Ferris Navidad! It’s almost Christmas and Propyard is amping up the festivities at Winterland to celebrate. The former torpedo testing factory has added a 55ft ferris wheel to its extravaganza to launch tomorrow (December 14). Set to remain until early January, families and friends now have another excuse to head down to St. Philips this Christmas.
The Arctic journey doesn’t end there either. Winterland’s giant 300 sq m ice skating rink is open daily from now on. Test out your spins, twizzles and axel jumps until January 6.. If looking like a Bambi on ice isn’t your idea of fun, however, try out Propyard’s ice bumper cars on the rink. That way visitors can safely jump on the ice and bump into one another without fear of falling.
Still hanging around as well is Winterland’s real star: Bjorn the Polar Bear. Described as a cross-between “a petting zoo and a nature documentary,” you can get up close and personal with this no-so-wild, animatronic animal. Bjorn’s show is an informal, interactive experience making several special appearances over the festive period on Feeder Road. You can stroke, pet and tickle Bjorn behind the ears without fear of a claw attack back in the run up to New Year’s.
That’s not everything happening on Feeder Road either. Tickets are currently on sale for a special Romeo & Juliet spectacle on December 16. Inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, this extravagant Christmas party invites all Montagues and Capulets to an authentic Italian feast followed by an evening of dancing. More info can be found here.
“We’re beyond excited to bring Winterland to Bristol this year. It’s an idea that we’ve been working on for a while and to finally be able to watch it come alive is just brilliant,” said Sam Watts, Propyard co-founder. “We all know that the British weather can be unpredictable, which is why we wanted to create a magical indoor attraction for the city this winter.”
Propyard Winterland will also see seasonal craft activities beneath a fully heated tent covering the whole of the Courtyard, which will host winter markets as well. To add to the festivities, Isle of Trees will be selling sustainably-grown and freshly cut Christmas trees from the car park. There will also be seasonal food offerings as well as pizza from one of our favourite Bristol pizzerias, Pizzarova.
Winterland is free for all enter, but you must pre-book tickets to the ice rink. Prices for the ice rink range from £8 to £12.50. Tokens for the ferris wheel cost £3.50 per person. To find out more about Winterland head here.