Winter Wonderland!

You certainly know Christmas had arrived in London when Winter Wonderland open their gates for the first time each year! Hyde park goes from its usual quiet self to a twinkling, festive hub and visitors flock from all around the country to see the spectacular!

For the past two years we were lucky enough to be invited to opening night and this year we were thrilled to be asked again! We adored it the first time and although we weren’t quite so impressed lat year (the ice rink was a bit slushy and the observation wheel was closed when we wanted to go on it) we were hoping it’d be a great night and perhaps there would be no technical hitches again this time! We were very happy to find that it absolutely was on top form and we had a great night!

We weren’t the only people getting to see the rides, lights, ice skating, observation wheel, circus and magical ice kingdom before anyone else as we were in VERY good company indeed! The A listers present were incredible! Helena Bonham Carter, Elle MacPhearson, Jaime Winstone and Cara Delevingne to name but a very few!

For us it was the end of a very long day! We’d been out in the cold for hours and hours by the time we got to Hyde Park and were feeling very tired. We felt like going home truth be told but as soon as the lights and magic hit us we soon changed our minds! We wanted to do EVERYTHING but Winter Wonderland is HUGE and we knew we’d have to prioritise! We didn’t do the ice skating even though the rink looked amazing because we’ve been ice skating recently but we pretty much got to do everything else on our list!

Zippos Circus was amazing!

We went to see Zippos Circus at Easter time and had an utterly brilliant time! We absolutely loved it and couldn’t wait to see their family friendly show at Winter Wonderland! It truly didn’t disappoint with their signature awesome acts and with lots of oooing and aaahing from us we enjoyed it immensely while we ate candy floss and soaked up the distinctive sweet smell of the circus! I don’t know how these performers manage to do it? They are literally amazing from the stunts and trapeze artists to the clowns! We’d go back again and again!

The Magical Ice Kingdom was brilliant but SUPER cold!

I think the Magical Ice Kingdom was my highlight. It’s just so beautiful, I only wish I’d had the stamina to stay in there longer but yet again this year I didn’t go dressed appropriately and my fingers started to tingle like they might drop off! My well wrapped up children were fine though and would have stayed for far longer than I could manage. It really is like taking a step into a magical kingdom and you can even touch, sit on or slide down some of the sculptures! I loved the snowy ones even more than the icy ones I think!

The Giant Observation Wheel was spectacular as was just wandering around the park!

We got to go on the wheel this year and we thought it was very special. We listened to music as we went round in our family pod and looked out on all the twinkling lights of London on one side and all the twinkling lights of Winter Wonderland on the other. This is such a must do at Winter Wonderland!

Incidentally, just walking through Winter Wonderland is absolutely free to do. Just because you’re in doesn’t mean you HAVE to buy a ticket for the wheel or any of the other attractions and you can just soak it all up in atmosphere if you prefer. I think once you’re there you’ll need to jump on a ride or go to the Ice Kingdom because the magic will just get to you but if you just want to have a look around the awesome Christmas markets then you absolutely can without paying for a thing!

We had a brilliant time at Winter Wonderland! Is it expensive? Yes. I’m not going to lie, it is pricey but it’s super festive and very different to anything else in London! There is something for everyone including my two little ones who loved Santa Land and the small rides! Romantic couples, fun friends or families looking for a touch of magic and Winter Wonderland will deliver! We had a lovely evening and are now thoroughly in the mood for Christmas!