For many years now it has been on the bucket list as a ride enthusiast to visit Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.
The place is dressed up every year with some of the most incredible rides. Not to mention the Bavarian village, Christmas markets and more.
Imagine Winter Wonderland Stoke but on a Hyde Park sized scale with bigger and better rides.
After being busy around Christmas I thought once again another opportunity to visit had slipped from my grasp but thankfully Winter Wonderland stays open until January 5th.
We jumped on a train and finally, after all this time I managed to experience everything the event had to offer!
Winter Wonderland Hyde Park 2020 Review
Brand new for Winter Wonderland is the Mr Men and Little Miss show, Paddington on Ice and a giant Ferris Wheel towering above the park. With the addition of over 100 funfair rides, a circus and a walkthrough ice village there’s so much to see and do.
It would be hard to see and do everything here in one day it’s absolutely huge! Aside from attractions, there is a beautiful Bavarian village and a Christmas market to boot!
What Age Range Is The Park Best Suited For?
I’d certainly say age 5 and up. Whilst the Teletubbies show is certainly for the younger ones it does go on a while. Anyone younger than 5 may just kick up a fuss. The rides, in general, are certainly set for the 5+ range. We then have the ages 6-10 range of rides and then we have the adult rides and coasters.
There’s a nice full range for everyone with a good 30 or so rides for each age-range.
The Best Rides
Depending on your age-range your tastes may differ to my own but my favourites were certainly the Munich Looping Coaster, Wild Maus XXL and The Hangover Tower.
Five loops of insanity then the crazy Wild Maus and then free-falling from 85m on one of the scariest rides I’ve ever been on in my life. My fear of heights was certainly pushed to the limits but I felt my fear and did it anyway!
A special mention should go to Dr Archibald’s Master of Time. This VR dark ride was insane.
The quality of the VR and the full immersiveness of the game was very impressive indeed. The ride is incredibly well themed and it certainly feels like a theme park ride rather than a funfair ride!
Pricing
There’s one thing that Winter Wonderland isn’t and that’s cheap. With pricey food, pricey market items and pricier rides, you may want to leave the credit card at home and just bring cash with you.
When you’re paying £9.50 for small nachos and a drink that’s when you realise it’s going to be a rather expensive day.
The ride prices range from £3-£9 per ride but when you’re paying £9 for one ride it does seem a little steep.
The ride on the Munich Looping coaster thou, however, was worth every penny of that £9. Absolutely superb!
A ride season pass allowed you to top up a card throughout the season so you could walk on a ride, scan the card and on you go.
This was much easier for us throughout the day as people were queuing up to pay with cash whereas we strolled through (usually another line) a quick scan and we were on in no time.
The park wasn’t exactly quiet when we went and the longest we waited for a ride (in the day) was around 5 minutes. At nighttime, we didn’t bother with any rides because the crowds were stacking up very quickly indeed!
Expect to pay at least £50-£100 per person if you want a full ride and Winter Wonderland experience. Minimum.
Tips for Winter Wonderland Stoke
I’d certainly advise to bring warm clothes for starters. It’s damn cold during these winter months and even colder if you’re on The Hangover Tower 85m up in the air freezing to death. Warm clothes are a must!
If money is an issue I’d also advise to eat before you go, the food inside is very pricey indeed so if you’re on a budget. Keep your costs down and get a bite to eat before you go.
There are ATM machines around the park if you really need some emergency cash thou. Just like toilets, there are so many of them you’ll easy spot one!
Overall
Hyde Park lit up at night is one of the most attractive funfairs I’ve ever been to. I absolutely loved this place. You’re here to spend money and spend money you will but you’ll have one hell of a time doing so.
I can’t quite think of a time I’ve been more chilled than standing next to a fire pit, with a pint in one hand just looking around in awe of how cool this place really is.
It’s a magical event and well worth the visit. I’d highly recommend it to anyone. If there’s one negative I’d give the park is that security checks upon entry were non-existent (unless you had a bag). We didn’t even get a pat-down we were just let in instantly which was a little worrying!
Also, the friendliness of 90% of the ride staff was non-existent. There were some very miserable Germans working on the rides. The bar staff and token booth staff that we encountered however were lovely!
If you can get past the fact that you will meet some miserable staff members once in a while you’ll still have one hell of a good time!
It’s certainly an event that should be marked down every year as a must-do. It wraps the magic of Christmas with our love of the funfair with a German twist.
Winter Wonderland Hyde Park 2020 Review by Sean Evans
