There are never enough festivities in Bristol, if you ask us. Between the Christmas Market, Village and countless light trails turning the city into a winter wonderland, comes this old-school funfair on the Harbourside. Bristol’s Vintage Winter Wonderland features an après chalet-style bar, fairground rides, food stalls and sacks of festive cheer.
Taking over Millennium Square until early January (closed Christmas day), the annual attraction brings plenty of entertainment in the form of a helter-skelter, dodgems and vintage funfair games with prizes up for grabs. Meanwhile, the near-iconic Vintage Chair-o-Planes allows you to fly through the Bristol sky this festive period. Entrance to Vintage Winter Wonderland is completely free, so just have to pay as you play on these rides.
Fancy a drink? Head to one of Bristol’s very best festive bars. The après bar at Vintage Winter Wonderland is a great spot for you to retreat from the cold, put your feet up after a spot of Christmas shopping and enjoy a festive tipple or two. New for this year, an undercover seating area offers lots of cosy space away from the cold this winter.
It will be in Millennium Square throughout the festive season (until January 5) and will be serving “Butcombe’s finest beer & lager, Thatcher Gold, Haze & Fusion” or warm-up with a mulled wine or mulled cider. Plus, there are some winter cocktails too. As for foodie options, you can tuck into a Yorkshire pudding wrap filled with the best bits of a Christmas roast, burgers, German sausages, crepes and luxury hot chocolate with lashings of cream and topped with marshmallows.
While here, make sure to check out the iconic observation wheel will be open daily from 10 a.m. on Anchor Square so you can enjoy a breathtaking view 40 metres high above Bristol’s harbour. During the daytime, you can see the city and beyond and witness the city aglow as the festive illuminations appear at night.
You’ll find Vintage Winter Wonderland at Millennium Square in Bristol, BS1 5DB