The fun is over: Beloved entertainment center in Wynwood is closing. Here’s why

Wynwood is changing by the day.

Just as news broke that Carnegie Mellon is taking over a large swath of Miami’s artsiest neighborhood to build a 35-acre campus, a landmark destination is shutting down.

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FunDimension, a massive arcade and game room at 2129 NW First Ct., is closing at the end of October, according to a post on Instagram.

For almost a decade, the sprawling hotspot was a go-to for classic arcade games, bumper cars, rock climbing and VR stations. In 2018, Hollywood came calling. FunDimension was the site of a press junket for the bachelor party romp “Tag” with Jon Hamm and Ed Helms, as well as the backdrop for the music video for Imagine Dragons’ hit song “Zero.”

More recently, over the summer, FunDimension was World Cup watch party central, hosting bashes for various matches with soccer stars including Paul Pogba in attendance.

The longtime 305 fave also doubled as an event space, including for birthday parties, field trips, class reunions and corporate retreats.

Founder Joyce Alarcon-Frohman told the Miami Herald the move has nothing to do with the college campus megadeal. This week, hedge funder Ken Griffin closed on his purchase of Mana Wynwood from developer Moishe Mana for $1.1 billion to pave the way for the Carnegie Mellon University Miami campus on a 35-acre site.

“The property does not have a tenant yet, and it is not owned by Griffin,” Alarcon-Frohman said. “Sadly, the rent became unsustainable. We are also just one more small local business in Wynwood closing its doors in today’s economic environment. The middle class is disappearing and with that, small local venues.”

The Miami Beach resident added that since the announcement on social media, she has been touched by the outpouring of good wishes from the community.

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“We opened our doors in November 2017 with a dream and a stack of freshly printed game cards, and you showed up. Then you kept showing up,” read her farewell post. “We have seen first dates become anniversaries, coworkers become friends over a round of bumper cars, and grandparents discover they can still throw a strike in duckpin bowling [played with miniature pins].”

The post goes on to say that loyal, regular customers are what kept FunDimension afloat.

“Not the games or the lights, but the people who filled the room week after week,” the message continued. “You did not just come to a venue. You came to see us, and we always saw you.”

Fans and followers, many dropping heartbreak emojis, flooded the comments section:

“The end of an era.”

“You made a lot of people and kids happy over the years!”

“It’s sad to see this place closed because this was the only spot for the local people of Wynwood, Allapattah, Overtown, Liberty City and adjacent areas to actually have family fun.”

The good news: You still have a few weeks to be a kid again — fittingly, until Halloween, which is FunDimenion’s official last day open. The weekend before, there will specials aplenty, Alarcon-Frohman promises, such as BOGO admissions and discount codes.

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