冬季仙境聖誕市集：「高得可笑」的價格讓遊客感覺被騙了

這項活動將於 2024 年今天開始，通常每年都會有 250 萬人參加，但如果您計劃參加，我要警告您：您需要有足夠的資金。

Christmas is a time for joy, laughter and spending extortionate amounts of money at festive markets.

聖誕節是歡樂、歡笑和在節日市場上大肆揮霍的時刻。

I’ve always loved the festive period and get into the spirit as early as possible. I put my tree up in October, start buying gifts in September, and I’ve been known to start playing festive tunes in the car even earlier. It truly is a magical time of year.

我一直很喜歡節日，並且儘早進入精神狀態。我在十月把聖誕樹掛起來，九月開始買禮物，眾所周知，我更早開始在車上播放節慶歌曲。這確實是一年中神奇的時刻。

So it seemed only natural that I should go to London’s biggest Christmas market – Winter Wonderland – which last year was named as one of the best in the UK.

因此，我去倫敦最大的聖誕市集——冬季仙境——似乎是很自然的事，它去年被評為英國最好的聖誕市集之一。

Coming from a small town in the south of England, I’ve always been surprised by London prices. I knew a jaunt to the Christmas market wouldn’t come cheap but I was not prepared for the dent in my bank account the following morning.

來自英格蘭南部的一個小鎮，我一直對倫敦的物價感到驚訝。我知道去聖誕市集逛逛並不便宜，但隔天早上我的銀行帳戶就會被縮水，我卻沒有做好準備。

The event opens up for 2024 today, and usually sees 2.5 million people every year, but I have a warning if you’re planning on going: you need deep pockets.

這項活動將於 2024 年今天開始，通常每年都會有 250 萬人參加，但如果您計劃參加，我要警告您：您需要有足夠的資金。

By the time I arrived, I’d already spent hundreds. I figured if I was travelling to the festive event people rave about, I should see what they have to offer. The entry fee was £7.50 per person (which is waivered if you spend over £25 on activities beforehand – which I did). For two people, a 45-minute ice-skating ticket cost £34, the Ice Kingdom £26, the Giant Wheel £22 and the ice bar £36. As it was all pre-booked, it was discounted, so on-site it would cost 20 per cent more.

當我到達的時候，我已經花了幾百了。我想如果我要去參加人們熱衷的節日活動，我應該看看他們能提供什麼。入場費為每人 7.5 英鎊（如果您事先在活動上花費超過 25 英鎊，則可免收門票 - 我就是這麼做的）。兩個人來說，45分鐘的滑冰票價為34英鎊，冰雪王國26英鎊，巨輪22英鎊，冰吧36英鎊。由於都是提前預訂，有折扣，所以現場要貴20%。

It’s not to say the activities weren’t fun but it costs to even get photo evidence of the memories. We were told to put our phones away while skating and in the sculpture walk – not in case we drop and break them, but because all images came with a price tag afterwards. When we took our skates off and headed to the kiosk, it was £25 for digital copies and a few printed ones.

這並不是說這些活動不有趣，但即使是獲取記憶的照片證據也是要花錢的。我們被告知在滑冰和雕塑行走時要把手機收起來——不是為了防止手機掉落或摔壞，而是因為所有圖像都會在事後貼上價格標籤。當我們脫下溜冰鞋前往售貨亭時，數位版和一些印刷版的售價為 25 英鎊。

Of course these things are optional, but as somebody who loves to keep souvenirs, and has been stood in a queue just to view these pictures for 25 minutes, I felt compelled to pay. When we did that for two attractions, we’d spent £40.

當然這些東西都是可選的，但作為一個喜歡保留紀念品的人，為了看這些照片而排了25分鐘的隊，我覺得有必要付錢。當我們為兩個景點這樣做時，我們花了 40 英鎊。

The worst part though was the food and drink. Two hot dogs racked up nearly £30 and two chocolate crepes, over £20. One singular, tiny, sugar doughnut was £3. The only thing that seemed reasonable were the hot chocolates, priced between £3.50 and £5. However, being branded a “luxury” seemed far-fetched considering it tasted like the same hot milk and powder I put together at home. It was of course extra if you opted for an added dollop of cream and a sprinkle of a few marshmallows.

最糟糕的部分是食物和飲料。兩個熱狗價值近30英鎊，兩個巧克力薄餅價值20多英鎊。一個獨特的小甜甜圈售價 3 英鎊。唯一看起來合理的是熱巧克力，價格在 3.5 英鎊到 5 英鎊之間。然而，考慮到它的味道就像我在家裡混合的熱牛奶和奶粉一樣，被貼上「奢侈品」的標籤似乎有些牽強。如果您選擇添加一塊奶油和一些棉花糖，那當然是額外的。

Looking around, other stalls didn’t seem to be any cheaper. Fish and chips would set you back £14, a baked potato £7, and candy floss £8. It’s not just me who has been disheartened by the prices over the years. People have taken to social media to vent about it. One said prices were “laughably high”, and others have claimed it to be overpriced or extortionate. I can’t help but agree.

環顧四周，其他攤位似乎也沒有便宜多少。炸魚薯條要花 14 英鎊，烤馬鈴薯要 7 英鎊，棉花糖要花 8 英鎊。多年來對價格感到沮喪的不僅僅是我。人們已經在社群媒體上發洩此事。一位人士稱價格“高得可笑”，另一些人則聲稱價格過高或敲詐勒索。我忍不住同意。

It’s worth noting I’m not particularly uptight with spending my money but the whole thing seemed excessive for a mediocre experience. The rink holds so many people that the hardest part wasn’t keeping your balance on a thin blade, but actually finding space on the sheet of ice to skate. Walking around involves weaving in and out of thousands of people, only to get stuck between groups or shoved to one side. It’s a much calmer experience in local town rinks which often cost half the price.

值得注意的是，我對花錢並不是特別緊張，但對於平庸的體驗來說，整件事似乎有點過分了。溜冰場容納了許多人，最困難的部分不是用薄冰片保持平衡，而是在冰上找到可以滑冰的空間。四處走動需要在成千上萬的人中穿梭，結果卻被困在人群之間或被推到一邊。在當地城鎮的溜冰場上這是一種更平靜的體驗，而且通常只需花費一半的價格。

The event claims to be from “humble beginnings” having grown from an open air market in Hyde Park nearly 20 years ago to the hotspot it is today, but to actually enjoy yourself there the prices seem wildly unfair, especially given the cost of living so many of us are facing. Christmas is already expensive as it is, with presents, food and gatherings, so it is hard to fully enjoy yourself when you’re there unless you’ve fully budgeted for it.

該活動聲稱是從「卑微的開始」開始的，從近20 年前海德公園的一個露天市場發展到今天的熱點，但要真正在那裡享受樂趣，價格似乎非常不公平，特別是考慮到生活成本如此之高。聖誕節本來就很昂貴，有禮物、食物和聚會，所以除非你有充分的預算，否則很難充分享受聖誕節。

When we headed to the stall that gave out tokens for the rides on offer, we were told it would be £80 for coupons that would give us access to eight rides, or access to the arcade-style games. We instead opted just to pay for one ride – £10 each for a VR experience rollercoaster. When I sat on it, having paid what I thought was a ridiculous amount for the pair of us, I was expecting to be transported into a new world. Yes, animals jumped out and I physically ducked when it looked like I was about to be splashed with water –

當我們前往為所提供的遊樂設施發放代幣的攤位時，我們被告知優惠券的價格為 80 英鎊，可以讓我們獲得 8 個遊樂設施或街機風格的遊戲。相反，我們選擇只支付一次乘車費用——每人 10 英鎊即可體驗 VR 體驗過山車。當我坐在上面，支付了我認為對我們倆來說有點荒謬的金額時，我期待著被帶入一個新世界。是的，動物跳了出來，當我看起來快要被水濺到時，我身體躲開——