With a breathtaking atmosphere and endless maze of attractions, London’s Winter Wonderland seems to be a consistent source of enjoyment during the festive season every year. However, not all aspects were as perfect as they had initially appeared to huge crowds filling up Hyde Park.
Surprisingly, queues to enter weren’t as busy as expected on a fairly warm Sunday afternoon. Bright lights covered the rooftops of countless funfair rides huge tents, and main attractions surrounding the classic looping rollercoasters at the centre of the event. Although the lights were somewhat disappointing during the day, as the skies got darker, fairy lights and neon signs began to look spectacular, illuminating the attractions dotted around the park.
Expensive rides and funfair games made up the bulk of Winter Wonderland, priced at roughly £6 for one go on the larger rides, and £5 or £6 for an attempt to win an enormous stuffed toy. What they failed to mention was that the larger prizes meant sitting at the same overpriced stall, trying to win an already difficult game several times in a row. We managed to secure a large teddy at one of the less pricey attractions.
Another expensive element was located in a small village of food stalls, serving different cuisines to cater for everyone’s taste. With no appetite after being spun around on the rides, we kept it simple and went for a portion of churros, a must have at winter wonderland, but nonetheless a pricey option for £6. A small portion of warm, freshly fried churros in a cone, coated in sugar with a choice of £1 toppings, are the ideal snack to warm up in the cold breeze.
Overall, the Winter Wonderland was certainly more entertaining than the average funfair and definitely cost more, and for those who love getting into the Christmas spirit it’s definitely a must-see attraction.