When an invite to the Winter Wonderland press night dropped into my inbox last month the inner child in me didn't hesitate to say yes. Having no children of our own Si and I borrowed my three nieces for the evening and took them along for a bit of winter themed fun.
Arriving at Event City in Manchester we found ample space to park. We were greeted at the entrance and given a map to help us find some of the key attractions and, with the children being eager to get on some rides, we headed straight in. There are a lot of rides inside, some just for kids to enjoy and others big kids like me can hop on too. The variety is good with a mix of various fairground waltzers, a ghost train, mirror maze and even a few small roller coasters.
After a few spins on the rides we took our seats to watch the Sooty show. The children were able to get up close to the stage and the show was really interactive. Other attractions include a circus and a santa meet and greet. All of the rides and shows are included in the ticket price of £18.50 each. If you want to try to win some prizes bring some extra cash for the game stalls which aren't included.
The food is typical fairground fare such as burgers and hot dogs. At around £3-£4.50 for a cheese burger or hotdog it's not terribly expensive but, whilst the burgers are a decent size, it was nothing to shout about. Maybe save some money and eat at home or take a trip to the Golden Arches on the way home! There are plenty of other treats available from crepes and candy floss to popcorn and chocolate coated marshmallows. From what I remember these are all around the £2-£4 mark.
My personal feeling is that the £18.50 ticket price is more than I would like to pay although there are family tickets available at a slightly reduced price. Saying that, the kids all enjoyed the evening and smiled all the way round, leaving just as happy at the end of the night (and were so completely worn out the younger two fell asleep on the way home!).
Winter Wonderland is open until January 4th. Tickets can be booked online here.
Winter Wonderland is open until January 4th. Tickets can be booked online here.
On a personal note, I took the opportunity to get out of my photography comfort zone and try to capture some of the rides in motion. As you can see I need much more practice, a lot more, but it was really fun playing around with shutter speeds and ISO.
Post a Comment