The question "can we put a bouncy castle on artificial grass or AstroTurf?" is one of the most frequent questions that we get asked here at Castle Kingdom. The quick response is "no," and the general norm is that this is the case throughout the entire inflatable industry. Although it is technically feasible to place a bouncy castle on artificial turf, doing so is not economically viable. We will explain why this is the case in the following paragraphs.
Bouncy castles that are used outside are often secured in place using heavy duty metal pegs that are driven deep into the grass. When this is not achievable, the law and "Best Practice" (en14960) requires that we place 163 kilogrammes on each of the bouncy castle's anchor points. Keep in mind that a typical bouncy castle for children will have at least six anchor points (and sometimes as many as eight). There is the possibility of providing 163 kilogrammes in the form of sandbags; but, given that each sandbag weighs around 25 kilogrammes, we would need seven sandbags for each anchor point, or 42 sandbags for a tiny children's bouncy castle! To put this into perspective, the amount of sand required to properly anchor a bouncy castle is literally one ton (or more if the bouncy castle has eight anchor points).
This implies that in order to set up a single bouncy castle on artificial grass, we could only load the van with one inflatable and the appropriate number of sand bags before going over the legal weight limit that our vehicle is permitted to transport. Because of this, it would be impossible for us to complete more than one hire booking in a given day, which would drive up the cost to an unimaginable level. In addition to the fact that it would require strength comparable to that of Superman to move around 42 bags of sand into the van, then back out into the garden, and finally packing all the way at the other end, this is just not a feasible or economical choice.
On occasion, there is the possibility of staking the castle down on artificial grass; however, in order to do so, you must either be willing to have the steaks leave holes in the artificial grass or its liner underneath or be able to fold the grass back, in addition to ensuring that there is standard earth underneath the artificial grass and not a concrete layer, as some people have.
We are fully aware that there are certain "less-reputable" businesses who will gladly put down four sandbags for the entire inflatable and assure you that everything will be OK. Customers frequently are unaware of the actual quantity necessary, and as a result, no one is any the wiser until there is an accident. Unfortunately, individuals don't fully see the necessity of these regulations until after they've been involved in a mishap of some kind. A strong gust of wind may easily sweep away an unsecured and untethered bouncy castle that has been weighted with only a few sandbags, and the consequence doesn't bear thinking about if a child is on the inflatable at the time.
We are unable to set up on concrete for the same reason, since it is just not a safe surface for us to work on. Although you are well aware that some people are able to get away with doing it for a long time without their being any kind of incident, you should be aware that sooner or later,there will be an accident and a child will pay the price.
We have a solid comprehension of the factors that contribute to the popularity of artificial grass in residential settings. We get that artificial grass looks nice - and that there is no need to mow the grass, that there are no weeds, and that you can use it to play on year-round is wonderful, but it is not the type of surface that is suited for a bouncy castle. Therefore, we would strongly recommend that if you have artificial grass or AstroTurf in your garden that you look into hiring a hall for your party, or if that is really not an option for you, then maybe look into using the garden of a parent or family member or close friend instead. This is because artificial grass and AstroTurf are less likely to be safe for children to play on. It is just not worth taking the risk of setting up a bouncy castle on artificial turf in a hazardous manner. After all, your children's safety must come first, before everything else.
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