Bowie’s Party HQ Brings Fun For The Whole Family

BOWIE, MD —Imagine a party center where every member of the family can have fun, offering games for the kids, drinks for the parents and memories for all. Well, there’s no need for imagination with Bowie Town Center’s Party HQ.

With an arcade, bowling, laser tag and virtual reality games, Maryland’s newest indoor activity center offers plenty of fun for all ages. The center also houses an indoor restaurant for families to eat and a full bar for the parents' treat.

Co-founders Rodney Chambers and Ronald Covington said they wanted to build a space where parents, kids and all members of the family could have fun under the same roof.

“When there are kids like birthday parties and stuff like that, being parents ourselves, it's not really a lot for parents to do when the kids are doing their thing,” Covington said. “We were like, man, we would really love to build a place where kids can go do their thing. Parents can still be a part of it, if they want to, or they can break off and go to another part of the facility and enjoy themselves.”

The new Party HQ houses two levels of arcade games, D.C. battle-themed laser tag, 10 bowling lanes, laser tag and one of only two Hologate virtual reality games in the entire state of Maryland.

The restaurant, The Parent Trap Bar & Grill, has a variety of entrées, drinks and desserts to choose from including chicken parmigiana, crab macaroni and cheese, signature cocktails and more.

This hidden gem officially opened for business last October in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Months later, the business was forced to operate at 25 percent capacity and partially close its restaurant in December due to additional indoor dining restrictions. However, the restaurant was able to reopen this past March and expand its outdoor seating area.

Party HQ was originally set to open in April 2020, but the pandemic caused the opening to be pushed back by six months.

Bowie residents may have missed Party HQ’s grand opening last fall, but the entertainment center is seeing significant growth now that COVID-19 safety restrictions have been lifted across the state.

Chambers said Party HQ is seeing four times as many customers from when it first opened in October, averaging up to 8,000 guests per week. The co-founders are developing techniques that will attract more people to Party HQ.

“We're seeing increases, month by month, with people coming out and participating in different things. We have different events that we've added throughout the week to bring people out,” Covington said.

Party HQ hosts weekly, biweekly, and monthly social events open to the public. The following Party HQ events and dates are listed:

• Monday: Pokeno Night
• Weekly
• Tuesday: Spades Night
• Weekly
• Wednesday: Wicked Wednesday
• Biweekly
• 18-25 year olds only.
• Thursday: Spades Night
• Weekly
• Friday: HBCU/Greek Night
• Monthly

Although the franchise company just opened their first location nine months ago, Covington and Chambers already have plans for the future expansion of Party HQ.

“Our goal is to have at least five around the beltway, or maybe one in each county that touches Washington, D.C., and maybe one inside of DC, and then we'll start our franchise," Chambers said. "We hope to do that in the next five to 10 years.”

The co-founders chose Bowie as the first location for their franchise because they wanted to bring the city its own family entertainment center.

Chambers said, “We wanted to bring something to Bowie, which really didn't have a lot of family entertaining stuff. Being in all the other counties, Montgomery and Anne Arundel and stuff, but we saw that there was a need for it in Bowie. So, we just thought if we built it, they would come. And people are really starting to come out and enjoy it.”

Those hoping to visit Party HQ can visit their website for more information.

Party HQ is located at 15606 Emerald Way in Bowie. It is open Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.