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, November 15, 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 with 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 that 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.
We took around Cardiff's Winter Wonderland on the opening night and went live on Facebook. Have a look at the video here for a walk around both sites.
We've also put together this handy guide. Take a look below to learn more about what's on at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland, what there is to eat and drink (and how much it costs), the opening times, and where you can find it all.
What is there to do at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland?
You're pretty much spoilt for choice at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland 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.
Ice rink and ice walk
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 official website.
There will be accessible skating sessions on the first hour every Wednesday with reduced capacity, lower lighting, and quieter sounds. One carer can join as a free plus one to every paying guest for these sessions.
Rides
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 also a huge snow slide at the far end of the lawns if you're feeling brave. And, for the more adventurous, there's a fun house filled with obstacles.
You'll have to navigate a rickety bridge across a pool of water, get through a giant hamster wheel, and navigate spinning pillars to make it through. Good luck!
Games
As well as the rides there are loads of classic games to play. The usual prizes are on offer – with a giant Baby Yoda surely being one of the favourites – and you can try your hand at getting basketballs into a net, knocking the Grinch's teeth out, or toppling a tower of tin cans to win.
Food and drink
There's definitely something for everyone when it comes to food and drink, which you can enjoy in covered areas at both sites. We've got a full outline of the prices below but suffice to say there's a lot to choose from.
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 all sorts else.
There's a lot beyond that though including gyros, fresh donuts, burgers, mac and cheese, and loads more across the two locations. If your sweet tooth isn't satisfied by the crepes the Great British Fudge Company has a mouthwatering stall over at City Hall Lawns, which includes some outrageous fudge choices (flavours range from Baileys to Mars Bar) and a full pick-and-mix selection.
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. You can play chess on a board made completely of ice – and the whole thing is an absolute Instagram gold mine.
Children from five years old are welcome in the Ice Bar with a paying adult until (and including) the 5pm session. Tickets include a 35-minute visit, an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink, an Ice Shot, and a hired overcoat.
Entertainment
There will be live music at City Hall Lawns and a magician in residence in Sur La Piste. There are also chances to get an Instagram snap with a custom-made frame at City Hall and the stunning backdrop at Cardiff Castle.
Where is Cardiff's Winter Wonderland and what are the opening times?
Where is it?
Cardiff's Winter Wonderland is split across two sites – the castle and the lawns in front of City Hall. You can get into the castle either from Castle Street or via Bute Park and it's only a short walk over to City Hall Lawns via the nearby underpass.
The Cardiff Castle location is home to the ice rink, ice walk, and food stalls including Sizzling Sausage, the Roast House, the Grill House, and the toasted marshmallows. At City Hall Lawns you'll find all the rides and games, with plenty of food too, and the Sur La Piste bar and Ice Bar. There's no parking at the castle but information on parking in the city centre can be found here.
When is it open?
Both sites are open as of November 15 and will be open until January 8, 2023 (except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day when they're closed) but the opening hours vary.
From Wednesday, November 16, to Sunday, December 4, Cardiff's Winter Wonderland is open from 12pm to 10pm Monday to Thursday and from 11am until 10pm between Friday and Sunday. From December 5 onwards both sites are open daily from 11a until-10pm.
On Christmas Eve the sites are open from 11am until 8pm and on New Years Eve they'll be open from 11am until 12.30am the following day. On New Year's Day they'll open from 11am until 8pm.
How much does everything cost?
Rides and games
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.
For instance the giant wheel will set you back six tokens while the Ice Skater, Wonderland Waltzer, and Dodgems cost four each, the Fun House and Snow Slide cost three, and the Buggy Ride, Drop & Twist, Santa's Sleigh Ride and Children's Toy Ride cost two each. The prices to play the fairground games vary but they start from two tokens each.
Ice rink, ice walk, and Ice Bar
These are the only parts that need pre-booking. Tickets for the ice rink and walk (both included in the same booking) cost £11.50 for a child, £15.50 for an adult 17 years or older, £12.50 for a student, or £39.50 for a family including two adults (18+) and two children (aged three to 16) or one adult and three children.
Carers go free on the ice rink and ice walk. Booking fees, usually around £1, aren't included in these prices. For the Ice Bar tickets cost £14 plus the booking fee and include all the drinks and extras mentioned above.
Food and drink
There are too many food and drink stalls to go through all their prices here but we'll try to give you an idea. At the castle you can pick up a half-pound steak burger for £6.50 with added cheese for 50p and bacon for another 50p. Fries start from £3.50 and can be topped with cheese, bacon, salt and chilli, or pulled pork for a little extra.
Burgers, sausages, and other grilled bits and bobs cost a similar amount up at the castle. A Krakauer, Bratwurst or vegan sausage will cost you £6.50 and the chicken, lamb, mixed meat, halloumi and vegan gyro wraps cost between £7.50 and £10.50 at City Hall.
At the donut stall at Cardiff Castle you can get three donuts for £3.50, five for £5, or 10 for £9. Dipping sauce to go for them costs up to £2 depending on what you go for.
If you're after an alcoholic drink then pints of Coors, Staropramen, Rekorderlig, and Atlantic Pale Ale all cost £6 at the Castle. There's also mulled wine and cider for £4.50 and spirits with mixers for £5.50.
For non-alcoholic options, including coffees and flavoured hot chocolates, you're looking at something between £3 and £6. Coffees are mostly £3 or £3.50 from the stall at the castle with most of the flavoured hot chocolates (including Nutella, Chocolate Orange, salted caramel, and Turkish Delight flavours) setting you back £5 either at the castle or City Hall. Some, including the white hot chocolate and the alcoholic Baileys-flavoured options, cost between 50p and £1.50 more.
Rules
As well as some age restrictions (like those at the Ice Bar), there are a few more rules in place:
- Strictly no alcohol to be brought onto the site
- Only food and drink purchased on site may be consumed on the premises
- Professional photography and filming aren't permitted without prior and written consent and the purpose of photography may be questioned by event staff
- No bikes or scooters
- No animals except guide dogs
- Children must be supervised by a responsible adult at all times
- Management reserve the right to refuse entry
- Uneven and slippery surfaces throughout
- 24-hour CCTV in operation
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