WINTER BLUNDERLAND
A slush-covered ice rink, a sea of mud and a no-show Santa who was stranded at home by the snow. Welcome to the...
TANTALISING shots on its website made Winterfest seem a seasonal fantasy, with fathers teaching daughters to skate, friends huddled over hot chocolates, and Santa in his grotto.
Delighted families could also look forward to a Christmas market, a ferris wheel and tasty street food.
What visitors got, however, was more blunderland than wonderland after the ice rink melted, the grounds became a mud bath, high winds shut the ferris wheel and Santa couldn’t get there from his home in Nottingham because it was snowing.
In the end, so many families complained that the event at Crystal Palace Park in south-east London had to be closed permanently after its opening weekend – even though it was due to run until January 2.
Pictures of the muddy festival, which opened last Friday, show only a few paltry stalls and forlorn fairground rides that cost up to £3 each.
Parents who questioned the closure on Facebook received alarming responses from those who had attended.
Sharon Robinson wrote: ‘Don’t bother, ice skating has been closed for two days now... Santa was off sick yesterday didn’t have a stand-by. Burger van was closed, hot dogs £5 and horrible. Not very good.’
Lucia-Maria Bentelley summed her visit up in one word: ‘AWFUL.’
Tom Phillips said: ‘Winterfest – closed due to snow. What’s next? The beach – closed due to sand?’
Michael Curran said: ‘Difficult to walk around the place without getting covered in mud! Not family friendly – shame!’
The website advertised a ‘street food area’ with crepes, doughnuts, hog roasts and luxury hot chocolates as well as a festive bar. In reality, visitors found a couple of stalls selling theme park-style grub.
Parents who had booked tickets for the ice skating rink at £12 for adults and £8.50
‘It was a joke. The kids were crying’
for children were not told it had been shut until they arrived.
Sarah Louise Hill warned parents not to go: ‘It was a joke. We walked miles and miles across the park in the snow to find the ice rink was melted and there was no father xmas! The kids were freezing and crying.’
A Winterfest spokesman said: ‘We have decided to close the event due to adverse weather and the impact it had on the event. Refunds for online bookings will be made within seven working days.’