The Royal Parks holds its charity Preview Night in Hyde Park on the eve of Winter Wonderland opening, Wednesday 18 November 2026.
The Royal Parks charity holds its Preview Night at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park on Wednesday 18 November 2026, the evening before the site opens to the public.
Winter Wonderland opened in Hyde Park on 11 December 2007, set up by an events company with the Royal Parks. It has grown into the largest Christmas event in Britain, with around 2.5 million visitors across its run.
The Royal Parks charity cares for London’s eight royal parks and depends on earned income rather than public funding. It is both the landlord of Winter Wonderland and its beneficiary.
On the preview night the rides run, the bars are staffed and the ice rink is cleared. The crowd is a fraction of what it becomes over the six weeks that follow, so the site can be walked and the queues stay short.
Every penny taken on the 2026 preview goes to the Royal Parks charity, not to the operator that runs the rest of the season. It is the one evening of the year when the park’s own charity keeps the takings.