A family entertainment center ( FEC ) in the entertainment industry, also known as an indoor amusement park , family amusement center , family fun center , soft play , or simply fun center , is a small amusement park marketed towards families with small children to teenagers, often entirely indoors. They usually cater to "sub-regional markets of larger metropolitan areas." FECs are generally small compared to full-scale amusement parks, with fewer attractions, a lower per-person per-hour cost to consumers than a traditional amusement park, and not usually major tourist attractions, but sustained by an area customer base. Many are locally owned and operated, although there are a number of chains and franchises in the field. Some, operated by non-profit organizations as children's museums or science museums , tend to be geared toward edutainment experiences rather than simply amusement.
17-600: Entertainment City , also known as E-City (formerly PAGCOR City and Manila Bay Tourism City ), is a gaming and entertainment complex under development by PAGCOR spanning an area of 8 km (3.1 sq mi) in Bay City, Metro Manila . It was first envisioned by PAGCOR in 2002. Alongside the Aseana City business development, it lies at the western side of Roxas Boulevard and south of SM Central Business Park ( SM Mall of Asia ), part of Parañaque . The project
34-426: A fair (commonly an American fair such as a county or state fair ) is the location where carnival games , amusement rides , entertainment , dime stores , themed events, exhibitions and trade shows , pleasure gardens , water parks and food booths cluster. The midway is located between the entrance and the big top of a circus ; thus, a carnival is essentially a travelling midway. The term originated from
51-438: A consistently developed and promoted theme that appeals to the target market segments, "the fun factor in the overall decor". Parental concerns are also important. While children themselves rarely think of it, a major factor in the attractiveness of an FEC to parents is on-site safety and security, as adults may drop off older children at such an establishment to entertain themselves. An increasingly important factor for success
68-628: A converged outgrowth of theme restaurants that increasingly developed their in-house amusement features, small-scale amusement parks needing more offerings than just a few rides and midway games, and diversifying formerly one-attraction venues ( water parks , skate parks , billiard halls , bowling alleys , and so on). All three categories have moved over several decades continually toward stock, popular entertainment solutions supplied by third-party vendors. Chuck E. Cheese , opened in 1977 as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre in San Jose, California ,
85-419: A large suburban area outside such a city. Their busiest times are weekend afternoons and Thursday through Saturday evenings. Because most of the attractions are essentially the same from FEC to FEC, two of the most important factors in a particular center distinguishing itself to potential customers are a highly visible location (hard to obtain because other uses for the land are often more competitive ), and
102-527: A lineup of K-pop and P-pop performers such as Alamat , BB Girls , Be'O , Bini , Hyolyn , KAIA , Loona , Park Bom , Press Hit Play , SB19 , and Viviz . Subsequently, the venue hosted the first multi-day festival, 88rising 's Head in the Clouds , on December 9 and 10, 2022, with a lineup including Joji , Got7 's Jackson Wang , Niki , Rich Brian , and former Day6 member Jae Park . Ben&Ben 's "homecoming" concert on December 18, 2022, marked
119-558: Is high-quality food and drink to attract parental spending as well as whole-family dining. Various major media and entertainment brands, including Disney , Lego , NASCAR , Sega , Sony , United Artists/Regal and Viacom , have been attached to family entertainment centers, often much less "traditional" than local and chain FECs, with custom-built, unique attractions, usually heavily branded, and most often located in major metropolitan areas. The first such urban entertainment center (UEC)
136-512: Is officially named as the Bagong Nayong Pilipino–Entertainment City through an executive order by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and has been called several other names by the press. The most common name being referenced is "Entertainment City". The site has been declared a PEZA -approved economic zone , and in 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte renamed Entertainment City to Expo Pilipino Entertainment City after
153-516: The World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago , Illinois, in 1893. It was the first world's fair with an area for amusements which was strictly separated from the exhibition halls. This area, which was concentrated on the city's Midway Plaisance , included amusement rides (among them the original Ferris Wheel ), belly dancers , balloon rides, concession stands , and other attractions. After
170-698: The U.S. is the National Association of Family Entertainment Centers (NAFEC) , which is a division of the International Laser Tag Association (ILTA). Some U.S.-based companies also have venues in Canada (noted above), but this is rare due to the legal/political difficulties involved in cross-border corporations. North American FECs vary wildly in themes, size and features. Some of the larger businesses in this category have included: Midway (fair) A midway at
187-604: The costs involved, and instead install off-the-shelf systems provided and maintained by industry equipment vendors. Any given FEC may lean more towards outdoor activities, arcade gaming, or passive entertainment and dining. Each may cater to different age ranges, all the time, or during certain hours, e.g., children and entire families in the daytime, and teens to young adults in the evening, with specific promotional programs to attract different market segments at different times. FECs tend to serve "sub-regional markets", such as small cities, quadrants or boroughs of larger cities, and
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#1732776304773204-834: The exposition for the centennial celebration of Philippine independence in 1998 called Expo Pilipino . Five Integrated Resort projects have been qualified to date in accordance with the terms of reference and are under construction by phases. The SMDC Festival Grounds is a two-hectare urban open space in Entertainment City, directly opposite Solaire Resort. Owned by the SM Development Corporation (SMDC), it can accommodate over 55,000 attendees, making it an ideal venue for large-scale events, including concerts and music festivals featuring both local and international acts. The grounds' inaugural event, POPstival, occurred on October 21, 2022, showcasing
221-556: The first time a band headlined at the venue, drawing an estimated crowd of 65,000. This record was surpassed just days later on December 22 by the Eraserheads reunion concert, "Huling El Bimbo 2022", attracting around 75,000 attendees. The final iteration of the Rakrakan Festival took place at the grounds on November 25 and 26, 2023, featuring over 170 rock artists led by Rico Blanco and Ely Buendia . Additionally,
238-470: The venue hosted a reunion concert for the band Rivermaya on February 17, 2024. Ed Sheeran performed on March 9, 2024, the first time a solo international artist headlined a concert at the grounds. It was part of his +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour , with Calum Scott and Ben&Ben opening the show, and the latter performing "Maybe the Night" with Sheeran. Entertainment complex FECs are essentially
255-709: Was one of the earliest widely known examples of these in the United States. Most FECs have at least five common major or "anchor" attractions, to provide diverse patrons (often in large parties) at least one to two hours of entertainment, to encourage repeat visits, and to reduce time spent waiting for any given attraction. Some of the more usual attractions include (depending upon size, climate, etc.): The most common anchor activities are miniature golf, kart racing, arcade and redemption games, and food & beverages, according to industry specialists StoneCreek Partners. FECs rarely use custom-built attractions, because of
272-701: Was the Sony Metreon in San Francisco, California (1999–2006). Some nonprofit, educational installations, such as the Exploratorium in San Francisco, also have aspects of FECs in format and atmosphere, but with activities geared toward learning and experiencing rather than simple entertainment. Some for-profit enterprises also use this model, or mix edutainment with simpler amusement attractions. The main national industry group in
289-662: Was the Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, California , which opened in 1993, linking several Universal properties. Including various retail outlets, restaurants, and attractions, the CityWalk created a great deal of "sustained buzz" in the retail real estate industry, which began "embracing the notion that Universal Studios, Sony, Disney, and other entertainment companies could create new anchors and entertainment programs for shopping centers". Another significant UEC
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