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A Crazy All-Indoor Carnival Is Coming to the Arts District Next Year

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Two Bit Circus covers 50,000 square feet of interactive games, food, and booze

Two Bit Circus
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Mona Holmes is a reporter for Eater Los Angeles and a regular contributor to KCRW radio. She has covered restaurants, dining, and food culture since 2016. In 2022, the James Beard Foundation nominated her for a Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award.

A couple of interactive artists are hitting the Arts District next year with big plans to open an all-indoor amusement park, complete with room for food and drink. It's going to be called Two Bit Circus, per LA Downtown News, and will offer everything from virtual reality games, lasers, and robots, to escape rooms and other interactive games.

Co-founders Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman have been producing their version of micro-sized amusement attractions since 2012, and some of their installations have even been featured in the Olympics and Super Bowl. Now they’ll be scaling up into a permanent 50,000 square foot home on San Mateo, dropping in installations from artists and friends, while also saving room for visitors to eat.

While Two Bit Circus has not yet shared plans about their kitchen or cocktail creations, it’s a safe bet that the final version will be as much of a spectacle as the rest of the space. After all, this sort of thing runs in Bushnell’s blood — his father is the founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, Nolan Bushnell.

“In the past, Two Bit Circus’ installations have been temporary and held primarily at large events and conferences,” says the Two Bits website. “We’re thrilled to build our first permanent location in our backyard. Our band of scientists, artists, storytellers, and performers are excited to bring to life a world of year-round fun”. No official word on an opening for Two Bit Circus, but expect something in 2018.

Two Bit Circus
636 S. Mateo Street
Los Angeles, CA