Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland – AKA the festive event of the season – returns. Here’s everything you need to know.
We might be biased, but we think London at Christmastime is absolutely unbeatable. The Christmas lights go up. The big shopping spaces begin competing to see who can erect the biggest tree. And Hyde Park opens its Winter Wonderland.
It’s basically an all-singing, all-dancing festive festival, with fairground rides, an ice rink, plenty of food and winter-warming drinks.
This year it’s open from the 17th November 2023 – 1st January 2024. Read on to find out exactly what’s going down.
What Can You Expect
Where to begin? Expect Hyde Park to be completely pimped out with festive decorations.
Last year we went up Battersea Power Station’s Lift 109 viewing station at around this time of year and we could see Winter Wonderland from all the way south of the river. Is that like the London equivalent of seeing the Great Wall from space? Perhaps.
Food and Drink
Bar Ice is probably the coolest (sorry) place to grab a drink at Winter Wonderland. This insta-perfect spot is built out of giant cubes of ice and rocks an 80’s Après-ski theme. They serve up cocktails from Mixtons and provide their guests with parka jackets so that they don’t freeze up around all that ice.
There’s a carousel bar too. That one gently spins you around while you sip on winter warmers.
But, we’ll be honest: Christmas at Winter Wonderland is a street food affair, with whole tents given over to pop-up food stalls and much-loved London names like Doughnut Time and Flesh and Buns making appearances. Oh, and of course bratwurst for days.
The latter can be found at the Bavarian Village alongside a sizable pop-up beer hall with long communal benches to crowd around and live music playing on a regular basis.
Special mention in this section should go to the fact that Burger and Beyond are going to be there. We never miss an excuse to rave about these guys. They do some of our favourite burgers in London and have a good rep for their ability to pop up doing more of the same at the big calendar events of the year – this being one of them.
Fairground Rides
There’ll be the usual spread of fairground rides, including more than their fair share of roller coasters, one of which – Munich Looping – has been shipped in from Oktoberfest. Just so you know what you’re getting yourself into with this one, it’s the world’s largest portable rollercoaster.
The giant Ferris wheel makes a return. That’s a bit of a WW institution – the party wouldn’t be quite right without it. From its pinnacle, 70m up, you’ll have views of London and the ant-like Wonderlanders way down below you.
If heights like that are your thing, you’ll wanna get yourself on the Hangover. That’s one of those vertical drop rides that hangs you at 85m up, lets you enjoy the sights for a few seconds, and then plunges you stomach-turningly fast towards the ground.
Another wild one is a bonkers-looking ride called Blizzard that rotates 360 degrees on a twin axis while flipping through the air. There’s also a mad-looking Aeronaught Starflyer. You may have seen it before. They strap you into a seat on chains which spins around a central column and rises 80m into the air – not for us, but each to their own.
Other Bits of Fun
We’re always really excited for the Christmas Circus. Zippos is a returning feature from previous Winter Wonderlands, bringing a Christmas/winter-themed show with actual world-class performers and crazy giant dancing polar bears. Need we say more?
There’s also Cirque Beserk, a more electrifying performance of risky stunts that’ll have you watching through your fingers just waiting for the accident you know is coming. The website describes it as a ‘smorgasbord of thrills’. We’re not going to try and top that description.
No festive period would be complete without some embarrassing slip-and-slide moments on an ice rink. Winter Wonderland knows that full well and has one of its own. It’s also a bit of a London institution. Loads of people turn out for it so you’ll want to make sure you book it well in advance.
If you want to try a different method of cutting ice you can take part in ice carving workshops. During the 40-minute class you’ll have the ice artists that designed the Ice Palace as your tutors while you cut away at cubes and turn them into works of art – no word on if (or how) you would be able to take these home with you though.
For the Christmas shoppers among you, there’s a Christmas market selling all sorts of trinkets and hand-crafted goodies that would make excellent stocking fillers for the big day.
Know that the above are just highlights and that Winter Wonderland has too much more to do than we could reproduce here. Besides, you should probably have a little of the excitement of the unexpected when you go.
All in all, if you want the full-magical Christmas package. Winter Wonderland is the place to get it.
Winter Wonderland 2023 Practical Information
When?
Winter Wonderland is open from 10am – 10pm from the 17th November 2023 – 1st January 2024.
Where?
Winter Wonderland is held in Hyde Park – the nearest tube stations are Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch.
Tickets?
The tickets work on a staggered price depending on when you want to visit. Off peak slots are free, standard tickets are £5, and peak tickets are £7.50.
You’ll need to book ahead before you go – you can do that here – and when you do you’ll see the slots and pricing available. It’s pretty straightforward.
Of course, once you’re in, you’ll have to fork out a bit more to get on the rides, eat, and see the attractions. You can also book your ride tickets ahead of time, which is something we suggest you do. Winter Wonderland gets mad busy so it’s best to be as prepared as possible.
