Winter Wonderland Manchester is back and we’ve been to check it out!
Manchesters biggest indoor Christmas attraction is not to be missed!
This week we kindly invited to check out this years Winter Wonderland at Eventcity, right next to the Trafford Centre.
We’ve been before so knew what to expect but this year really is bigger and better!
Legendary children’s TV show Rainbow are the star attraction of this year’s Christmas extravaganza, Winter Wonderland 2017!
Winner of the Best Family Day Out at the Raring 2 Go Awards 2015, the festive family favourite event is back for its fifth consecutive year.
The fabulous festive event will return to Manchester from Saturday 9th December 2017 toMonday 1st January 2018.
The mammoth 22,000sqm exhibition space at EventCity will be transformed in to an unbelievable wonderland extravaganza, featuring over 50 family rides and attractions all under one roof – including new rides for 2017, and all included in one ticket price.
When you book you’re tickets you can chose a 4 hour time slot. During that 4 hours you can ride as many rides and see as many shows as you want to. Tickets are available to buy here. But be quick, it’s a popular event and some dates may sell out so it’s advisable to book online before you travel.
We had so much fun in the fours hours we were there. I lost count of the amount of rides we went on. Theres rides suitable for everyone. Theres even a baby chill out zone for those little people who just want to play with some toys.
We took little Roo who is only 10 days old and he was really good. I even saw a few friends I know who were more than happy to have cuddles with Roo!
With food stalls a plenty, a visit to Father Christmas included and a whole host of fun. Winter Wonderland is once again sure to be a great day out for the whole family this Christmas. Have you been yet? If you have let me know what you thought!
With thanks to Winter Wonderland for inviting us to come and have some highly recommend festive fun!
If you’ve ever dreamed of an indoor Christmas themed fun park then look no further than Winter Wonderland at Eventcity. Event city is next door to the Trafford Centre. There are rides, shows and fun galore to be had when you walk through the doors of this very special Christmas treat!
Last year we had so much fun the boys didn’t want to leave and we can’t wait to go again! In addition to the rides there are bouncy castles and slides a plenty.
Winter Wonderland 2016 runs from 10th December 2016 to 1st January 2017. It is all indoors at Eventcity right next to the Trafford Centre. With loads of free parking available you’re sure to have a fab time. Each session lasts 4 hours and includes all rides. Also the Basil Brush Show, the Cinderella Mini Panto, the Christmas Circus and a Meet & Greet with the big man himself! Of course the sessions after the 24th December don’t include Santa as he’ll be off having a very well deserved rest!
New shows for 2016
As well as the rides, there will be a dazzling array of colourful shows. Including an exciting new addition for 2016 – Christmas pantomime – Cinderella! There will also be a brand-new Sci-Fi show, a Christmas circus, Pip Ahoy! from Channel 5’s Milkshake and a chance to meet the nation’s favourite fox – Basil Brush! Santa Claus is inviting all the children to come and visit him! Children will be enchanted by the Ice Princesses, Fairies and Elves who love to play and chat and have ‘s-elfies’ with the children.
There will also be a whole host of games stalls and a vast array of food and drinks stalls to purchase.R Refreshments including hot snacks and sweet treats.
We have been kindly offered a family ticket to give away for Winter Wonderland for use on the evening of December 12th – this session starts at 6:30pm.
The prize is for a family ticket for Winter Wonderland (2 adults and 2 children). For use on the night of December 12th at 6:30pm only. There is no cash alternative.
Last night we were invited to the opening of Winter Wonderland Manchester 2015! It is in the huge exhibition space at Eventcity next to the Trafford Centre. I had been last year for a nosey around to see what it was like but didn’t take the children, so I knew what to expect and knew the boy would love it. I certainly wasn’t wrong!
The entrance built the excitement for the rest of the evening, the pretend snow was a hit with both boys and the grand sign certainly looked the part!
The boy was practically dragging us over the entrance to get inside. It is advertised as the UK’s largest indoor theme park and it certainly is big. I believe there are over 40 rides. I’d say about 75% of the rides at Winter Wonderland Manchester are for younger children between about 4 and 12. There are some for the older ones but not too many. The boys seemed the perfect age to get the most out of the evening.
Winter Wonderland Manchester – The Rides
His first ride was teacups which we already know he loves, this one like many of the rides was children only. We enjoyed watching his face light up on each ride, it really was lovely to see!
I have to admit my heart was in my mouth a little when he asked to go on a ginormous inflatable slide. He’s not been on one before and I had imagined I’d be clambering up after him to bring him down when he got to the top and chickened out. I explained that once he was at the top he’d have to come down the slide and he seemed completely up for it. I needn’t have worried, he flew away from us at speed, up the ladder and down the massive slide many times. Way too fast for me to capture a decent photo!
There were a lot of inflatable attractions, which was great as it meant none of them were crowded and you could usually just get straight on. Some of them were timed so that everyone got a set amount of time but it never seemed too long before he was on for a play.
Refreshments
As it was an evening session and past the boys bedtime (all be it a Friday night) we didn’t want to stay too long as tears had already happened a couple of times, so we decided to stop for a quick refreshment before finishing the evening with the sooty show and a couple of rides. There is quite a lot of choice, from the usual fairground fare to the more unusual things that you wouldn’t expect like noodles. We had already had dinner earlier in the evening so we just looked for a snack. The boy choose a snowman muffin which I asked to but cut in half for them to share, at £2.50 it certainly wasn’t a cheap snack but I had a nibble and it was pretty tasty. The sugar hit kept him going long enough to have a good end to the evening.
Sooty Show
There were quite a few different shows advertised for the entertainment but the one the boy didn’t want to miss was Sooty, such a classic! It had him laughing out loud with the usual slapstick comedy style. There were lots of children at the front dancing and joining in but it’s not my boys style, he’d much prefer to sit and watch, so that’s exactly what we did.
Once the show was over I put a limit of two more rides before it was time to leave. He picked a flying balloon ride and one that goes round quite quickly ( I have no other way to describe it!)
By now it was way past bedtime for both of the boys (Flixster had spent the evening enjoying the lights sounds and attractions from his buggy…oh and half a muffin!!) so tired and happy we headed back home for bed. On the way home the boy asked if we could go again next year. I think that was a resounding hit with him then!
Winter Wonderland is open from now until 3rd January at Eventcity next to the Trafford Centre Manchester. Being at the Trafford Centre theres loads of free parking. The day is split into a morning session and an afternoon session.Each session lasts 4 hours and include all rides, The Sooty Show, the Christmas Circus, a Magic Show and a Meet & Greet with Santa!
Tickets & Prices – Winter Wonderland Manchester EventCity
Adult £19.50
Child (3 – 16) £19.50
Family £64.00
OAP £14.00
Child (Under 3s) Free – Ticket not required
Tickets to Winter Wonderland Manchester can be booked online here or bought on the door.
The first I heard about Winter Wonderland was when I saw an advert for it last year. the boy was only 28 months though and so I thought he’d be a bit too young for it. When I was invited to have a preview of this years event I thought I’d go and see what it was all about. As it was an evening event I didn’t take the boy because he’s usually asleep for 7pm but I will defiantly be buying some tickets to take him to a day time session, he’d love it!
Its advertised as ‘The Uk’s Largest Indoor Christmas Theme Park’ and its located within the Event City complex which is right next to the Trafford Centre. Event City does have its own car park but it’s easily walkable from the Trafford Centre itself so a combined trip is very possible. The sessions run from 11am-3pm or 4:30pm-8:30pm most days from now until Sunday 4th January. You can book online or pay on the door.The entrance ticket includes all the rides and attractions as well as visit to Father Christmas. There are also some pay to play fairground games. On entering I was surprised at how much there was to do. I have been to other shows at eventcity and hadn’t realised just how much floor space there is available. You certainly couldn’t see all the rides and attractions from the entrance area. I was given a map which was nice although you wouldn’t need it to get around. I liked how much space there was between rides and attractions, I can’t imagine it would ever feel crowded in there. There was defiantly space to bring a pushchair if younger siblings were to attend. Under 3’s are free which is great to keep families together, I’m really not keen on places that charge for babies who wouldn’t be able to go on any rides. I wasn’t able to count how many rides there are as there were so many. There is something suitable for all ages, adults too! I know the boy would have been able to go on quite a few rides there and he’s now 3 years and 4 months. He would have loved the carousel and the bouncy castle amongst others.
I did wonder if the food choices would be limited to burgers and fast food but I was pleasantly surprised to see there was lots of choice including a noodle bar and wild boar burgers! There was a coffee hut and a bar selling mulled wine, if I hadn’t been driving I’d have got into the festive spirit and enjoyed a nice hot mulled wine! There wasn’t a huge amount of seating but there’s far too much to be seeing and doing to sit down for very long and since its indoors even if all the seating was taken you could always picnic on the carpeted floor!
I didn’t get chance to check out the toilets but when I’ve used them in the past there, they have been lovely and clean. I did pop my head in the baby change area and noted it had a sofa which would be ideal for breastfeeding if you wanted to get away from the main hustle and bustle.
I’ve not even mentioned the attractions yet, there is a love Sooty show, a large circus inside a traditional circus tent and princess meet and greet. As I was walking past the princess meet and greet they were singing the songs from Frozen which the children were very much enjoying, I could barely see the characters as it was very popular, so I’d advise getting there early if your children are fans! The times for each show are displayed on a board on the way in.
I certainly can’t wait to go back and take the boy, I love that it won’t matter what the weather is like because it’s all under cover!
I was given two tickets to the press evening but most importantly all the opinions are truthful and my own.
This website uses cookies
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
