BRIGHT lights, a massive Ferris Wheel, Christmas songs on blast and £10 hotdogs – the OG Winter Wonderland from which all other modern day Xmas markets were spawned has reopened.
I headed down last night, before it opened to the public today, to work out the must-do bits and the parts to avoid.
Located in Hyde Park in Central London, Winter Wonderland is a sprawling maze of wooden chalet stalls, huge funfair rides, wacky bars and food vendors.
Of the big attractions, the Magical Ice Kingdom is one of the most impressive, with its brand-new theme of Alice in Wonderland.
The Magical Ice Kingdom claims to be one of the largest ice exhibitions in Europe, with some carved sculptures taller than five metres.
Visitors enter the temperature-controlled environment through the Queen of Hearts‘ castle, before seeing some of Lewis Carroll’s iconic scenes brought to life as huge ice sculptures.
I loved the use of colour in this year’s Magical Ice Kingdom with playing cards frozen into huge ice walls and lanterns hanging above the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
In addition to posing for selfies with the ice sculptures, there’s also an ice slide hidden away towards the end of the icy exhibition.
While it’s only a few metres in length, I felt like a kid again as I whooshed down, but it’s tucked in the corner of the exhibit, so could be easily missed if you’re not on the look out.
Before heading inside, wrap up warm because temperatures in the building sit at -10C to maintain the sculptures, and some kids can struggle.
Another attraction worthy of the price tag is the Real Ice Slide – a 35m slope made from ice, where visitors climb to the top before heading down the slide on a rubber ring.
Donning a rather fetching helmet, I was helped into the rubber ring before being given a huge push down the slope, and while it was over in seconds, it was a true rush of fun.
For the more sedate thrills, I’d also recommend the Giant Ferris Wheel, which at 70m high is only half the size of the London Eye, but offers a lovely view of the technicolor Christmas land below and the iconic London tourist spots near Hyde Park.
Rides last for around 10 minutes and my friend and I were lucky enough to nab a pod to ourselves – although this isn’t always guaranteed unless you’ve booked a private one for £42.
If you’ve only got cash to spare for one fairground ride after that, I’d recommend Munich Looping as it’s the largest transportable rollercoaster in the world.
Dr Archibald, Master of Time, was another standout ride – a mixture of virtual reality (VR) and a weird obstacle course, tha debuted at Munich’s Oktoberfest back in 2019.
As I sat in the cart, a member of staff placed a VR headset on my head, before we followed along on the steampunk and dystopian story.
While this would have been enough, the headsets are removed at the end of the ride and visitors are left to tackle a glow in the dark obstacle course, which is a great bit of fun.
London’s Winter Wonderland has certainly broken away from the mould of traditional Christmas attractions – it reminds me more of European funfairs like Munich’s Oktoberfest and Feria del Vino Fino, with its mix of games and rides alongside market stalls and food vendors.
Whereas lots of the traditional Christmas Markets in Italy and Germany are more concerned with food and drink and handmade gifts.
Each has its own appeal – and although Winter Wonderland loses the quaintness, it does have something to appeal to everyone with its rides, quirky bars and haunted houses.
The European comparison doesn’t stop there because Winter Wonderland has its own Bavarian Village, complete with a Bavarian Beer Hall that wouldn’t look out of place in Oktoberfest.
It reminded me of the large party halls like Hofbräu Festzelt and Ochsenbraterei at Munich’s Oktoberfest.
A host of live singers keeps beer drinkers entertained on rows of wooden benches — although no self-respecting German would be caught dead drinking beer out of a plastic cup.
It’s not quite the real deal but it’s certainly a very good imitation.
Prices in the beer hall are slightly more expensive than last year too, with a pint costing £7.75, which is 50p more than last year..
The price of food and drink was a sting too, with two portions of chips setting me back £13.
Visitors can take their own food into Winter Wonderland, so I’d recommend heading in with a packed lunch and snacks.
But overall, the prices haven’t been hiked.
Last year, tickets for the Giant Ferris Wheel and the Real Ice Slide cost £7.50 per person – with these figures staying the same for this year.
Magical Ice Kingdom tickets start from £5 just like last year too, with £5 being the ballpark figure for rides and attractions.
If you’re clever and book activities in advance online, you can get free entry into the park when you spend over £25.
Visitors can also purchase the Santaland Unlimited Ride Pass, which gives park-goers unrestricted access to over 12 family-friendly rides, including Race-O-Rama, Santaland Express Train, Winter Spinner, and Racing Coaster – although this is three rides less than last year.
The pass costs £25, and it includes free entry to Winter Wonderland.
That being said food and drink is expensive, with pretzel pizzas from £11.50 and two vegan sausages and chips costing a whopping £44 in the Bavarian Beer Hall.
Pints start from £6.85 at multiple vendors in the park, which isn’t too bad for a central London spot – although visitors from outside the capital will certainly feel the pinch.
Winter Wonderland will run for six weeks from 21 November 2024 until 5 January 2025.
It will be open from 10am until 10pm every day between those two dates, excluding Christmas Day.
The nearest London Underground stations to Hyde Park are Bond Street, Green Park, Knightsbridge, Marble Arch, Hyde Park Corner, Paddington, and Victoria.
Several bus routes will also get you there, and Paddington, Victoria, and Marylebone train stations are also nearby.
