A festive treat or a living hell?: How Winter Wonderland became the most divisive attraction in Britain
It’s 2.39pm on a cold but sunny Thursday in November, and my senses are being attacked from all sides. Neon lights are flashing. Adrenaline fiends scream from fairground rides. The air is thick with the smell of oil and the shrill blare of vintage Black Eyed Peas. It’s been five years since I last visited Winter Wonderland, one of London’s most popular Christmas attractions. Or tourist trap, depending on who you ask. To be honest, I didn’t see myself coming back. There are people for whom Christmas doesn’t begin until you’ve visited Hyde Park’s festive labyrinth. I’ve always felt the opposite: Winter Wonderland is a commercial hellscape I would rather avoid.
When Winter Wonderland began in Hyde Park in 2005, it took the form of a small and relatively innocuous winter funfair. Following a financial injection from, as synonymous with the festive season as mince pies and office party hangovers.
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