As my regular Blogistas know I am a fan of German Christmas Markets as an entertaining distillation not just of the Xmas spirit but also the earlier instances of mid-winter feasts. These celebrations, be they Diwali, Hanukah, Samhain, Winter Solstice or Sancta Lucia mark the turn of the year of the year when at the moment of greatest darkness and infertility the tedium is relived with light, feasting and music and always the hope of regeneration to sustain life in the year ahead. Indeed the 25th December was originally the Roman Feast of Saturnalia and was celebrated by the Cult of Mithras as the birthday of the Persian hero and sun-god, Mithras.
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/12/bona-saturnalia.html
As such the mid-winter feast is a shared cultural experience amongst many peoples. Much of the iconography of our Xmas comes from the German peoples and particular the cult of the woodsman seen in Bavaria and the Tyrol which also provides a rich seam of folk tales as seen in modern fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood and the Tales of the Brother Grimm.
The ECube Bar
So it is fitting in the centre of one of London’s largest parks that a Winter Wonderland Village appears at the end of November with all the trimmings. Winter fairs and outdoor ice skating are all the rage during the winter, and the London Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park is one of the biggest and best open from 10am to 10pm every day, seven days a week across 3200²m of historic parkland. The fair is organised by AEG who are the experienced operators of the O2 Dome venue in London so it is a very professional operation. There are plenty of toilets, cash pints and good access with all weather surfaces and good signage, access it either from the Hyde Park Corner of Marble Arch end of Hyde Park. Best of all there is no entrance charge which allows you to freely wander and browse through the attractions.
Ice Rink
The Talking Tree
It is full of all kinds of festive fun from ice skating to Santa's Grotto and includes London's largest open-air ice rink. Covering 1400m² and accommodating 400 skaters at any one time, the rink is created with 130,000 litres of frozen water, weighing 130 tonnes, and kept frozen by 13km of piping. Winter Wonderland features an outdoor ice rink, a traditional German Christmas Market, Zippo's Christmas Circus, and a 50m giant observation wheel offering views of Hyde Park.
So if you are not keen on slogging down Oxford Street battling the tourists to buy your Christmas presents or battling through our snowbound airports then head down to the German Christmas Market at the Winter Wonderland 2010 for some great ideas. Stuffed with all kinds of traditional Christmas fare, you can treat yourself to a few goodies before loading up for friends and relatives who will be delighted to receive some unusual gifts. Looking around the stalls they compete well with the crafts and Xmas gifts you find at the real thing in Germany and are a good place to find gifts which are special and often inexpensive.
Alongside the German Market, Winter Wonderland tickets also give you access to plenty of cafes where you can get hot drinks to warm you up after your session on the ice rink. A perfect sport for the romantic, there's nothing quite like a spot of ice skating before you sip a hot chocolate and watch the other skaters. We tried Bratwurst and Currywurst from a stall which had an authentic round brazier and very tasty they were too! Priced at £4.00 each, which is also the price of Gluhwein and a pint of beer at the many stalls and bars. I thought the pricing was reasonable given the quality of Winter Wonderland and the facilities provided without an admission charge. Certainly the crowds at the event seemed to agree and my friends thought it better than a similar event they went to in Dortmund the previous year.
AAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!
There are many Christmassy attractions to grab your attention at the Winter Wonderland, but one of the highlights is the giant observation wheel that will give you some great views across the city. Look down on the ice rink, the market and across Hyde Park, and enjoy the spectacular views in the winter sunshine. Plenty of fun rides and many other attractions are also on the go meaning you can spend all day in the delightful surroundings of this Christmas themed park.
A new addition to this year's Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is Zippo’s Circus, who have put together a bespoke festive event inside a huge heated big top. However looking at other reviews many felt the daytime 45 minute show was poor value.
Zippos Circus
The fair is free to enter with tokens for all rides and attractions available for purchase on the day, however advance booking is available and is strongly recommended for the ice rink and giant wheel. The rides generally charge a different number of tokens dependent on how complex they are with most rides requiring two tokens and rides like the wheel and the Big Differ requiring six tokens. Many of the lesser rides such as the Hall of Mirrors and Ghost Train are nicely different from what we are used to in England and well worth visiting. I’m often very cynical about so called English fun fairs which seem to be run by a tribe of tattooed Gorillas from Southend called the “Showmen” so it was wonderful to see representatives from two of the better ambassadors of the English Fun Fair Tradition. Irvin’s had some of their wonderful traditional rides including their Carousel with some wonderful gilded horses which would not have looked out of place in “Mary Poppins.” Carter’s Steam Fair also has some of its wonderful steam powered Edwardian Rides so all in all, something here for kid young and old!
The name of the event is derived from the famous Christmas song Winter Wonderland which was first published in 1934. The composer was Felix Bernard (1897-1944) and the lyricist was Richard B. Smith (1901-1935). Probably the most popular versions of this classic Christmas song, Winter Wonderland, were recorded to high acclaim by the Andrews Sisters and Perry Como. The lyrics of Winter Wonderland have undoubtedly contributed to the magical vision of snow at Christmas together with the tradition of building snowmen and therefore turning fantasy into reality by creating a real Winter Wonderland.
The Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park owes its success to its size with over a hundred stalls, 10 bars and over 30 funfair attractions as well as the Ice Rink and Circus. With its variety it has wide appeal from couples on a night out, families enjoying all the fun of the fair, groups going out for a beer and a snack and indeed anybody who, in the long established tradition, wants to banish the winter blues and look forward to the New Year ahead! Winter Wonderland runs from 19th November to 4th January 2011.
See also;
Xmas in London
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/12/xmas-in-london.html
Lübeck and its Xmas Market
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2009/10/lubeck-and-its-xmas-market.html
Lübeck, Queen of the Hansa
http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/08/lbeck-queen-of-hansa.html
And, here is the Winter Wonderland website;
http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/
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