family days out

We were recently gifted tickets to the brand new Kingdom of Winter – an indoor winter festival at London Excel. We visited on Wednesday and thought it was a great day out. We drove and parked at the Excel. We booked parking online and that cost £25. You can also get public transport to the Excel too, if you’d prefer.

What we loved:

• It was indoors! This was a big plus for us and with little ones in mind was great. It wasn’t cold and there was no mud from all the rain we’ve been having. The rooms have been decorated to resemble a snowy wonderland with an alpine / Christmas market feel.
• It wasn’t busy! I couldn’t believe how quiet it was, I was expecting it to be crazy busy but it was a lovely surprise. We didn’t have to wait to get on any of the rides or to get food / drinks.
• SO MUCH TO DO. There are so many different things to do for young kids and thrill seekers too. The Cortex Circus was great ! Ice Skating and the Ice Trail were brilliant too.
• Access to (clean) toilets ! The exhibition is split over 2 huge spaces and you cross over between the 2 showing a wrist band you’re given on arrival. The toilets are in between both rooms and are lovely and clean.

The cost:

• Entry costs start at £5.50 per person – this will gain you entry to the exhibition. Under 2’s go free
• Cortex Circus (which I would recommend you prebook when booking your tickets) will cost £12 per adult and £9 per child.
• Ice Skating (again you can prebook this when booking your entry tickets) will cost £15 per adult and £11 per child.
• The Ice Trail (definitely book this beforehand as it will sell out fast) costs £8 per adult and £6 per child. My daughter loved the ice trail. Its cold inside the trail but you aren’t in there for long and she loved sliding down the frozen slide and sitting in frozen boats and on frozen trains.
• The rides – the rides will cost from £3 – £6 per person. There is a variety of rides from a carousel, bumper cars, a small roller coaster, swings and a few more adventurous rides for older kids / adults
• Food – there are a lot of different food outlets. Get a German Bratwurst, burgers, pizza, toasties, pasta etc – a great variety.
• Drinks – there are a few bars dotted around serving alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. There is also a Hotel Chocolat van serving the most delicious hot chocolate.

Our round up:

We thought it was a great local day out in London with the kids. My 7 year old absolutely loved it. I think it is perfect for younger kids because its indoors and not overly crowded. We spent 4 hours here and had a lovely day. It is not a cheap day out but compared to the other outdoor winter festival I would say the prices are on par. We would go back next year, for sure.

For more info – check out their website here or their instagram profile here