Big Bounce America brings inflatable experience to Spokane

Close your eyes and imagine a bounce house.

You know, the red, blue and yellow inflatable structure, often shaped like a castle, that marked an especially fun birthday party.

Now make it bigger.

Bigger than that.

Even bigger.

Make it 10,000 square feet, and you’ll have an idea of what to expect when the Big Bounce America comes to the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex Friday through Sunday.

Co-creators Cameron Craig and Grahme Furgeson spent two years researching, then had the bounce house built in Cleveland.

The 32-foot-high inflatable castle takes a full day and 28 blowers to set up.

“The big inflatable comes in five sections, so the guys have to roll it out,” Craig told a Milwaukee news station earlier this month. “It’s like a big jigsaw basically that you need to get right first time.”

The world’s biggest bounce house is not just for bouncing. A variety of themed zones in the bounce house each feature a different activity for even more fun.

There are basketball hoops, an inflatable obstacle course and an inflatable slide that leads to a domed ball pit.

There are also jungle animals, cars, boats, four-poster beds and a forest, all inflatable, to interact with.

The VIP section of the bounce house features a private foam pit and a chill out zone.

On a circular stage in the center of it all is Big Bounce America’s resident DJ/emcee and his crew of interactive performers. Each session will feature an age-appropriate playlist, and the DJ and his team will lead visitors in party games, interactive fun, confetti blasts and giveaways.

A variety of hourlong sessions let everyone get in on the bounce house fun.

Junior Sessions are for parents/caregivers 18 and older with children 7 and under. Children younger than 5 must be accompanied by an adult, while children ages 5 to 7 do not.

Family Sessions are for children 15 and younger and any parents/caregivers who want to join them. Children 7 and younger may participate in these sessions but only if accompanied by a parent.

Adult Sessions are for anyone 16 and older.

The fun doesn’t stop when your session in the bounce house does. Outside the bounce house, free activities will keep visitors occupied.

There will be even more inflatable attractions, adventure and activity attractions, and an area dedicated to BB’s Field Day Games.

In this section, visitors can take part in sack races, three-legged races, wheelbarrow races and egg-and-spoon races. There will also be pass-the-water games, lawn darts, corn hole, swing ball and other Field Day favorites, plus face painting, a silent disco, food and live music.

While it’s recommended that visitors wear clothing that will keep them cool (bouncing does work up a sweat, after all), the only restrictions for entering the bounce house are no shoes and no bare feet. Gripper socks will be available for purchase at the event for $5, or bring socks of your own so you can get in on the fun.

“There’s really so much going on, and it’s a whole lot of fun,” Craig said.