replace many screens and use a new type of programming. All rooms get a slight general upgrade, with new graphics, lighting and sound. It is very exciting! We have a team of artists and creative spirits who help us with that.

The general manager says it must be fun to come back anyway. Not all 48 rooms (now) are enough in one run, and they’re working to create even more variety:

– On a normal try you might be through 15 rooms so it’s a place to come back to. But now we’re looking at having less persistent tasks, even if you’ve freed up a room before, that you can do over and over again, because it changes.

A coat was also given to the reception. Photo: Stella Otter Lindberg

In addition, the reception and dining area has undergone some alterations and a new coat of paint, and the long tables will be replaced with booths.

– It was white before, but now it is dark gray. We try to create a slightly cozy atmosphere, there aren’t many places in Nydalen where you can have a beer. Not a lot of shows, hopefully it would be a little nicer to sit here a little longer.

Work is still in progress, but all 48 rooms will be ready by the end of the winter holidays. However, they are still open with a somewhat reduced capacity, Polly points out. He thinks the current price is about one and a half million, but he was in place.

– It’s a bit daring to bet a lot of money after this period, but then we had to revitalize us a bit until the opening.

Polly now hopes that many will stop, and assures that the activities are for everyone. You can come with a team of only two people, and up to 150 people.