Santa's Express and the Big Wheel: Bournemouth rides
Santa's Express and the Big Wheel in Bournemouth: the Christmas train, sleigh simulator, prize stalls and other rides on the 2026 Festive Trail, no booking.
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Santa's Express and the Big Wheel are the two rides most people will spot first on the Festive Trail at Christmas in Bournemouth 2026, and the organisers say neither, nor any of the other rides and games in the Lower Gardens, needs booking ahead. The full list, from the organisers' rides and games page read on 19 October 2026, also takes in a sleigh ride simulator, a sleigh park, a lights game and prize stalls. The season opens on Thursday 12 November and runs to 3 January 2027.
What rides and games are there?
As the organisers, Alpine Christmas Markets, list them:
- Santa's Express, the Christmas train
- The Big Wheel
- Santa's Sleigh Ride Simulator
- Santa's Sleigh Park
- Control the Lights
- Classic Christmas prize stalls
They are in the gardens along the Festive Trail, which is free to enter, so you can walk past all of them before deciding which to pay for. Prices are not on the page we read.
Santa's Express
Santa's Express is the Christmas train in the Lower Gardens, and Santa's Workshop sits beside it, overlooking the bandstand. That makes it an easy pairing with a booked Story Time with Santa session: a ride before or after, without walking anywhere else.
The organisers do not publish a route, ride length or age guidance for the train on the pages we read. Ask at the ride.
The Big Wheel
The Big Wheel is listed along the trail with the other attractions, in the Lower Gardens that run down from the Square towards the pier. The organisers do not give its height, ride length or exact position on the pages we read. Evenings, when the trail is lit, are the obvious time to ride.
Sleigh simulator, sleigh park and Control the Lights
The organisers name three more Christmas-themed attractions without much detail: Santa's Sleigh Ride Simulator, Santa's Sleigh Park and Control the Lights. The names suggest a simulator ride, a children's ride area and an interactive lights game, but that is our reading of the names; the organisers' page has the descriptions. The classic Christmas prize stalls are the funfair kind, where you play for a prize.
Rides or bookable attractions?
Everything above is walk-up. A separate set of attractions along the same trail is ticketed and bookable in advance, and the organisers warn that some sell out:
- the SKATE Bournemouth ice rink
- Glow Golf, the 18-hole Christmas mini golf
- the Christmas Tree Maze of 300 illuminated trees
- Story Time with Santa in Santa's Workshop
If you have booked one of those, the rides are a good way to fill the time before your slot. If you have booked nothing, the rides, the trail and the market make a full outing on their own. The Bournemouth Guide's ice rink listing and Christmas Tree Wonderland listing cover two of the bookable ones.
A rough plan for an afternoon
- Start at the market in the Square, open daily from 11am.
- Walk down into the Lower Gardens along the trail.
- Ride Santa's Express and try the prize stalls.
- Ride the Big Wheel as it gets dark and the lights come on.
- Head back up for the 5pm snowfall from the Alpine Lodge balcony; see snow at Bournemouth Christmas Market.
Our Christmas itinerary has a longer version of the day.
Practical points
The rides are outdoors and the event continues in most weather, the organisers say. The market is cashless, card and contactless only; ask at the rides how they take payment. Toilets, including accessible ones, are on site and nearby. Some attractions have accessibility restrictions, the organisers say, so check before queuing.
Staying nearby
Flexiestays' hotels are on the West Cliff, about ten minutes on foot downhill to the Lower Gardens, so an evening on the rides needs no car. Self check-in suits a late finish, and booking direct on Aparthotels in Bournemouth - Serviced Apartment Hotels is cheaper than the big platforms.
Frequently asked questions
No. The organisers list Santa's Express among the rides and games that need no pre-booking. Prices are not listed on the page we read.
The organisers place it along the Festive Trail, which runs through the Lower Gardens below Bournemouth Square. They do not give an exact position on the pages we read, so follow the trail.
The organisers list Santa's Express, Santa's Sleigh Park, Santa's Sleigh Ride Simulator, Control the Lights and classic Christmas prize stalls in the gardens, plus the Big Wheel. Bookable attractions such as the ice rink, Glow Golf and the Christmas Tree Maze are separate.
