The drawing card of the short but colourful event – staged over four days, next to Saint Mary’s Cathedral – was a specially built outdoor ice rink, which attracted skaters of all ages, who braved the rain to slide across the ice. The last rink to be constructed in the CBD, costing taxpayers 80,000 pounds, was opened in 1959 in Prince Alfred Park by the Lord Mayor, Alderman H. F. Jensen.

Visitors to the square also sampled fare from across the globe, with 32 food stalls offering sweet temptations ranging from Austrian apple strudel to Danish Poffertjes. Bratwurst, tapas and gozleme were also available for those with less of a sweet tooth, while hearty winter drinks, such as mulled wines, beers, hot chocolate and coffee, served to warm up frosty fingers.

A large cinema screen entertained onlookers with classic winter films, music concerts and snow sport features.

The official event website declared that “the festival will recreate the magic of alpine winter celebrations,” by aiming to “entice Sydney-siders out of hibernation”.

Interestingly, the festival operated on a ‘cashless’ basis, with a unique ‘Snowflake System’ created to pay for food and beverages. Event-goers exchanged their coins and notes for miniature tokens (‘Snowflakes’) in denominations of $1 and $10.

The system was introduced “for security reasons and to reduce queuing times”, say organisers.

For more information about the Festival, visit winterfestival.com.au