If you're heading to London this festive season, there's a new attraction in Leicester Square worth knowing about — and it comes from Croatia. Wonderland Factory, the company behind the Ice Wonderland brand, has installed a 400-square-metre circular ice rink in one of the busiest spots in the West End, and demand has been staggering: more than 90 percent of season tickets sold out within 24 hours of going on sale.
The location is a big part of the draw. Leicester Square sits at the heart of London's tourist zone, steps from Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown and Covent Garden, and the square is expected to welcome more than 3.5 million visitors over the winter months. For skaters, that means a rink with genuine big-city atmosphere — cinema premieres, Christmas lights and crowds all around you.
The design is cleverer than it looks. To make the most of a tight urban footprint, the Ice Wonderland team built what amounts to a raised rink: the entire structure and ice surface sit almost two metres above ground, leaving space underneath for the cooling system, technical gear and operations. That kind of engineering is why the UK has become one of the company's key export markets — director Rahela Bošnjak notes the Leicester Square job was particularly complex, and that Wonderland Factory is also assembling a rink in Liverpool with several other British locations in the pipeline.
The economics are interesting too. In Croatia, a comparable 400 to 600 square metre rink typically costs up to 100,000 euros per location; in Britain, with the scope of work and add-on services, project values can reach 300,000 euros. The company started out in Croatia, though, and says it's most excited about returning home for the Croatian Advent season, where Ice Wonderland rinks will feature at Christmas markets across the country.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: if you fancy skating in central London this winter, book early — the Leicester Square rink's opening-week sell-out suggests slots will be scarce closer to Christmas. And if your winter plans take you to Zagreb or Split instead, you can expect the same Croatian-made rinks popping up at the country's famously decorated Advent markets.
