To mark the festive season and start of 2020, "Big Top" emerged. Perhaps Likened to a "Tardis" to some but to others, a pimple on the green face of Wimbledon Park!
Open for 3 weeks, between the 14th of December until the 5th of January, from 11am until 8pm, with FREE entry, what was there not to like given it had offered to host a wide range of events. From a Roller Disco, Christmas workshops and Santa's grotto to Dinosaurs , surely people would be willing to prize themselves away from spending time eating their candy canes at home and excessive online Christmas shopping? Or would some creatures of habit, prefer to gaze at their warm enticing log fires than encounter this eye sore, surrounded by crowds, blaring music and causing even more congestion than Christmas shoppers?
For younger families, it's nice to bring the Christmas stalls, markets and activities closer to home . However, some parents may feel obligated to spend their money on fare ground rides which can be overpriced and detract from the community feel that the stalls and activities offer.
Local residents may , however, consider it a nuisance as it limits residents use of free public space, for example, if they're taking a stroll around the park, it can be quite noisy and there are lots of things blocking their view. It may only serve a small section of the community as one local resident, Maryam Namivar, said 'Personally, when I visited during the day, I found it a bit underwhelming. There wasn’t very much for people our age, and the audience was very much for younger children. I think it would be a nice place to take younger children, and if I had younger siblings I would definitely take them as I feel it is something they would enjoy.'
To conclude, if there was more variety offered in "Big top" for all age groups, for example, Christmas carol singing, home made community wares sold to benefit charitable causes etc, then it may be seen as a Tardis with many interesting activities to do, but instead, it was more like a pimple releasing unwanted toxins.
By Ambar Madhok
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