The Winter Village by Australian Venue Co.

From cozy igloos, warm winter cocktails and specialty food offerings, Australian Venue Co. has officially opened 'The Winter Village' at Federation Square's Skyline Terrace.

Surrounded by snow-covered pine trees and offering stunning views overlooking the Melbourne skyline, the winter wonderland includes an ice skating rink, 21 private igloos and snowfall every hour in the mega igloo dining and drinking hall.

The village will also host a number of local Melbourne DJs, as well as yet-to-be-announced events, including an ugly Christmas sweater party, after dark activations and pop-up bar series.

For the discerning Melbourne foodie, the Feast kitchen and Sip bar provides the perfect winter warmers during the cooler months.

Australian Venue Co.'s Divisional Area Manager, Ben Anderson , said the main focus was for us was to create a food and beverage experience that was as memorable as the activation itself. Food and beverage is key to delivering on The Winter Village experience Skate Sip Feast Play.

"The inspiration behind the menu was kidults, bringing those nostalgic kids party memories back for adults to relive too! It's the ultimate snacking setting with our Little Rink Rats menu designed especially for real kids, but adults can also work up an appetite playing on the ice rink then do it their own way with the luxury of visiting the bar for our range of winter cocktails."

"There's shared grazing boxes if you want a light little winter picnic, our signature fried cheese sandwich for all the eye-rolling, finger-licking goodness and pizzas that rival the best Melbourne's laneway have to offer – you have to try the Ice Queen with cauliflower cheese, maple bacon, 4 cheeses and chives. Our private igloo guests get Chef's best along with exclusive desserts to finish, like the espresso martini ice-cream pop!"

For those looking to chill out under the magical mega igloo snowfall, food orders are placed via mobile by scanning the QR code on the menu. Complete with images, Chef notifies guests by text when their food is ready for pick up.

"We're excited to facilitate food orders at The Winter Village. The menu features photos of every dish, ingredient descriptions, dietary filters and translates into 10 languages, catering to Melbourne's diverse community and tourism boom," said Mr Yum's CEO, Kim Teo.

Over at the Sip bar, Melburnians have the choice of quenching their thirst with eight beer taps, hot and cold cocktails, local wines and house classics on offer, including Espresso Martinis on tap and the Spiced Cherry winter spritz.

The Winter Village is free to enter and is open until late 7 days a week from 12pm Monday - Thursday and 11am Friday - Sunday. All igloos have been set up for accessibility and are pram, walker and wheelchair friendly.

Bookings for private igloos are now available, with the full event program to be released in the coming weeks.

For more information about The Winter Village, please visit https://thewintervillage.com.au/