Christmas in the capital just got a whole lot better!
This December a brand new festive destination has already gripped the city… the town of Winterville has descended on London’s Victoria Park. Re-booting the Christmas festival format, Winterville boasts a programme of the finest cultural collectives and entertainment offerings including the magical outdoor ice rink, huge Ferris wheel, horse-drawn carriages, an indoor pub names “Bar Humbug”, mouth watering street food and drink. A Dutch spiegeltent is housing entertainment including an affordable hour-long take on the traditional Christmas panto, comedy, cabaret, live gigs and a very special month-long Sunday Summer Rites takeover, plus the East End’s hottest club nights will soundtrack the indoor roller disco.
Children of all ages are also catered for with interactive events within the Kid’s Quarter including the acclaimed House of Fairy Tales, arts and crafts and a finale to the month-long festivities with a New Years Eve extravaganza.
Winterville is open to the public from today until January 1st. Entry is free with attractions and regular ticketed events available to buy in advance. For further information, additions to the programme including club night specials, label parties, live gigs, comedy, cabaret, check out the Winterville website.
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We have a sneaking suspicion this is going to become London’s one-stop destination for the festive season with a snow-storm of exciting attractions and Christmas classics with a contemporary twist. Creative minds and talents from across Europe have come together in the culture-hub that is East London, to create Winterville’s unmissable programming.
London’s new mini-town will host a magical Ice Rink with stunning backdrops amongst one of London’s prettiest parks. Winterville brings new night time revelry to London party-goers with the Bump Roller Disco events curated by top club promoters, as well as the beautiful wood and mirror panelled spiegeltent hosting live music, comedy, cabaret and free-Friday club nights presented by the revered Bugged Out!. After solid reviews from The Guardian, The Times and more, Magnificent Bastard Productions will also be bringing the much lauded smash hit Sh*t-Faced Shakespeare to the Spiegal Tent.
A plethora of activities are available for the whole family including a pop up twist on the classic Robin Hood Pantomime set to enchant and amuse, horse drawn carriages to take in the delights of Victoria Park’s lake and pagoda, plus top-notch arts and craft workshops across the whole month.
For the Kid’s Quarter, popular traveling arts circus House Of Fairy Tales established by artists Deborah Curtis and Gavin Turk, as well as a carefully curated bespoke kid’s areas with immersive activities, arts and crafts and a reimagined Santa’s Grotto. Those like us(!) looking for more of an adrenaline rush can jump onto one the town’s many fairground rides or watch gravity defying feats in the original Wall Of Death where thrills, spills and the smell of petrol combine as vintage motorcycles perform daring stunts.
Now here’s something you don’t see everyday…
Every Sunday the vintage speigeltent features a LGTB takeover with Summer Rites present the Fairy Grotto. Featuring the very best of London’s alternative nightlife and cabaret scene the month-long takeover includes The Gay Bingo Christmas Show, a festive edition of Jonny Woo, John Sizzle and Ma Butcher’s cult bingo series, Horse Meat Disco delivering a hedonistic collection of italo disco, house, punk, funk and more with Bears On Ice, the legendary Sink The Pink go festive with their Christmas Extravaganza, and finally the all male Supreme Fabulettes Christmas Show with Tranny Shack DJs.
Food and drink… taken care of, in quite some style!
To round off the all-encompassing Winterville experience, a world food street market, bespoke bars featuring hot cocktails and delicious drinks, craft beer and Winterville’s very own pub with craft beers will ensure that food and drink lovers are spoilt for choice seven days a week. This can all be enjoyed in the warmth and dry thanks to large heated indoor spaces. Appearing at Winterville this year will be Dalston pizza heroes Voodoo Ray’s, mac & cheese courtesy of Anna Mae’s, vegetarian and healthy options from Mei Mei’s Street Cart, Dorshi dumplings and a host of other top street food eateries. Those who’d prefer to take their food home with them can take advantage of Winterville’s Produce market offering easy access on and off site, a chance to buy from local farmers with quality staples and artisan delights including fresh fruit and veg, cheese, charcuterie, chocolates and lots more without the dreaded supermarket queues.
Winterville will close with a grand finale to the month-long festivities with a soon to be announced New Year’s Eve extravaganza.
Entry is free to the town and tickets for a select number of attractions are on sale now and can be purchased via the Winterville website.
