Winterfest mess.. no skating, no Santa, & too snowy for rides
Parents brand Xmas event a ‘joke’
A WINTER festival has shut after it was dubbed a “joke” by parents who turned up to find the freezing weather had closed the ice rink and left Santa stuck on a motorway in the snow.
In the latest case of a flop festive fair, children were left in tears when they found Santa’s grotto empty.
Sarah Louise Hill said she and her kids had walked “miles and miles” across a park in the snow to find the ice rink “melted” and no Santa.
On Facebook, she said: “The kids were so upset, freezing and crying.”
Parents also complained that the Ferris wheel at The Crystal Palace Winterfest, in South East London, had been closed due to high winds and the site was a mud-bath.
Sarah said: “For whoever was thinking of going to winterfest at Crystal Palace Park! Do not go!”
The event, which was due to run until the New Year and was hailed as an alternative to the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, has now closed after less than a week.
REINDEER
A Winterfest spokesman promised to refund bookings in seven days and said closure was “due to the adverse weather conditions and the effects it has had on the event”.
On Facebook, Tom Phillips said: “Winterfest – closed due to snow. What’s next? The beach – closed due to sand?”
Parents have been unimpressed with the event since it opened last Friday.
Pictures show the site covered in mud, with a few shabby stalls, plastic reindeer and fairground rides that cost up to £3 each.
The ice rink, which cost £12 for adults and £8.50 for kids at peak times, was shut. Sarah Fok-seang said: “Santa’s Grotto: Not there today as he lives in Nottingham and couldn’t get down due to the snow on the motorway. Ice skating: closed today due to the weather, not their fault it’s for health and safety reasons it’s very slippery.”
A Bromley council spokesman said the contractor which runs Crystal Palace Park had contacted Winterfest “to discuss this matter”.