Winter in Sydney may not quite provide the European picture postcard image of softly falling snow atop spectacular mountain scenery and chocolate-box chalets, but the Winter Festival is recreating some of the best aspects of a traditional Alpine ski holiday right here in the city centre!
The snowtacular event is being held in the surrounds of the beautiful St Mary’s Cathedral until July 17th. We were invited to the fabulous opening night and happily made fools of ourselves slipping and sliding with the grace of small hippos across the large outdoor ice rink. It was quite disconcerting to watch small children zip past us, as well as the snazzily dressed professionals (who perform regular shows) spinning at dizzying speeds to the funky tunes playing. We were as thrilled as any small child, though, to experience the genuine magic of powder snow falling over us as we skated. Check out our video clip on Instagram here. Don’t worry if you’ve not tried ice skating before, it’s not that difficult and there’s plenty of assistance to be had.
As well as the wheelchair-accessible ice skating rink the Winter Festival Sydney has some new treats in store for 2016. The event also features real snow rides such as the downhill Toboggan Terror (terrifyingly steep for such a short run!), a snow Powder Pit perfect for snowman building and chucking snowballs at your mates and the walk-on-water Tube Dudes which are inflatable zorb balls/tubes on the Cathedral water feature. These last proved particularly funny with our clumsiness and giggles abounded.
Trying all the fun activities certainly builds up a huge appetite and luckily there is a traditional European style market full of tasty treats to tempt you. The twisty potato stand was very popular as well as the reliable Krispy Kreme van and I thoroughly recommend the fudge too. Thirsty? Well you you can’t have a Winter Festival without plenty of luxury hot chocolate, gluhwein and mulled cider! We sampled them all (several times) and the gluhwein in particular was absolutely spot on for the chill. If those beverages are a little on the sweet side for your tastes then why not sample one of the many authentic beers from the Bavarian bierkeller bar by Munich Brauhaus.
If you have a special occasion coming up then why not push the ice-boat out and hire an igloo? Yup, that’s right, an igloo! An inflatable one rather than made of ice, sadly, but still great looking and probably a whole lot warmer. Each igloo can accommodate 10-30 guests or the entire igloo village can be hired for up to 200 guests (with the option to extend to 500). The igloos offer delicious food and drink catering packages from Urban Events Venues & Catering – drawing inspiration from Urban Purveyor Group restaurants including Saké Restaurant & Bar, Café Ananas, Fratelli Fresh and The Cut Bar & Grill. We were lucky to sample some of the canapes at the opening party and they were delicious – we especially loved the miniature lamb tagines, tuna sashimi tacos and espresso caramel choco pots.
With the romantic European styling of the the whole event, a wide variety of activities plus loads of food and beverage options the Winter Festival Sydney is the perfect fun “après festival” outing for everyone. It makes a great girls night out, work do, family day trip and especially a couples date. So get your skates on and get down there!
WHAT:
The Winter Festival Sydney
WHEN:
30 June to 17 July
WHERE:
St Mary’s Cathedral, St Mary’s Road, Sydney City
TIMES:
Mon – Thurs – 10am to 7pm (last session 7pm so closes as 8pm)
Fri & Sat – 10am to 9pm (last session at 9pm so closes at 10pm)
Sun – 9am – 7pm (last session at 7pm so closes at 8pm)
MORE INFO: Click here
GET SOCIAL:
Facebook Facebook.com/WinterFestivalAU
Instagram Instagram.com/WinterFestivalAU
Twitter @WinterfestAU
IGLOO:
Visit the Winter Festival website for the full igloo menu details or to hire an igloo.
For more information on Urban Events Venues & Catering please visit the website.
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