From now until 3rd January 2012, London’s Hyde Park will be transformed into a beautifully lit Winter Wonderland, filled with fun attractions, festive food and seasonal treats. And the best thing is, it’s free to enter, so you and your family can find the shows and attractions that suit your children and budget.  It is open from 10am until 10pm everyday, except Christmas Day, so there is plenty of time to treat the family to a special day out.

Santa will be there, and there is no cost to see him or his workshop and elves in Santa Land. The North Pole attraction even has the Santa Express train for the children to ride. The Zippos Christmas Circus is perfect for younger children and features a toybox full of dazzling acrobats, and Santa too! For older children Zippos has created Cirque Extreme, where the acrobats, aerialists and Motorbike Globe of Death will have you on the edge of your seats!  A huge Helter-skelter is hard to resist and Hyde Park has one with enough lanes to race the whole family.  If your child likes to take things a little slower the beautiful carousel will give them a chance to take in the atmosphere at a gentler pace.  A real winter treat can be found at the Samsung Galaxy Ice Rink. Taking the children ice skating is sure to be memorable and if your ice skating moves are a little rusty, you can book an Ice Guide to help.

A family ticket for ice-skating at off peak times is £34 and a family ticket for Zippos Cirque Extreme is £20. A family is either 2 adults and 2 children (under 12 years old) or 1 adult and 3 children (under 12 years old).

If your family has worked up an appetite or you just need warming up, there are lots of choices dotted all over the park. The Spiegel Saloon offers winter warming meals in their antique travelling ballroom. At the English Food Fair, they have some truly British treats or head over to The House of St Nicholas where you can warm yourselves by the fire.