Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, commonly referred to as Winter Wonderland, is a large annual Christmas event held in Hyde Park,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, from mid-November to early January. It features several festive markets, over 100 rides and attractions from across Europe, a

Giant Wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...

, numerous live shows, including a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

ice show An ice show is an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work ...

, and live music, as well as numerous bars and restaurants. In its first ten years, Winter Wonderland had 14 million visitors.

History

Winter Wonderland began in 2005 as a small funfair operating through the Christmas period at the edge of Hyde Park. The lack of success led

The Royal Parks The Royal Parks of London are lands that were originally used for the recreation, mostly hunting, of the royal family. They are part of the hereditary possessions of The Crown, now managed by The Royal Parks Limited, a charity which manages ...

to look at alternative events. In 2007,

invites

AEG Live Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, AEG ...

and

PWR Events PWR may stand for: * Parliament of the World's Religions * Paul Weel Racing, an Australian V8 Supercar motor racing team * Philippine Wrestling Revolution, Filipino indie pro-wrestling promotion * Politechnika Wroclawska, Wroclaw University of Te ...

to co-operate on organising the new Winter Wonderland event. The event includes a

Christmas Market A Christmas market, also known as ''Christkindlmarkt'' (literally: ''Christ Child Market'', but the term "Christkind" usually refers to an angel-like "spirit of Christmas" rather than literally the Christ Child), ''Christkindlesmarkt'', ''Chris ...

, temporary

Ice Rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

, and a small selection of

amusement rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

along Serpentine Road in Hyde Park. From 2009 to 2010, the event grew substantially, introducing the ''Bavarian Village'' (a German style food and drink centre), ''Zippo's

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

'', ''Santa Land'' (an area with smaller rides for children and families), and the introduction of several larger rides, such as the ''Power Tower 2'' freefall tower. In 2012, the event was granted an expansion of the site. The following attractions were introduced: ''Wilde Maus XXL'' roller coaster; ''Magical Ice Kingdom'' (a walk-through exhibition of ice sculptures). The ''Bavarian Village'' expanded to include ''The Great Hall'', an

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

style beer tent with live music. In 2016, the attractions Munich Looping, the world's largest portable roller coaster; and the '' Imperial Ice Stars''

were introduced. In 2018, the following attractions were introduced: Dr ArchibaldMaster of Time

dark ride A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, su ...

, the Winter Wonderland Comedy Club,

The Snowman ''The Snowman'' is a 1982 British animated television film based on Raymond Briggs's 1978 picture book '' The Snowman.'' It was directed by Dianne Jackson for Channel 4. It was first shown on 26 December 1982, and was an immediate success. It ...

Experience, and the

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...

Christmas Show. On 2 September 2020, PWR Events announced that due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the event was cancelled, however, it returned on 19 November 2021.

Attractions

* ''Ice Rink''The UK's largest temporary outdoor

ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...

, set around the park's permanent

bandstand A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an orname ...

, often featuring live music. * ''Magical Ice Kingdom''an indoor walk-through exhibition of ice sculptures, and interactive exhibits e.g. ice slide. * ''Bavarian Village''Large German-themed food and drink village, featuring numerous bars and eateries, and live music. * ''Carousel Bar''Rotating bar, themed to resemble a traditional Gallopers/Carousel ride. * ''Christmas Markets''Numerous markets around the site, selling food, drink, and gifts. * ''Santa Land''Children's area, featuring smaller rides, and

Santa Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

's Grotto. * ''Zippo's Mega Dome''

tent featuring three shows: ''The

Mr Men ''Mr. Men'' is a British series of children's books by English author Roger Hargreaves which began publication in August 1971. From 1981, an accompanying series of Little Miss books by the same author (but with female characters) was published. ...

Christmas Show'', ''Zippo's Christmas Circus'' (afternoons), and ''Cirque Berserk'' (evenings).

Rides

* ''Giant Wheel''A 60-metre

Ferris Wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsule ...

. * ''Dr ArchibaldMaster of Time''A large

, in which riders wear

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

headsets and board a

time machine Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

to explore a series of fantasy worlds. * '' Munich Looping''The world's largest portable roller coaster, featuring five

vertical loop The generic roller coaster vertical loop, where a section of track causes the riders to complete a 360 degree turn, is the most basic of roller coaster inversions. At the top of the loop, riders are completely inverted. History The vertical ...

s. * ''Wilde Maus XXL'' (AKA ''Xmas Maus'')The world's largest portable

Wild Mouse roller coaster A wild mouse is a type of roller coaster consisting of single or spinning cars traversing a tight-winding track with an emphasis on sharp, unbanked turns. The upper portion of the track usually features multiple 180-degree turns, known as flat ...

, and the first portable roller coaster to offer a

Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

option. * ''Ice Mountain''A

Wild Mouse A wild mouse is a type of roller coaster consisting of single or spinning cars traversing a tight-winding track with an emphasis on sharp, unbanked turns. The upper portion of the track usually features multiple 180-degree turns, known as fla ...

style roller coaster with spinning cars, enclosed within a specially designed building. * ''North Pole Star Flyer''A 70-metre tall Star Flyer ride. * ''Hangover''An 85-metre

freefall In Newtonian physics, free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. In the context of general relativity, where gravitation is reduced to a space-time curvature, a body in free fall has no force acting on i ...

tower ride. * ''XXL''A 40-metre tall swing ride with spinning gondola. * Eurocoaster- A regular roller coaster With seats under the rail. * Slingshot - an illuminated

Reverse bungee The reverse bungee (also known as catapult bungee, slingshot, or ejection seat) is a modern type of fairground ride that was invented by Troy Griffin in c. 1978. The ride grew a following and is now one of the best known rides. Many installatio ...

under various names each year.

Incidents

There is a high number of reported incidents at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, despite it only being open for a small period of time each year. On 24 November 2019, a professional acrobatic performer for Zippos Circus fell a reported 30ft after she slipped from her safety harness. It was later disputed by circus management that she had only fallen 12ft. On 20 December 2021, a power cut caused the Munich Looping to come to a halt on the first hill, with riders having to exit the rollercoaster by walking down the trusses. No injuries were reported, although this specific ride has caused fatalities when stationed elsewhere. In the evening of the 11 December, 2022, a man was stabbed in the neck entering the premises, he was treated at hospital with non-life threatening injuries. On 15 December 2022, an incident occurred on the Slingshot ride. After a failure with the gearbox, the bungee cord appeared to fall loose, sending the passenger car into the support beam, there were no reported injuries.

References

External links

* Annual events in London Recurring events established in 2007 2007 establishments in England {{Coord, 51, 30, 28.15, N, 0, 9, 28.08, W, scale:12500_region:GB, display=title