A humongous light trail that takes over south west London’s 300-acre World Heritage Site botanic garden, Christmas at Kew has become a key date in London’s festive calendar since its first iteration in 2013. Visitors embarking on the 3km trail will get see the space lit up with over 20 larger-than-life illuminations, with both the venue’s glass houses and the trees that cover its grounds drenched in different hues. The whole thing is stunning, but don’t miss the lake, where you’ll catch reflections of the vibrant bulbs dancing on the water, taking the magical feeling to another level. Keep yourself toasty along the way with warming winter snacks from food vendors curated by Kerb, and make sure you pop by the grotto to say hi to Father Christmas himself.
How to get Christmas at Kew tickets
As the UK’s original festive light trail, tickets to this illuminated adventure tend to sells out fast. If you haven’t yet secured tickets, you may have to be flexible about which days and times you can attend in order to have a chance of visiting, with very few timeslots left before Christmas. Keep an eye on Kew Garden’s booking page, which tells you what dates and times at each of the different entrances are available. If you’re willing to wait until the New Year, there are currently a decent number of tickets available for the first week of January. And if your desired dates are booked up, it’s worth checking back regularly for returns.
What are the prices and opening times?
Tickets for non-members start at £25.50 for off-peak slots and £32 at peak times. Members can get discounted tickets with prices starting at £21.50 and going to £26 for peak times. Family and child tickets are also available.
Christmas at Kew is open from 4.20pm to 10pm. Each visitor is given a specific time slot, with the last entry at 8pm.
How long does it take to walk around Christmas at Kew?
That’s really down to you. The glittering trail is 3km long so, depending on your speed and how long you spend taking in refreshments, visiting the fairground, toasting marshmallows and stopping by to see Father C, it can take up to two hours to walk around.