Funan with Kids: Climbing, VR Jets, Rooftop Futsal and 4 Classes You Can Book (2026)

29 September 2026 · 14 min read

Funan has no playground. Nothing free, nothing padded, no ball pit, no kiddy rides. CapitaLand rebuilt it from the ground up in 2019 as an "activity-first" mall for adults who cycle, climb and buy cameras, and the concierge page does not list a single facility for a toddler beyond two nursing rooms.

Here is the odd part. For a child of seven to twelve, Funan is the best mall in the Civic District, and it is not close. Climb Central's wall rises 16 metres through the atrium and takes children from age 4. Flight Experience straps them into an F/A-18 VR cockpit on Level 3. Hologate runs 18 multiplayer VR games on Level 4.

The Ark's five-a-side futsal pitch sits on the roof, seven floors up. Wild Rice's 380-seat theatre stages a family musical every year-end and runs weekend drama classes for ages 5 to 12. ABC Cooking Studio teaches four children at a time to cook a whole meal, and Trehaus, the co-working club on Level 7, runs holiday camps and a 2,000 square foot playspace for members.

Everything costs money and most of it starts at $28. A parent with a four-year-old should go to the National Gallery next door, where the Keppel Centre for Art Education is free. A parent with a nine-year-old should come here. For the rest of the neighbourhood, read our guides to things to do with kids in Marina Bay, the CBD and Tanjong Pagar and Bugis, Bras Basah and Little India.

Quick steer

• Best for a rainy hour with a primary-schooler: Climb Central, adult and one child first-timer set $44.70, Basement 2.
• Best free thing: the Level 7 rooftop garden and urban farm, 10am to 10pm. For a toddler, the Keppel Centre for Art Education at the National Gallery, five minutes away.
• Best class to trial first: Cristofori Music School, free trial lesson, #04-10.
• Best age for this mall: 7 to 12.

Family favourites: play at Funan

1. Climb Central

Photo: Climb Central, Jungle listing

Climb Central at #B2-19/21 is the reason most families come. The walls run from 4 to 16 metres and rise through the centre of the mall, so a child on the top rope is visible from the escalators on Levels 1 and 2. Auto-belay lanes mean a parent need not know how to belay, and staff run a safety briefing before anyone clips in. The minimum is age 4, 16kg and one metre tall, which rules out most three-year-olds.

Prices changed on 1 May 2026 and Funan charges more than Novena. A first-timer set, which bundles the one-off registration, entry and gear, is $44.70 for an adult with one child and $72 for an adult with two. Returning climbers pay $37.10 for an adult-child pass, $19.70 per extra child, $21.80 for a youth aged 13 to 17 and $31.40 for an adult, plus $4.10 for a harness and $6 for shoes. Weekday mornings are quiet; Saturday afternoons queue.

Why kids will love it: Touching the top of a wall three storeys above the food court while strangers watch from the escalator. Best for ages 6 to 12. Bring socks and leggings, tie hair back, and book a weekday 11am slot if you can, when the auto-belay lanes are free.

Book on Jungle: Climb Central
Website: Climb Central Funan
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #B2-19/21, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 11am to 11pm. Sat, Sun and public holidays 9am to 9pm.
Price: First-timer set $44.70 for an adult and one child, $72 for an adult and two children. Returning adult-child pass $37.10, child add-on $19.70, youth $21.80, adult $31.40. Harness $4.10, shoes $6.
Ages: 4 and up, minimum 16kg and 1 metre.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

2. Flight Experience

Photo: Flight Experience Singapore, Jungle listing

Flight Experience at #03-K05 is a kiosk in the middle of Level 3 with two VR fighter-jet stations and a Boeing Store attached. The jets are an F/A-18 and an F-15, flown in full 360-degree VR with a vibrating seat and a qualified pilot instructor talking the child through take-off, a route over the Grand Canyon or the Alps, and up to four landings.

Two people fly at once and can see each other in formation. The full-size Boeing 737 simulator is at the Singapore Flyer, not here. A 30-minute session is $65 and 45 minutes is $90. The company sets the VR minimum at age 7, which is two years above what the Jungle listing says, so trust the higher number.

Why kids will love it: Landing a fighter jet on the fourth try after crashing on the first three, with a real pilot saying "nose up". Best for ages 8 to 14. The 30-minute slot is enough for a first visit. Book online before you come.

Book on Jungle: Flight Experience Singapore
Website: Flight Experience VR
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #03-K05, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Daily 11.30am to 7.30pm.
Price: 30 minutes $65. 45 minutes $90.
Ages: 7 and up.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

3. Hologate

Photo: Hologate Singapore, Jungle listing

Hologate at #04-K01 is a multiplayer VR arena on Level 4, the same floor as Cristofori and the Wild Rice theatre. Players stand in their own pod, headset on, and play one of 18 games together, from shooters and racing to cooperative puzzles. The operator's minimum is age 6, one year below what the Jungle listing says.

Hologate does not put its price list in text on its site. The most recent published figures, from a February 2026 round-up, are $28 to $38 per player, with the higher rate on Fridays, weekends and public holidays, and a $2 surcharge on premium games.

Why kids will love it: Fighting the same zombie horde as a sibling and arguing afterwards about who got more. Best for ages 8 to 14. A child prone to motion sickness should sit out the flying games. Weekday afternoons have no queue.

Book on Jungle: Hologate Singapore
Website: Hologate Singapore
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #04-K01, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm.
Price: $28 to $38 per player per game (February 2026), plus $2 for a premium game. Hologate does not publish its price list in text online. Call 9872 9782.
Ages: 6 and up.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

4. The Ark Futsal, on the roof

The rooftop pitch on Level 7. Photo: The Ark Futsal Funan, Jungle listing

The Ark at #07-37 is a single five-a-side futsal pitch on the rooftop of Funan, open from 8am to 11pm and, the operator says, the first futsal court in the heart of the CBD. There is no reception; you book a slot on The Ark's site, get a code and let yourselves in.

Pitch hire starts at $60 an hour and the cheapest slots are weekday daytime. For a birthday, ten children and a bag of balls for an hour on a rooftop with the Padang and the National Gallery behind the goal is better value than any party room in the building.

The Ark also runs children's football coaching on this pitch through partner academies, which is the programme on its Jungle listing. It does not publish the training fees online.

Why kids will love it: A real astroturf pitch with proper goals, seven floors up, and nobody telling them to keep the noise down. Best for ages 6 to 12 who already play. Bring water; there is no kiosk on the roof.

Book on Jungle: The Ark Futsal Funan
Website: The Ark
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #07-37, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Daily 8am to 11pm, by booking.
Price: Pitch hire from $60 an hour. The Ark does not publish its coaching fees online. WhatsApp 9185 2555.
Ages: 5 to 18 for coaching. Any age for pitch hire with an adult.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

5. The rooftop garden and urban farm, Level 7

Funan's one free open space is on the roof. The 18,000 square foot garden on Level 7 is the largest rooftop farm in the downtown area, run by Edible Garden City, with more than 50 crops in raised beds: okra, basil, mint, lemongrass, passionfruit, edible flowers and a mushroom house.

A roof garden continues above it on Level R. It is open with the mall from 10am to 10pm and reached by lift lobby A. Nobody charges, nobody checks, and on a weekday it is empty.

It is not a playground. There is no equipment, and the beds are not for picking. It is where you take a child who has finished at Climb Central and needs ten minutes outside, or where you eat a takeaway from the food court with a view.

Why kids will love it: Finding a passionfruit growing seven floors above a shopping mall, and running between the beds while you sit. Best for ages 3 to 8. Go before 11am or after 5pm; there is no shade at noon.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Funan mall information
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, Level 7, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm.
Price: Free.
Ages: Any.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

The small things do not need an entry. Pop Play Planet at #B2-34 to 36 stocks 6,000 collectible toys from Crayon Shin-chan to the Avengers, and POP MART's flagship at #01-06 is where the Labubu queue forms. The 200-metre indoor cycling lane on Level 1 is for adults passing through on bikes, not for children on scooters. There are no kiddy rides and no Kiddy Palace.

Learn and play: classes at Funan you can book on Jungle

Four enrichment centres operate inside Funan, three of them on Level 4 and Level 7, and all four are on Jungle. Two publish their fees. One, Cristofori, offers a free trial. We found no children's enrichment tenant in the building that is not already listed.

6. ABC Cooking Studio

Photo: ABC Cooking Studio, Jungle listing

ABC Cooking Studio at #02-29 is the Japanese cooking school chain, and its Funan studio is the one most parents book because the slots go fastest. The Kids Course takes children aged 4 to 8 in groups of four, one instructor to the group, and they cook a full dish from scratch, not a decorating exercise. Parents do not join the class.

ABC prices it plainly: $150.42 for one lesson, $333.54 for three and $627.84 for six, all including GST. Adults' courses run in the same studio and cost from $830.58 for six cooking lessons.

Why kids will love it: Cracking the eggs, kneading the dough and eating the result, then taking the recipe card home to cook it again. Best for ages 5 to 8. Book the single lesson first; a six-pack is a $628 bet on a five-year-old's attention span.

Book on Jungle: ABC Cooking Studio
Website: ABC Cooking Studio Kids Course
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #02-29, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Daily 10am to 10pm, classes by timetable.
Price: Kids Course $150.42 for one lesson, $333.54 for three, $627.84 for six.
Ages: 4 to 8.

7. Cristofori Music School

Photo: Cristofori Music School, Jungle listing

Cristofori at #04-10 is the school attached to the Rockschool London and Kayserburg piano showroom on Level 4, one of 35 Cristofori centres in Singapore. Lessons are one-to-one in piano, violin, guitar, drums and voice, with graded exams.

The Funan branch is a licensed centre, which Cristofori's own brochure says means "different lesson fees and practices may apply" from the company-owned schools. That is why the chain's fees are not on its site. The free trial lesson is the way in: book it online, meet the teacher, then ask for the Funan rate sheet.

Why kids will love it: A showroom of grand pianos to walk past on the way to their lesson, and a teacher who lets them try the drum kit at the end. Best for ages 5 and up who are ready for a weekly instrument lesson rather than music and movement.

Book on Jungle: Cristofori Music School
Website: Cristofori free trial lessons
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #04-10, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: By lesson timetable. Call 6951 0619.
Price: Free trial lesson. Cristofori does not publish its lesson fees online.
Ages: 4 to 17.

8. Wild Rice Academy and Wild Rice @ Funan

Photo: Wild Rice, Jungle listing

Wild Rice's theatre at #04-08, The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, is an 18,000 square foot, 380-seat thrust stage on Level 4, and it is the one place in the mall a family can spend an evening. The year-end show is the one to book: Monkey Goes West, the company's Journey to the West musical, runs from 12 November to 13 December 2026 and is recommended for ages 5 and up.

Tickets are $50 to $95 for the three preview shows, $55 to $105 Tuesday to Thursday and $60 to $120 Friday to Sunday, for a 2 hour 30 minute show with a 20-minute interval. Goldilocks and the Three Wild Boars is on the company's slate for the 2027 season.

The Academy runs weekend drama classes in the same building for two bands, ages 5 to 8 and 9 to 12, in 90-minute sessions on Saturdays or Sundays over a ten-week term. The June to September 2026 term cost $708.50 including GST, or $675.80 for early birds, and the next term opens for registration on the Academy page.

Why kids will love it: Watching a monkey king somersault three metres from their seat, then going back on a Saturday to learn how the actors did it. Best for ages 6 to 12. Book the Sunday 1.30pm show for a child under 8; the 7.30pm shows end after 10pm.

Book on Jungle: Wild Rice
Website: Wild Rice Academy
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #04-08, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Box office Wed to Sun 12pm to 7pm. Closed Mon and Tue. Academy classes Sat and Sun by term.
Price: Drama term $708.50 for ten 90-minute classes ($675.80 early bird). Monkey Goes West tickets $50 to $120.
Ages: 5 to 12 for classes. 5 and up for Monkey Goes West.

9. Trehaus Camps and Family Club

Trehaus at #07-21 to 36 is a preschool, a parents' co-working space and a family club under one roof on Level 7, and the part that matters to a non-member is the holiday camps. They run in the June and December school holidays for ages 5 to 12.

The camps are project-based, with a leaning towards entrepreneurship, design thinking and leadership: storytelling and craft one hour, a mini business challenge the next. Trehaus does not publish camp fees online, and the Jungle listing takes bookings on request.

The Family Club is the indoor playspace: 2,000 square feet with a beach-themed playground and campervan, a picnic lawn with teepees and ride-on cars, role-play stations, a toy library, a Lego corner and a makerspace. It is members only.

The 2026 brochure offers the first 100 families $250 a month for two adults and two children, with two guest passes a month, and there is no walk-in day pass, so this is not a rainy-day option unless a member invites you.

Why kids will love it: A campervan to climb into and a makerspace with real tools, and at camp, a business idea of their own for a week. Best for ages 4 to 8 for the club and 7 to 12 for the camps. Ask about the free trial for the creche if you have a baby and work nearby.

Book on Jungle: Trehaus Camps
Website: Trehaus Family Club
Address: 109 North Bridge Road, #07-21, Funan, Singapore 179097. Google Maps
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm for the co-working space. Family Club by advance booking, members and guests only. Call 9843 8077.
Price: Family Club membership $250 a month for two adults and two children (first 100 families). Trehaus does not publish its camp fees online.
Ages: 5 to 12 for camps. 4 months to 6 years for the school and creche.

Most of these centres let you try before you commit, and our guide to free trial classes for kids in Singapore explains how to get the most out of one. Browse Funan classes on Jungle.

Eat with kids at Funan

Funan has 76 places to eat and exactly one with a children's offer we could confirm: Guzman y Gomez, where a child's meal is free on Sundays. There is no Swensen's, no McDonald's, no KFC and no Pizza Hut.

Smile Dessert, the silver ball-pit cafe on Level 2 that parenting sites still recommend, is permanently closed. What Funan does have is a basement full of cheap counters where a child can eat for under $10, and the food court is the best of them.

10. KOPItech food court, Basement 2

KOPItech at #B2-24 is Kopitiam's self-order food court: no queueing at stalls, you order at one of 17 kiosks or on your phone, take a buzzer and collect. For a parent with a child in tow that is the whole point. The stalls cover the usual chicken rice, noodles, Western, Japanese and Indian, with most plates between $5 and $9.

The nursing room is on the same floor, next to the ladies' toilet, and Climb Central is thirty seconds away, so this is where families end up between activities. It is loud at lunch on weekdays with the office crowd from the Adelphi and the courts; go before noon or after 1.30pm.

Why kids will love it: Pressing the buttons on the ordering kiosk themselves, then watching the number come up on the screen. Best for any age. Kazo's cream puffs at #B2-K02 are $2.80 and two minutes away for afterwards.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Funan Basement 2 food hall
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #B2-24, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Within mall hours, 10am to 10pm. The food court does not publish separate hours online.
Price: Stall prices, most plates $5 to $9.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

11. Guzman y Gomez: kids dine free on Sundays

Guzman y Gomez at #B1-35 is the Mexican fast-casual chain, and its Sunday deal is the only kids-eat-free offer in Funan. From 2 March 2026, and refreshed on 17 May, every regular main bought on a Sunday through the GYG app comes with one free Little G's Meal for a child aged 12 or under: a small burrito, cheese nachos or a cheese quesadilla, with kids' fries and a Milo or water.

The $3 taco, single tacos and the cheese quesadilla do not count as a main, it is one redemption per app member, and it does not stack with meal bundles. On any other day the Little G's Meal is $7.50.

Why kids will love it: A burrito the size of their forearm, and nachos they are allowed to eat with their hands. Best for ages 3 to 12. Order on the app before you sit down; the counter cannot apply the deal.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Guzman y Gomez kids dine free
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #B1-35, Funan, Singapore 179105. Google Maps
Opening hours: Daily. The outlet's hours are in the GYG app; the mall directory does not list them.
Price: Little G's Meal $7.50, free with a regular main on Sundays via the app.
Nearest MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13), underpass to Basement 2.

The rest of the kid-friendly list

Confirmed against Eatbook's September 2026 directory. Units and hours are theirs.

• Sushi Express, #B2-14: conveyor-belt sushi from $1.50 a plate, the cheapest sit-down meal for a fussy eater. 11am to 9.30pm.
• Sukiya, #B1-32: gyudon bowls from $4.90, the fallback when the food court is full. 10am to 10.30pm.
• Mincheng Bibimbap, #01-13: beef bibimbap $8.80, mild if you ask. 11am to 9.30pm.
• Maji Curry, #B1-28: Japanese curry rice from $14.30, a child's portion is half an adult one. 11am to 9.30pm.
• Little Ribbons Pasta Co, #B2-K11: build-your-own pasta bowls, plain butter pasta an option. 12pm to 8.45pm.
• Yakiniku Shokudo, #B2-25, and First Bowl Rice Kitchen, #02-06: the two halal-certified restaurants, from $8.90 and $7.75.
• Godmama, #04-07: Peranakan from $11.90 beside the Wild Rice theatre; book pre-show. Mon to Fri 11am to 10pm, weekends from 10am.
• Sinpopo Coffee, #01-K02: kaya toast breakfast from 8am on weekdays but 10am on weekends, so a 9am Saturday climb starts hungry.
• Dessert by floor: Kazo cream puffs $2.80 and Churros Republic from $3.95, Basement 2; RUXU pastries from $2.80, Level 1.

Family facilities at Funan

• Nursing rooms: two, on Basement 2 and Level 4, each next to the ladies' toilet, with hot and cold water dispensers, a nappy dispenser, a sofa and power points.
• Levels 1, 2 and 3: no nursing room, so plan the feed around Climb Central (B2) or Wild Rice (L4).
• Stroller loan: ceased. The concierge page still carries the pandemic notice that "community shared items such as strollers, prams, battery packs and wheelchairs" are no longer loaned.
• Family lots: none marked. Wheelchair-accessible lots are at lift lobbies A and C.
• Car park: more than 400 lots on Basements 3 and 4.
• Car park, weekdays: to 6pm, $2.40 for the first hour then $0.65 per 15 minutes; after 6pm, $3.30 per entry.
• Car park, weekends and public holidays: 3am to 6pm, $2.60 for the first two hours then $0.65 per 15 minutes; after 6pm, $3.30 per entry. A two-hour Saturday climb costs $2.60 to park.
• Bikes: 62 lots on Level 1 and 92 on Basement 3, with showers at the Level 1 Bike Hub, if you arrive by cargo bike.
• Mall hours: 10am to 10pm daily. No pets.

Getting there

Funan is on North Bridge Road between the Adelphi and Peninsula Plaza, opposite St Andrew's Cathedral.

• By MRT: City Hall (NS25/EW13) is the station. A 100-metre underground link, opened on 21 December 2021, runs from the station's concourse under North Bridge Road straight into Funan's Basement 2, next to Climb Central, so you never go outside.
• By bus: Buses 51, 61, 63, 80, 124, 145, 166, 174, 197, 851 and 961 stop opposite The Treasury on High Street, a two-minute walk.
• By car: The car park has more than 400 lots on Basements 3 and 4. Rates are under Family facilities above.

Make a day of it

Three free places within fifteen minutes of Funan make a better day for a child under five than the mall itself.

• Keppel Centre for Art Education, National Gallery, five minutes on foot: free, built for ages 4 to 12, open daily to 6.40pm last entry, and closed 12.30pm to 1pm and 3.30pm to 4pm for cleaning. It fills on weekend afternoons with a wait of 30 minutes or more, so go on a weekday or at 10am.
• Jubilee Park playground, Fort Canning, ten minutes uphill: free from sunrise to sunset, with slides, climbing nets and a sandpit.
• PIP's PLAYbox, Level 4 of the Esplanade, fifteen minutes through Raffles City and CityLink: a free indoor play and reading space open 11am to 6pm and closed 2pm to 3pm. Registration for Esplanade&Me at the door is free.

At a glance

Funan is a mall for a child who has outgrown the ball pit and wants to climb, fly, shoot or perform. Book the trial before you go, and browse every enrichment class in the Civic District on Jungle.