How to Keep Winter Funfairs Comfortable

At We Are Tricycle, we believe in creating enjoyable experiences at funfairs and fairgrounds, no matter the season. Winter funfairs hold a special charm, with twinkling lights, Christmas funfair rides, and a heart-warming atmosphere.

However, keeping everyone comfortable in chilly weather requires a few essential considerations. Here's our guide to ensuring that your funfair event is comfortable in the winter:

• Indoor Funfair Rides: You don't always have to host a fairground outside! We have a range of funfair rides that are suitable for indoor use, plus all kinds of funfair side stalls and games that fit neatly into centrally-heated party venues. A big consideration for indoor funfairs is that people don't notice them in the same way they notice big outdoor events, so you may wish to invest in marketing, too.
• Heating: Invest in outdoor heaters strategically around the fairground to create warm pockets of comfort. Ensure they are safely positioned away from anywhere they could pose a hazard but are in areas where people congregate, such as food and drinks areas or queues. Portable heaters, patio heaters, and heated marquees can help maintain a comfortable temperature for guests and staff when the temperature is low.
• Covered Seating Areas: Offer covered event seating areas where visitors can take a break from the cold. These areas not only provide shelter from the weather but also act as gathering spots for families and friends to enjoy their treats or relax between fairground rides.
• Warm Food and Drink: Winter funfairs are the perfect opportunity for indulging in comforting hot food and drinks. Consider setting up catering stalls serving hot chocolate, mulled wine, hearty soups, and other winter treats.
• Enclosed Attractions: Introduce enclosed funfair attractions and fairground rides with roofs and walls that shield guests from the elements - it could be anything from the spine-chilling Ghost Train to the Dodgems, or even a snow globe photo booth! These can be particularly appealing on colder days, as people appreciate the chance to enjoy the fun while staying sheltered.
• Winter-Themed Decor: Embrace the season with winter-themed decorations, creating a festive atmosphere that encourages guests to get into the holiday spirit. Twinkling lights, snow-inspired elements, and themed displays can enhance the overall experience.
• Clothing Lost and Found: Remember to have a lost-and-found area for any misplaced winter gear! People will be repeatedly taking hats, scarves, coats and gloves off and putting them back on again, and it's very easy to lose these items amidst all the winter funfair entertainment.
• Event Timing: Choose the timing of your winter funfair thoughtfully. Avoid the coldest parts of the day and aim for late mornings or early afternoons when the sun is out, as this gives you the best chance of hosting the event when the temperatures are relatively mild.
• Accessibility and Safety: During winter, surfaces can become slippery, so ensure proper gritting or de-icing of pathways to prevent accidents. Consider where your guests will be walking and ensure that they have a safe path to travel.

By incorporating these ideas and planning for comfort, you can ensure that your winter funfairs are not just fun but are also comfortable for all attendees. From keeping warm to enjoying festive treats and fairground attractions, a funfair is always a hit throughout the year - even in the chilliest months.

If you're ready to host a fantastic winter event, contact our team today, and let's make it a winter wonderland!

More Advice for Comfortable Winter Funfairs

Keeping visitors comfortable during a winter funfair involves more than preparing for low temperatures. Rain, wind, shorter daylight hours and changing ground conditions can all influence how people use the event. If poor weather is likely, our How to Prepare Funfairs for Adverse Weather guide looks at planning for a much wider range of conditions, while Rainy Weather FAQs answers common questions about wet-weather events.

Check Wind Conditions for Outdoor Rides

Cold weather and strong wind can occur together, but wind also has operational implications for particular amusement rides. Operators need to work within the requirements applicable to their equipment rather than using a single limit for every attraction. Read How to Keep Funfair Rides Safe in Windy Conditions for more information, particularly if your event includes taller Ferris wheels, Chair O Planes or other substantial outdoor rides.

Plan Winter Queues with Visitors in Mind

Standing still can make cold conditions feel considerably less comfortable than moving around the event. Queue location and organisation therefore become especially relevant during winter. How to Manage Queues at Funfairs explains how waiting areas can be incorporated into the wider site plan, including their relationship with pedestrian routes and neighbouring attractions.

For events expecting longer waits, queue busters and waiting area games can provide additional entertainment where suitable.

Give Visitors Places to Stop Between Attractions

A winter event does not need to consist entirely of rides and queues. Seating and less active entertainment can give families opportunities to take breaks during a longer visit. picnic benches can be incorporated into suitable areas, while relax and chill out zones can help create quieter sections away from the busiest rides.

When developing the complete venue plan, How to Place Funfair Rides Around the Site provides further advice on balancing rides, games, catering, queues and public circulation.

Use Food and Drink as Part of the Winter Event Plan

Food areas often become natural stopping points at colder events. Our Christmas winter warmers and wider event catering solutions can be incorporated alongside rides and entertainment, with appropriate consideration given to customer queues and nearby seating.

For Christmas events in particular, these can complement Christmas fairground rides, Christmas funfair games and stalls and Christmas market stalls.

Remember Younger Visitors During Cold Conditions

Children may become tired or uncomfortable during a long outdoor event, so parents and organisers should consider opportunities for breaks as well as the attraction programme itself. How to Keep Children Safe at Fairgrounds covers wider supervision and child-safety considerations, while How Tall Do Children Have to Be for Fairground Rides? explains why passenger requirements vary between attractions.

For organisers choosing equipment for a family audience, Ideas for Family Friendly Funfairs and Ideas for Children's Fairground Rides provide further ideas.

Include Entertainment That Does Not Depend on Major Outdoor Rides

A varied winter programme can combine mechanical rides with other forms of entertainment. Depending on the venue, indoor fairground games, retro arcade machines, electronic and digital games and fairground side stalls and games can broaden the range available to visitors.

If you are still deciding on the attraction mixture, How to Choose the Right Funfair Rides & Games looks at matching entertainment to the audience, venue and event format.

Keep Winter Events Accessible

Rain, temporary route changes and deteriorating surfaces can make accessibility considerations particularly important during winter. Disabled Accessibility and Inclusivity at Funfairs & Fairgrounds provides further guidance on routes, queues and access within a temporary fairground environment.

Organisers should also consider whether changes made in response to weather unintentionally make an established accessible route more difficult to use.

Know Why a Ride May Temporarily Stop

If conditions change during an event, an attraction may sometimes pause operation. This does not automatically indicate that the ride has developed a mechanical problem. What Causes a Funfair Ride to Stop? explains several reasons why normal operation can be interrupted.

Visitors should follow the instructions of the ride operator, while organisers should avoid promising when an affected attraction will reopen before the responsible operator has determined that it can do so.

Prepare for Winter Problems Before They Become Emergencies

Most winter weather can be addressed through ordinary event planning, but organisers should still know how they would respond if circumstances became more serious. How to Plan for Emergencies - Funfair Crisis Management looks at preparing an event response in advance, while What to Do in a Funfair Emergency covers what happens when an incident is already underway.

Continue Planning Your Winter Funfair

For a Christmas-specific event, Christmas Funfair FAQs and Ideas for Christmas Funfair Rides provide further seasonal guidance. You can also read How to Prepare Funfairs for Adverse Weather for the broader weather-planning picture and How to Ensure the Safety of Your Guests at Your Funfair for advice covering visitor welfare throughout the event.

Our Guides contain further information about funfair planning, weather, ride operation, queues, accessibility and safety. If you are organising a winter event and need help choosing suitable fairground and funfair hire, contact us to discuss your venue and requirements.