Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Christmas Market, London

Winter Wonderland is now in its 12th year at London’s Hyde Park. With a huge range of Christmas-themed attractions and activities, it’s an essential stop in any December visit to the city.

A glance at ticket sites gives an indication of what’s on offer: ice skating, cinema shows, karaoke, even ice sculpting lessons. The schedule is neatly divided between day and night, meaning that there’s something for children and jaded adults alike. Daytime attractions include the Teletubbies Christmas Show (glittery custard on toast?), Peter Pan on Ice, and a Zippos Christmas Circus. From 6pm you can sample the Cirque Berserk, while the Comedy Club opens at 9pm.

First to catch your eye, though, will be the rides. A helter skelter towers over the site, decked in fairy lights. Have a run on the ferris wheel, imaginatively named the “Giant Wheel”, and reenact your favourite romcom, whichever it happens to be. If you can bear to tear yourself away from the commotion outside, the Bar Ice awaits you, a watering hole built entirely out of ice.

There are some new additions this year. One is the Magical Ice Kingdom, a dimly-lit “secret forest” filled with ice sculptures. Presumably the Snowman Experience is a Raymond Briggs show rather than a psychedelic band, but either way it’s going to be good. The new Ice Sculpting Workshop looks fantastic, and may be the only way you’ll leave with more brain cells than you arrived.

Entry is free. Yesss!