Christmas at Kew

Enter the lush world of Kew Gardens for a magical, festive evening frolic. Tall silver trees proudly mark the start of the trail, Tom Baker’s jovial voice welcoming guests. Walk along the glimmering tree lined paths to reach some beautifully designed illuminations. The displays range from the traditional – a series of fire based installations taking their inspiration from The Twelve Days of Christmas to hundreds of bulbs reaching beyond the pathway, creating a mesmerizing display of changing colours.

Music accompanies your walk, whether choral, pop, or live performed by ‘elves’ with the accompaniment of passing children. The music adds atmosphere and enhances the magic of the winter walk.

There’s also ample opportunity to purchase over-priced hot drinks to help banish the cold, and tempting Christmas bakes. There’s a café stop halfway round for those wanting something a little more substantial as well as a small fairground for children to enjoy. One of the great things about Christmas at Kew is that it can be enjoyed equally by children and adults. Younger visitors will revel in the live performances but adults too can’t help but be drawn in to the beauty of the lights. The final illumination a beautiful, impressive light display projected onto the Palm house had all entranced and made a wonderful end to the evening.

Kew gardens is always a special place to visit and it was a real treat to see it decked out in lights for the festive season. Beyond the shining lights there were also opportunities for education – certain trees having been picked out for the Christmas trail, notes illuminated for ease of reading. Almost all highlighted the damage humans cause, leading many species to be in danger of extinction. This adds a more serious, thoughtful note to the evening as you marvel at the natural and man-made wonders mixing harmoniously to create a spectacular walk.