Winter Wonderland 2013 review: Festive fun for all the family

Winter Wonderland returns to London’s Hyde Park for another year of festive cheer and adds a sprinkling of magic to a bitterly cold capital.

Free to all, Winter Wonderland serves up an array of festive fun. From thrill seekers to families, winter sports lovers to beeswax enthusiasts, this place (as you can tell) literally has something for everyone.

Once inside you are greeted with a street of market stalls selling anything you could possibly want (and not want).  Covered with twinkling lights it’s a beautiful entrance that will immediately thrust you into the Christmas spirit.

The deeper you get, the more festive you feel. You’re enveloped with what Christmas is all about - family, friends and fun. And tacky decorations, obviously. The German decor was suitably gaudy and garish, but added a warm charm to what could have been an incredibly cold and commercial event.

As you’d imagine, the rides and attractions don’t come too cheap. You should expect to pay anything upwards of £3 a person to go on most of the rides. It doesn’t sound much, but that will soon add up.

The Power Tower (a 66m high tower that drops vertically downwards), The Starflyer (a VERY high swing carousel ride) and the terrifying Blizzard all come highly recommended if you’re an adrenaline junky.

The same prices apply to the more family friendly stuff too. You’ll have to stump up £12 for a family of four to go into the Pirate’s Adventure or the Mirror Maze as well. Both were very fun indeed (especially if you have kids) with the Mirror Maze having the added benefit of bringing back memories of the final scene in ‘Grease’. I got chills.

However, there are more chills in the Magical Ice Kingdom. It was incredibly impressive with huge ice sculptures and carvings that are a real treat to behold. One problem. In order not to melt, the Kingdom is essentially a freezer. It's much colder than you'd ever expect. Wrap. Up. Warm. For this one.

For the more mature Christmas fans, make sure to drop by the Carousel Bar where you can enjoy a mulled wine or hot cider as the giant carousel spins (slowly). It’s not something you’ll be able to find in London again until next year.

One main piece of advice is to leave plenty of time to do things. It sounds obvious but time quickly slips away at WW. Although the queues weren’t anything like the ones you’d expect at your usual theme parks, you should leave adequate time, especially if you plan to head into the big top for a circus show (45 mins) or have a wobble on the ice rink.

Entry: £Free

Magical Ice Kingdom prices are: peak £9, concs £8, children £7, family £28; off-peak £7/£6/£5/£20.

Skating: peak £14.50, concs £13.50, children (12 and under) £9.50, family £38; off-peak £10.50/£9.50/£8.50/£34.

Zippos Circus: peak £11.50, concs £10.50, children £8, family £32; off-peak £9.50/£6/£8.50/£24