Meadowhall: 5,000 capacity 'Magical Winterland' with ice rink planned for Sheffield shopping centre

The covered 30m by 18m rink would be the main attraction at the 5,000-capacity ‘winter family retreat’ in the megamall’s Orange Car Park, slated to run from Friday, November 15 this year to Sunday, January 5, 2025.

There would also be rides and amusements, Santa’s grottos, a small Christmas market and food and drink stalls at ‘The Magical Winterland’ venue.

It would be open from 2pm to 9.30pm on weekdays and from 12pm to 9.30pm at weekends and during the holidays.

Plans for the proposed Christmas attraction near the Oasis Dining Quarter show a big top, a double tipi bar, and food market huts set around a bandstand, with food vendors including a swing grill stall and others selling churros and Yorkshire pudding wraps.

It would be operated by Crow Events, which has run the pop-up Summer Beach Club at Meadowhall for the last two years. The Summer Beach Club attracted 50,000 visitors during 2023.

A planning application has been submitted by UK Event Holdings Ltd to stage the pop-up event this winter and for the following four years.

How much would ice skating, rides and Santa’s grotto cost?

Unlike the Summer Beach Club, the the winter event would be free to enter, according to the plans which have been submitted, with some elements available to book online.

The application states that ice skating would cost from £10 per person, the ‘Santa Experience’ would be priced from £12.95 for children and £5.95 for adults, and rides and other attractions would be paid for using a token system and would cost from £2 to £4 a go.

The temporary summer and winter events planned over the next five years would take place before a permanent expansion at Meadowhall, incorporating indoor leisure and recreation facilities, shops, food and drink units, a cinema, police station and car showroom, which has already been approved.