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The trade-off is that a couple of rides are closed; you’ll find the park’s Space Shot buried in a forest of Christmas trees, while a spin ride or two may be closed. But for many, the main draw – Dæmonen – is well and truly open. Next time someone says a B&M can’t operate in the snow, laugh in their face before using Dæmonen to prove how wrong they are.

It’s possible that it will snow for Tivoli’s Christmas openings, so you have to be prepared for bracing weather at best.

But unlike many parks it is easy to resist the urge to ride and ride as Tivoli Gardens is a slower-paced park than that with the rides only part and parcel of the whole – and I hate to use this word – experience.

Tivoli Gardens at any time of year is a rich and elegant park, full of culture, character and several great rides too.

But to visit Tivoli Gardens during the winter is, like many parks, to enjoy the it at its very best.

Winter Fairs

Aside parks, maybe the winter is a good time to venture away from parks and discover some fairs, many of which can rival even the best theme park.

Possibly the biggest and best you could go to is the awesome Hamburg Winterdom, the biggest fair in northern Germany, and as such, one of the largest in Europe as Germany pretty much set the European benchmark.

2007’s Winterdom runs from November 9 until December 9 and is likely to include many of the German heavyweights in its lineup. Starring role goes to a large coaster, normally Olympia Looping, supported by something of the calibre of Star World with a cast of dozens of spin rides such as most of Huss’ and Mondial’s back catalogue.

Closer to home, meanwhile, is the ever-predictable Funderworld. This year was the first of their winter Blizzard Funderworld events, where the excellent lineup of predominantly Mellors-run rides appeared undercover in the Cardiff Millennium Stadium.

The line-up included many of the great British rides touring the country including Move It and Space Roller. As well as that, there’s the tower ride, Big Ben, as well as a Magic Mouse and log flume.

Although the line-up is the same as other Funderworld events, it is a great way to break up the closed season, and undercover in Cardiff, it’s a great reprieve from the bitter outdoor weather.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, Dublin Funderland has built quite a reputation, running annually from Boxing Day until the middle of January. Being a coastal city, Dublin Funderland attracts many European rides.

Of course, while it could be argued that going to Dublin is actually no easier than going to, say, Dusseldorf, Dublin of course affords you the opportunity to celebrate the New Year as only the Irish can do, while having a few rides on world-standard spin rides.

You can expect rides from both Germany and the Netherlands to appear; rides in the past have included a Huss Booster, Huss Breakdance, a Starflyer, and Powerwave, an excellent Schwarzkopf Polyp.

There is also a Huss Takeoff, a fairly rare ride, especially outside Germany, which goes to show just how much of a masterpiece this fair actually is with rides painstakingly planned to fit into the building amongst the pillars supporting the roof, and within a few feet of the roof itself.

While the awesome XXL was due to attend this year, unfortunately it was replaced at the last minute by a Huss Shot ‘n’ Drop – but it goes to show the quality of rides that attend.

Winter is generally the off-season for fairs, too, with many instead taking place during autumn, but the rides are still around if you look hard enough. A handful appear in London’s Hyde Park such as Chaos (Wilson’s Afterburner), a KMG Booster and Extreme. Sadly, Chaos isn’t the draw it used to be, and the fair is as soulless as they come, but it’s a worthy deviation from the mire of winter. 

Phantasialand

Phantasialand put on quite a show for Wintertraum, their winter festival. Not only is much of Phantasialand open, but in terms of Christmas it is one of the best decorated parks with the most to do, especially for families.

Phantasialand opens for much of December into early January with every major ride of note staying open apart from the park’s flumes (Wildwash Creek and Stonewash Creek) and River Quest.

Making up for the loss of River Quest are several seasonal extras – you can take part in the bizarre sport of Curling, there’s an après ski bar, ice skating, a toboggan run and snow mobiles. Continues...