Return of the Winter Wonderland
CARDIFF’S Winter Wonderland has returned for another year with rides, food, drink, and more to enjoy at both Cardiff Castle and City Hall Lawns.
It opened to the public at 5pm on Tuesday and will be open through the festive period except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Most of the rides are based outside City Hall, including the popular big wheel, which offers views across Cardiff.
There’ll be plenty of food there but some of the tastiest options will be at the castle with treats on offer including a Yorkshire pudding wrap and marshmallows you can toast yourself over a fire.
There are loads of other rides and games, gallons of mulled cider, and chances for a quick Instagram picture. The freezing-cold Ice Bar and Sur La Piste ski bar are great options for adults, and there’s more than enough for kids and families to do as well – including ice skating and the ice walk, which is back for another year.
You’ll be spoilt for choice for things to do, whether you’re visiting after work for a few drinks or bringing the kids to spend their pocket money.
Some of it needs pre-booking, but for most of the activities and stalls you can just walk up on the day.
Over at the castle, there’s a covered ice rink which leads through to a 150m open-air ice walk in the stunning surroundings of the castle. This part does need pre-booking, which you can do on the website.
Over at City Hall Lawns, there are plenty of rides to enjoy. The big wheel is back along with a merry-go-round, big and small waltzers, and a few other fairground classics.
There’s definitely something for everyone when it comes to food and drink, which you can enjoy in covered areas at both sites.
Some of the highlights include the Yorkshire pudding wraps (if you’ve not seen them on TikTok, imagine an entire Sunday roast crammed into a massive Yorkshire pud), the Bratwurst sausages, marshmallows that you can toast yourself over a fire, and crepes with Nutella, Biscoff spread, and much more.
To drink, there’s the apres-ski-style Sur La Piste bar with indoor seating where you can pick up drinks including two-pint steins of beer and cider. There’s also the Ice Bar at City Hall Lawns, which you have to book online.
The Ice Bar is full of real ice sculptures and it’s absolutely freezing inside.
Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland is split across two sites - the castle and the lawns in front of City Hall.
Both sites are open since Tuesday and will be open until January 8, 2023 (except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day when they’re closed) but the opening hours vary.
The majority of rides and games are paid for by buying tokens. Each token costs £1 and the prices of rides range from two to six tokens.
No alcohol is to be brought onto the sites.
The official website is at www. cardiffswinterwonderland.com