Skip to main content

Birmingham's Winter Funland



 

A Winter Funland just half an hour from the centre of Birmingham? It's becoming a tradition for the NEC to host this fun family event. I headed there with my family to experience a day of fun last Christmas and below I share my 10 top tips about visiting.


Choose a date that suits your family. A pre-Christmas visit will definitely make your family feel festive. (You can't help it when there are elves everywhere you look!) Before Christmas, Santa's grotto is open so you can visit Mr Claus in person as part of your experience. Post-Christmas there are likely to be discounts on tickets. We got a great Groupon deal and 
greatly appreciated some indoor fun on a cold January day.

Take a photo of the 'show times' board. The shows are excellent and included as part of your ticket price. People queue in advance to get into the shows. So maybe park a grown up in the queue so you get the show that you want and a choice of seat.


Under 3s are free! This is brilliant. We saw lots of families with just under 3s. There is plenty for them to do. My youngest daughter was 2 when we visited and she was worn out! One of her favourite things was the rocking horse area. She tried every single horse and 
the lady staffing it was absolutely delightful with her.


  1. Take your push chair! It's a long walk to car park or station and the halls in the NEC are very large too. There are plenty of parking spaces and if nothing else, 
    the pushchair is good place to store all your outdoor coats.

    Take your own snacks and drinks. There are plenty of food options available 
    but it's expensive for a family and not always the healthiest.

My girls loved the free craft area. I wish we'd done the crafts earlier as you can leave them there to dry and collect later. (Rather than having to carry wet painted items home like me!)


Head straight to the ice skating! It's a very popular activity and has the 
longest and slowest queue as you have to wait for a 'session' to end.


We paid for nothing extra on top of our tickets and some food we wanted. Your child can have endless goes on rides that they like. They are totally allowed to just keep joining the back of the queue. Up until 24thDecember, you decide whether you want a pre-bookable Santa slot. There are also some 'games' such as hoopla which you can choose to spend money on. You don't have to as there are so many other things to keep children occupied.

      Kids should wear shoes that are easy to get on and off for all the inflatables.
      You and your children will be exhausted by the end of your visit. It's a busy day and you'll probably want to end it with a family movie night.
    To book and find out more check out the Winter Funland website:

    https://www.winterfunland.com
    Winter Funland is open in Birmingham from 10th December to 2nd January.

    Comments

    Popular posts from this blog

    Preparing to Potty Train

    I do not have the perfect method for potty training. I am not an expert. I found potty training my daughter to be really, really hard work. This blog aims to share my experiences about how we prepared for potty training. I have found a great deal of support and encouragement from other parents, people who have been through similar experiences. Sometimes conversations make me think- ‘I’d never do that!’ or ‘Great idea’ or just reminded me that I needed to get on and do something. I hope that reading this is like having an encouraging friend. We started quite early for most children in the UK at 20 months. Back in the 70s and 80s this was pretty common from what I can gather so I decided to just get on with it. There were some reasons which influenced my decision- Little Lady wore cloth nappies some of the time and truthfully, I was fed up of the dreaded soaking bucket in the garage. She also hated having her nappy changed by this age and would cry and scream- I’d had enou...

    Birmingham's German Market with Kids

    Birmingham's famous German market is open! From 4th November to 23rd December the aroma of Gluhwein and gingerbread will be tempting passers by. Is it possible to enjoy it with children? Yes, with a little bit of a plan. We have been taking our girls to the German market since they were babies. Amazingly, babies are actually easier to take to the market than older children because time it right, and they sleep through your bratwurst and hot chocolate. Top tips for taking a baby: If you can, visit on a weekday as it's quieter. Consider a baby carrier rather than a pushchair. Head for the moving toy and model stalls to keep little ones occupied. If needed, use baby changing facilities in the Bullring or Grand Central (opposite Kitty Cafe). Take plenty of layers in case it gets chilly. For older children, there are plenty of stalls for them to browse. On our family visits, we spread out the food and drinks to keep them happy- drinking hot chocolate at one end of the market and eat...

    MiniBrum

    What is it? MiniBrum is a play space for under eights based on the theme of a mini Birmingham. There are different areas for children to explore including a canal barge, a construction zone and a shop. The whole of MiniBrum is designed to support children’s role play and exploration of real life spaces. The unique interactive gallery has been created with the input of over 800 children and families from across Birmingham. Where is it? Mini Brum is part of ThinkTank which is Birmingham’s science museum. MiniBrum is on the third floor next to the recently revamped planetarium. Entry to ThinkTank is £14 per adult and £10.25 per child. Under 3’s are free and during Birmingham term time there is a special adult and toddler (aged 3-5) ticket for £15. Another great offer is the £3 per person entry fee after 3pm on term time weekdays. When does it open? It opens to the public on 25 th May in time for half term. I would expect it to be very busy. My advice woul...