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

    Michael Morpurgo's Farm Boy @ Lichfield Garrick

    The author Michael Morpurgo is a brilliant story teller and his Farm Boy story is no exception. This production has at its core a story that hooks you in and keeps you captivated. A grandfather and his grandson talk you through stories from their family that intertwine with the history of World War One and life on a farm. This play had parts that made me smile and chuckle but more parts that gave me goosebumps and a ripple of emotion. When grandfather made a confession and called on his grandson to help him, I was hooked waiting to hear the burden that he had born for his entire life. No spoilers though, come and see the play for yourself. The music in Farm Boy is an original score written by Matt Marks. It enhanced the story telling evoking memories and pictures in my mind. This combined with the strength of the story is clearly the reason the show has been at the Edinburgh Fringe and 'off Broadway' in New York. Throughout the show, there are just two actors on...

    Review of Gangsta Granny by Heartbreak Productions.

    In 10 years time, my children won’t specifically remember the occasions that I picked them up from school, cooked our favourite pasta dish or watched their swimming lesson. But they will remember some of things that we did that were out of the ordinary. They will remember some of the memories that we made together. As we headed out of the door on Friday evening, I knew we were making memories. I was just hoping it wasn’t going to be because the whole family had got soaked to the skin sitting in a park on a Friday night watching a play. We had a flask full of hot chocolate, a box of malteasers and some large umbrellas borrowed from a neighbour. We were heading to a Heartbreak Productions outdoor show in Walsall Arboretum. It was pretty exciting heading out in the evening and walking through an empty park to get to the bandstand where the show was being staged. When I told Little Lady what we were going to see, she was extremely excited. In fact, we all were because ...

    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...