British-born social darts brand Flight Club is set to double its footprint in the US with the launch of three new outlets. Ahead of launches in Denver and Atlanta, the expansion will include the largest Flight Club to date, in Las Vegas.
Like the three existing Flight Clubs in the United States, in Chicago, Boston and Houston, the new American sites will be developed in partnership with State of Play Hospitality.
The Flight Club concept made its debut in London in 2015. Founders Paul Barham and Steve Moore of Red Engine, who also operate a competitive socialising brand called Electric Shuffle (a modern take on shuffleboard), were inspired to make darts ‘cool’ after seeing how All Star Lanes and Bounce had re-energised ten-pin bowling and ping pong.
“Steve and I loved eating, drinking and playing,” Barham told blooloop earlier this year. “[Bounce] wasn’t innovative in terms of the game, but, my goodness, it was innovative in terms of pushing table tennis tables into a bar. Before that, you’d have to go on holiday in France, or to a gym or your mate’s garage to play.”
In the UK, darts was previously associated with pubs, ‘working men’s clubs’, and the 1980s TV show Bullseye. Flight Club has given the game a 21st-century twist by introducing a touchscreen interface and cameras that track the darts in flight. The accompanying themed bars, celebrating the English pub and fairgrounds where the game gained popularity, are designed to be an attractive destination in their own right.
Red Engine now operates six Flight Clubs around the UK. A seventh, in the Welsh capital of Cardiff, is due to open on 7 October. In addition to the Flights Clubs operated by State of Play in the US, there is also an outlet in Perth, Australia.
Flight Club goes global
Opening in the fall, Fight Club Las Vegas will bring social darts to the Grand Canal Shoppes inside The Venetian Resort. Within the 16,000-square-foot venue, guests will be able to play on 20 dartboards split across different areas including ‘The Vista’. This offers a wooden bar and coveted views of the Vegas Strip.
The centrepiece will be a 27-seat carousel bar. Also featured will be striking interactive and imaginative art including items from Red Engine’s giant warehouse of props and artefacts back in England. Appointed as the space’s interior designer is Alex Hobocienski of HTC Studio. The architect is Ilias Soukbaev at ARIA Group Architects.
The exact opening date will be announced soon. Meanwhile, Flight Club Denver will open within the 1601 Wewatta building in the Colorado city’s flourishing Union Station area in early 2023. It is expected to be preceded by Flight Club Atlanta in the Star Metal district of the state capital of Georgia.
An engaging concept
Marketed as ‘the home of unexpected, ridiculous joy’, Flight Club has been experienced by more than two million people since the opening of the original London location seven years ago. In that time, over 250 million darts have been thrown, and an abundance of awards have been won.
Speaking about the upcoming Denver destination, State of Play CEO Toby Harris says: “It’s a city that I’m sure will love social darts. Flight Club is an incredibly engaging concept and the combination of automated scoring, highly immersive gameplay and premium hospitality gives guests a unique experience.”
Image: Artist’s impression of Flight Club Las Vegas by Holman Neville
