I went to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland with £20: Here’s how it went

Although there has been some debate about whether the festive attraction is really for Londoners, there’s no doubt that it brings thousands to the region every year.

Since it first began in 2007, Winter Wonderland has become a huge event.

Taking over nearly all of Hyde Park for just under two months, the Christmas-themed attraction has endless rides, food and drinks, carnival games and festive activities.

But with any big Christmas event in the heart of London, it comes with a cost, in this case, a very expensive cost.

Aware that times are tough for many, I wanted to find out if you can explore and enjoy Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland on a budget.

I decided that £20 for one adult for a few hours at Winter Wonderland should be enough to cover everything I wanted to do, here’s how it went.

@uktoday_ You may need more than £20 if you’re visiting Hyde Park Winter Wonderland ????????????#hydeparkwinterwonderland #christmas #winterwonderland #london ♬ Christmas song “Let’s decorate” – 3KTrack

I went to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland with just £20

The last time I visited Hyde Park Winter Wonderland was around 10 years ago and it was a lot different.

For starters, entry was free, which did come as a surprise to me when I was checking out the website to discover that you needed to book ahead.

Whilst there are some free tickets for off-peak times, most tickets you have to pay for, going at 12pm on a Saturday set me back £5.50 before even entering Winter Wonderland.

Despite already spending just over 25% of my total budget, I didn’t let it stop me from going into the attraction with an open mind.

Walking around to see what there was to do and what rides took my fancy, I found myself constantly asking how much rides were with many missing a price sign, however, luckily there were very few queues at that point in the day.

There is plenty to do at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. (Image: Newsquest)

Most rides ranged from between £5 to £10 for adults, despite at first wanting to go on a massive VR-based ride, I decided to save my money after learning the ride alone would set me back £9.

Eventually, I decided on a fun house that cost £5 for an adult ticket, although I’m not going to review the ride, I will say despite nearly breaking my ankle, it was a lot of fun.

Ride completed I had £9.50 of my budget left and headed for one of the many hot chocolate vendors around Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.

At first, I wanted to treat myself to a Baileys and Hot Chocolate but after discovering it would cost more than what was left of my budget at £10.50, I decided against it.

Instead, I got a standard, no cream, no marshmallows Hot Chocolate for £3.50, and although it was very nice, it was less than a half-pint size and didn’t offer enough heat to warm me up.

With just £6 left, I wandered around Winter Wonderland for what felt like an eternity in hopes of finding at least one carnival game that cost less than £6.

Unfortunately, most of the ball games cost around £4 for one ball throw and knowing my lack of aim, I wanted to try something that made sure you won on every go.

After walking around in circles, I was able to find a ‘hook a bag’ game, where you won something every go, costing £6, happy with knowing I wouldn’t go home empty-handed, and gave my last £6 and walked away with a snowman toy. Win, win.

Despite winning a toy, I was left hungry, so I ended up spending an extra £14 on a meal from one of the many food vendors on site.

My winning prizes and some of the rides on offer. (Image: Newsquest)

Budget blown, I was down £20 and felt like I hadn’t been able to explore and enjoy all of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland in all its glory.

The attraction is massive and you can easily spend an entire day there, but whether you’re on a budget or not, it is worth keeping track of your spending.

As before you know it you could’ve easily spent upwards of £100, and that’s before grabbing a bite to eat.

If you love Christmas and all the festive activities that come with the season then Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the place for you, just prepare to take out a loan to cover the costs.