KidZania London hosted 2.5 million children — then shut at short notice

KidZania is the Mexican-born chain of indoor 'cities' where children role-play adult jobs — fire stations, hospitals, radio studios, airlines — earning and spending the in-house currency, kidZos. In 2015 the chain brought the format to London: 75,000 square feet inside the Westfield shopping centre at White City, built for families paying per child.

For eight years it was a staple of Westfield — 2.5 million visitors, school trips, birthday parties, brand-sponsored pavilions. Then, in the first days of January 2024, the attraction announced it was closing at short notice. The statement said KidZania 'value[d] the support of our visitors, employees, brand partners and our landlord' and that doors were shut 'until further notice'; customers with existing bookings were told they would be contacted directly. No financial explanation was given.

The suddenness did the damage: families arrived to find the doors closed, and an eight-year institution that had welcomed 2.5 million visitors left the market with a farewell pun — 'Z-U Soon.' The Westfield space, one of the largest family attractions in London, went dark without warning.