FAQs

What is The Big Freeze?
The Big Freeze is an exciting new family festival with the aim of giving children a small snow experience close to home. We are also embracing winter fun and setting up a number of activity zones to give school holiday boredom the big freeze!

Where is The Big Freeze located?
The Big Freeze will be held at the Cranbourne Racecourse, Grant Street, Cranbourne. For more information on getting there, click here.

What is the appropriate age for children attending the Big Freeze?
All activities are designed for ages 2-12. Children between 1 and 2 will still have a great time in the snow pit. Anyone over 13 will be able to take part in and enjoy all that we have to offer.

When is The Big Freeze?
The Big Freeze will be open to the public from Saturday, July 2 to Sunday, July 10 from 9am – 5pm each day. It is essential to book for your snow play session to avoid disappointment.

How long will my visit to the festival take? 
We anticipate the average visit will take approximately 2 – 3 hours to enjoy all the zones and activities on offer.

How much are tickets? 
Tickets are $28 for children aged 2-12 years, $16.50 for adults 13+ years and $16.50 for toddlers 1-2 years who will be entering the snow play zone.

Where can I buy tickets?
Tickets will go on sale via our website in April and will first be offered to our VIP list at a discounted price. Click on the sign up forms to register for the VIP list.

Can I purchase tickets on the day? 
Only if our allocation of tickets for that day has not been reached. We highly recommend pre-purchasing tickets prior to coming to the festival, as we cannot guarantee access and would hate to disappoint your family if you had to be turned away at the gate.

I have to enter a session time – I thought I could stay at the festival for as long as I wanted?
You are more than welcome to stay at the festival for as long as you like on the day of your visit. However, we do ask that you book into your snow play session when you purchase your ticket. The numbers for these sessions will be strictly monitored to ensure that all attendees can enjoy their experience and have enough space to play and build a snowman.

Why do I have to pay for my one year old child?
The production of snow each day is extremely costly. As we anticipate children of this age will participate in the snow play, they do require a ticket. However, it is discounted as they will be too young to enjoy many of the other activities on offer. Should your child be of this age and not be entering the snow field, s/he does not require a ticket. Please note if you change your mind, you may not be able to purchase tickets for the same session as your other children on the day, as numbers are strictly limited to ensure maximum enjoyment for all patrons.

Is there a concession price? 
No, all attendees pay the same admission fee within their age group. This means that all adults and toddlers are at our concession price. We have worked very hard to keep costs and therefore ticket prices as low as possible, so no further discounts are available. If you would like a discounted ticket, make sure you sign up for our VIP list and make your purchase within the timeframe your special code will be active for.

Is there a family ticket price? 
We love that families come in all different shapes and sizes. We therefore don’t think it is fair that only one family configuration receives a discount. We have worked extremely hard to keep tickets as low as possible for all the activities on offer and therefore have applied all savings across all attendees. Those who register for our VIP list will have the option of a discounted purchase in pre-sale.

What if I lose or forget to bring my tickets along? 
Tickets are the responsibility of attendees and no duplicates can be issued for lost, stolen or damaged tickets. We recommend saving your email on your phone so if you arrive without printed tickets, you have the opportunity to present your email to the box office for entry.

Can I get a refund or transfer my ticket to another day?
No, all tickets are non-refundable, non-transferable and are not redeemable for cash.

Do you accept companion cards?
After consultation with the Department of Health & Human Services, it has been determined that this is not a Companion Card event. It is a condition of entry into the snow pit that all children have an accompanying adult with them due to safety issues.

What do we wear?
The Big Freeze will be just that – freezing cold! The colder it is, the happier we are as the snow will be in better condition. The snow is also wet and icy. We do have inside activities that is a chance to warm back up. We therefore recommend wearing layers to accommodate for indoor and outdoor temperatures. If you have waterproof clothing for the kids for the snow, you may like to wear. However, there is no need to purchase anything new for the festival – just bring a change of clothes to pop on after your snow play session. Gumboots are also a great option for the snow play.

Can I bring food from home?
Yes, you are welcome to bring a packed lunch and/or snacks from home.

Can I bring takeaway food I purchase on the way to the festival? 
No, takeaway food is not permitted onsite and must be consumed before presenting at the entry gates.

Can I bring drinks in?
Water bottles for the kids are fine to bring in. Hot or cold drinks that have been pre-purchased (including tea & coffee) are not permitted and either need to be left in your car or consumed before presenting to the entry gates.

Can I purchase food and drinks at the festival?
Yes, we will have a variety of food vendors with a number of different options available to purchase from during the festival. We will present a full menu list in June to help plan your visit and cater for any children with allergies or special food restrictions.

What happens if it is raining and stormy?
All festival zones and activities are undercover and protected from the elements. Therefore the festival will run as plan regardless of the forecast. The outside undercover area will be cold, so remember to rug up.

Do we have to pay for the activities throughout the festival? 
No, your entry ticket provides access to all zones and activities throughout the festival. You just pay for any extra purchase such as food and drink or any shopping items.

Are there ATM facilities onsite?
Yes, an ATM is located within the main building.

Are there facilities for baby feeding and change? 
Yes, we have a family room onsite that will cater for all your needs.

Is there wheelchair and pram access? 
Yes, the festival is accessible by wheelchair and pram.

Where can I park?
There is free onsite parking at Cranbourne Racecourse.

Is it real snow? 
Real snow is made by nature when the temperatures are below freezing. Therefore the snow at The Big Freeze can never be real snow. However, just as the snow resorts often make snow by machine, the same technology will be employed by our contractor to produce snow two times a day for our attendees enjoyment.

Is the snow maker experienced at producing snow for these conditions and purpose?
Our snow maker has many years of experience and has run successful festivals all over Australia – including in the hot Australian outback! His team will be running large snow play zones in Perth and Sydney while our festival runs. He exclusively owns the cryogenic technology that enables the snow to be produced as close to the real thing as possible.

How long are the snow play sessions?
Snow play sessions run for 25 minutes. We find that this is the perfect length of time for children to experience the session and build a snowman before they get too cold and want to move onto another activity.

Do we need to arrive early for our snow play session?
You need to arrive at the snow play zone at least 10-15 minutes before your session begins to allow time to check in and maximise your snow play time.

What happens if I arrive late for my snow play session?
You will be granted access into the field, but your session time will be cut short. The best way to avoid this happening is to arrive at the festival at least an hour before your booked snow play session and then enjoy some of the other activities while you wait for your time.

Can I change the time of my snow play session?
If there are any available spots for a session we would be happy to change your time on the day. However, we are anticipating that most sessions will be booked to capacity and we will be very strict on not exceeding our maximum numbers. This is to secure the enjoyment for all attendees, which is our main focus. In these cases, it will not be possible to change your times, so please plan to attend the session you book for.

Do we need to purchase snow clothes before coming?
No, the whole aim of The Big Freeze is to allow for a snow experience for your family without having to purchase all the usual equipment, which becomes quite expensive. If you have any snow or waterproof clothing, definitely bring this along to wear. Otherwise, try layers and bringing another set of clothes to change into after the session has ended. Gloves are a great idea as well – the snow is very cold!

What shoes do we wear in the snow?
We would recommend bringing along a pair of gumboots to pop on during the snow play so as not to have to wear wet shoes for the remainder of your visit. If you don’t have gumboots, just pack another pair of shoes to avoid wet feet.