Plant care basics

Christmas at Kew round up

Last week I was lucky enough to grab tickets to the (now sold out) Christmas at Kew event for this year.

Kew Members get a discount on entry to these special events – normally £18 for adults. So I got together with some of my family to check it out.

A magical night

My was that it would be night-time, and there would be some basic sparkly lights.

But I was blown out of the water by what we found.

In reality, it is a full scale, ambitious and engaging light festival – one that would hold its own against White Nights held in cities around the world.

While the installations were only loosely botanical-themed, their beauty, and dynamism were a treat for the whole family.

Christmas at Kew highlights

An animated bifrost arch creates a bridge of light taking you onto the start of the trail. Later Will o’ the Wisps carry waves of coloured light across the forest floor, and the branches of the cherry tree walkway and a heritage beech tree are festooned with sparkling lights. ✨

My personal favourite was the 18m high twinkling Waterfall by ITHACA, with streams of lights cascading down from the Treetop Walkway, pooling at the bottom. They twinkled and danced to music through a short show, and it was utterly mesmerising.

No photo or video could it justice – it has to be experienced to be believed!

Elsewhere the clever laser and light shows projected onto and across from Kew’s world-famous Temperate and Palm glasshouses were also spectacular.

Stepping into Christmas

All installations were accompanied by Christmas music from the movies and classic carols. Although it was only the end of November, and the evening was pretty chilly and a little drizzly, it warmed my heart. By the end I was very much in the festive mood. 🎄

All in all, we spent over 2 hours walking the trail, and having a go on the fairground rides. Although the £18 entry initially seemed steep, for a lovely memorable night out, and with the Kew Member discount, it does seem worth it. And as always, the money raised supports Kew and their amazing conservation work.

Although all tickets are sold out for this year’s events, I’ll be in line when they launch for the 2020 festive season!

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