A new indoor festive experience is launching at east London event centre ExCel London, complete with an ice rink, fairground rides and circus, as well as two food and drink villages.
The inaugural Kingdom of Winter will open on Friday December 8 and run to January 7, with entertainment and activities all under one roof, safe from London’s typically dreary winter weather.
Spread over 21,332 sq. ft, the new festive showcase will be the capital’s biggest indoor winter experience.
Along with ice skating and rides, German-style bratwurst and mulled wine, the event will also feature a number of Alpine-themed craft stalls and an “Instagrammable Ice Expedition,” which will apparently feature polar bears and penguins.
Fairground rides will include bumper cars, a carousel and waltzer, and an “extreme Ice Jet Force” attraction for those looking for a thrill.
Press fluff said Kingdom of Winter presents a weatherproof alternative to popular festive Hyde Park attraction Winter Wonderland, which will open on Friday, November 17 and is now in its 16th year.
For the ExCel London, an exhibition and convention centre in the Custom House area of Newham, the attraction marks new ground.
It has hosted numerous large-scale events such as the 2009 G20 Summit, and in 2020 was temporarily converted into the 4,000-bed NHS Nightingale Hospital as part of the the response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tickets for Kingdom of Winter can be purchased from Tuesday August 22, with early bird entry priced at £5.50 per person and available until the end of September.
The easiest way to get to the event is via the Elizabeth line or the DLR, stopping at Custome House station.
