Generally speaking, this should not be done for several different reasons. In theory, yes it is possible to set up a bouncy castle on artificial lawn, however it just isn’t financially sensible. This is because We would need to charge an unaffordably high price because of the quantity of additional weight required to secure it.
The majority of bouncy castles have 6 anchor points which are designed to guide the strengthened steel stakes into the ground (e.g. into natural grass or top soil etc) in order to secure the inflatable to the ground outdoors. These stakes are carefully designed and manufactured to a tried and tested formula and satisfies the HSE policies of 600 Newtons of Force for each individual anchor point.
If we can’t make use of stakes or drill into tarmac, concrete, or artificial grass (which would probably permanently damage it) we have no choice but to make use of heavy weights to prevent the castle from moving around or tipping over. We choose vinyl sand-bags covered in the very same PVC fabric as bouncy castle products are made of. So, when they are in use they almost look like part of the inflatable. We attach these sand-bags to the inflatables using strong carabiner-style clips.
When the inflatable is outside there are strict laws (laid down by the UK Government) for the amount of weight called for. It’s 163KG per anchor point (which equates to 600 Newtons of Force) On a typical bouncy castle (e.g. 12feet x 15feet)with 6 anchor points that amounts to a MASSIVE 978KG !!! That is a literally a ton of weight!! (The weight of a family car is around 1 ton which gives you an idea as to how much weight is legally required to secure the bouncy castle to the outdoor hard-stand area!)
Sand bags (when full) typically weigh 25KG, so to get to 163KG we would require7 bags of sand per anchor point or 42 bags of sand for a standard child’s bouncy castle.
In addition, carrying 42 sand-bags in our van as well as all the other equipment could make the van overweight and we could run foul of the law!
Unfortunately, some less reputable hire companies are prepared to flout the law and just carry one 7kg sandbag per anchor point (so 6 sandbags in total). We have even seen cases where only 4 sandbags have been supplied. Whether the company provides 4 or 6 sandbags it’s clearly not putting the safety of children first and foremost. (42 sandbags is the legal minimum when the bouncy castle is sited outdoors on hard standing (assuming 25kg per sandbag)
So sadly, due to these reasons We cannot set-up play inflatables OUTDOORS on man-made lawns, or any other hard-standing floors such as concrete or tarmac. We pride ourselves on always putting safety first – and this is the reason. Thank you for your understanding.