A vintage funfair is opening in Exeter

A brand new play space is about to throw open its doors in Exeter, complete with a funfair, mini arcade and pop-up shop. It's the latest project by Carmen Croxall, who has become well-known for her viral displays.

After months of preparation, Carmen is now gearing up to open the Play Emporium in just a few days' time. She announced the new project shortly after the end of her Christmas SelfieLand event, in which she transformed a warehouse in Marsh Barton into a winter wonderland.

The warehouse, which had been the headquarters of her prop hire company The Prop Factory until its closure earlier this year, has now been turned into a vintage funfair. Carmen has promised a wide range of classic games and activities, including a skittle alley, mini golf, splat the rat, a puppet booth, a tin can alley and mini arcade games.

There will also be an area specifically for children under the age of two. It features a 'busy board' with a variety of nostalgic toys and household items to play with.

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Some design features are similar to Christmas SelfieLand, including the 'Narnia'-like room with white trees. This is now being used as a quiet area for visitors to take a break from the games and will be stocked with cushions and bookcases filled with children's books.

With a range of props left over from the prop hire company, there will also be a pop-up shop in the downstairs part of the building, some of which are also being advertised for sale online.

On Monday (May 20), Carmen put up a post on Facebook advertising free tickets to the Play Emporium during half term next week and, in less than 24 hours, they are almost completely sold out. Standard tickets with a fee have now gone on sale for the subsequent weeks.

Carmen first became known for her viral Christmas display, in which she turned her rented house into a life-sized gingerbread house. She appeared across national news outlets and amassed a huge social media following, with more than 45,000 followers on Instagram and a whopping 114,000 on TikTok. Ever since, she has continued to document her creative projects, including an Easter-themed display with giant daffodils and a Valentine's house, with giant love heart sweets appearing to cascade out of a first floor window.

The Play Emporium can be found at Unit 2, 8 Marsh Green Road North, Exeter, EX2 8NY. Tickets are £7.50 for children under 16, £2.50 for adults and babies under one year go free. This allows for a 90 minute session which can be booked at 9:30am, 11:30am or 1:30pm. Tickets can be purchased here.