Travellers take Winter Wonderland! Young girls are among the many most glamorous revellers as they descend on London Christmas truthful in neon fur coats and PVC mini attire

The outfit preparation started while summer was still in full swing, layer upon layer of fake tan was meticulously applied to achieve the requisite bronzed skin and when the big day finally arrived, alarms were set for 2am to start applying make-up.

It might sound like the level of preening required to attend the Oscars, but this beautification in fact took place before one of the most popular Traveller events of the year – and it’s not Appleby Horse Fair.

Hyde Park‘s Winter Wonderland in London has become a hub for the Traveller community to meet up each year, celebrate Christmas and even enjoy a little match-making.

The average tourist or Londoner has become less than impressed by the festive fair; it was crowned the most complained-about Christmas attraction in the UK and Europe in a recent study, thanks to ludicrous prices, ticket fees and ‘poor service’.

Yet the criticism clearly hasn’t put everyone off, since on Saturday, hundreds of Travellers with their horses and traps arrived from across the UK to embark on a 14-mile route driving across the capital before finally arriving at the event.

Some who joined the occasion – which saw revellers start their fake tan preparation months in advance – have now taken to TikTok and Instagram to show off their final outfits, alongside other glamorous Winter Wonderland attendees.

Pulling out all the stops, women were dressed to impress in neon faux fur coats, PVC dresses and knee-high heels boots.

One Traveller took to TikTok yesterday to showcase her vibrant ensemble, complete with a pink faux fur trimmed coat and white boots.

Her friend wore a figure-hugging navy mini dress, teamed with a matching jumper, cinched at the waist with a thin black belt. She also wore a pair of stylish boots.

With a filter placed over their clip, they danced to a tune while showing off their fabulous looks.

‘Winter wonderland #travellergirl #gyspytok #outfit #winterfashion #outfitinspo,’ they captioned the footage.

Other revellers – who attended the festive fair recently but did not announce whether they were part of the Traveller community or not – donned pleated mini skirts and chic winter headwear.

One woman, who used the tags #gypsytok and #winterwonderland, wore a cross necklace over a smart shimmering grey blazer, cinched at the waist with a chunky belt, and a matching pair of shorts.

She completed her look with knee-high boots and a black headband, as well as a smattering of glamorous makeup and diamond earrings.

Meanwhile, Kayla, who journeyed from Barnsley to be at the magical festivities of the Christmas Drive, confessed she had been planning her ‘fluffy’ Winter Wonderland outfit for three months. 

She told the Daily Mail: ‘I had to straighten my hair and get the horses ready at 2am this morning but if you don’t make an effort you look like a [fool].  

‘I’ve been doing sunbeds for a month, lashes two days ago and [did] my lips this morning’ she said.

And Kayla wasn’t the only one preparing for months, with Kirsty, from Swansea, having used sunbeds for weeks and weeks to perfect her tan before heading to Winter Wonderland, which has been dubbed the ‘new Appleby fair’.

‘I travelled in my pyjamas and did a ten minute change,’ she said. ‘I had my lashes done last week and I’ve been on the sunbeds for months.’

Caitlin, who also travelled from Swansea, explained that ‘basically [their] whole street had come to London’ for the festive occasion.

‘There’s eight boxes from Swansea, there are over 20 of us. We left Swansea at 4.30am but some of us travelled up yesterday,’ she explained. ‘We’ve known about it for a while but we only booked it last week.’

Tina, who also hails from South Wales, began her journey at 4am and had been preparing her horse over the last two weeks by training it twice a day. 

‘We like the lifestyle – we’ve been to Appleby Fair a couple times. It can be a bit chaos and we’ve not been to this one before so we’ll just have to see how it goes. 

Attending the Hyde Park-based Winter Wonderland event has become an annual tradition for many Travellers as they dub it the new ‘Appleby Horse Fair’.

The event is a popular Christmas attraction in London, with thousands travelling from all over the UK and beyond to experience a slice of the festive magic – though in recent times some have been left feeling the pinch rather than festive spirit as it now charges an entrance fee.

In previous years, hundreds of clips have been uploaded online showing Travellers getting ready, as well as inside the event, with some even alluding to it being a great place for match-making.

One Traveller, going by Suzy, took to TitTok to explain that women in the community get ‘special clothes made’ and use it to dress up and show off.

‘Gypsy Traveller girls, throughout the year, you’ve seen their clothing, they love to dress up,’ she explained.

‘But Christmas time is the time where they get to show off the best of the f*****g best. Fur coats, diamonds, glitter. You name it, they’ve f*****g got it.

‘They get clothing made to go to Winter Wonderland. And let me tell you something – gypsy and Traveller girls don’t feel the cold, especially around Christmas.

‘They must have heated knickers on. These girls have the skimpy a** outfits. I mean, they look amazing, they look beautiful, but they gotta be f*****g cold.’