Christmas at Kew is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022, and guess what? It has returned to the Kew Gardens in London, UK, with some amazing new Christmas light displays, installations, and musical shows! We visited the event on 22nd Nov and explored the enchanting winter light trail. If you are curious to know what’s new at Christmas at Kew 2022 Gardens festival, this travel guide (with photos) will help you. Keep reading!
About Christmas at Kew, London
Christmas at Kew is a magical winter light trail across Kew Gardens featuring spectacular light, laser and sound shows, mind-blowing light displays, fun rides for kids & adults, illuminated heritage trees, delicious sweets & savories, and lots more! Walk through the enchanting trail in the evening and experience the magic of Christmas!
➡️ Christmas at Kew 2023 Date
Christmas at Kew 2023 festival started from 15th November 2023 and will run till 7 January 2024.
Christmas at Kew is open 4.20pm to 10pm (last entry 8pm*) . Entrance will be via Victoria Gate, Elizabeth Gate and Brentford Gate, depending on your ticket selection.
➡️ Christmas at Kew London location
Kew, Richmond, London, TW9 3AE
020 8332 5655
info@kew.org
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➡️ Is it free to visit Christmas at Kew London?
No! You need to pay for this event. I’d recommend advance booking 🙂.
Standard advance adult: Off peak £21.50/ Peak £28.00
Kew member: Off peak £18.50/ Peak £25.00.
Family tickets available
For parking, please visit their official page for more info.
➡️ How much time does it take to walk around Christmas at Kew trail?
It takes about 2.5-3 hours to walk around the Christmas at Kew light trail. We entered via Victoria Gate and exited through the same. I had some issues with my phone and camera batteries (read my IG post). Hence, we took some extra time to cover the trail.
➡️ Are there toilets at the Christmas at Kew Gardens 2022 venue?
There are accessible toilets at Victoria Plaza and Brentford Gate. You’ll also find the toilets near Kerb food village.
➡️ Is food available at Christmas at Kew Gardens, London?
Yes! Apart from the KERB food village, you’ll also find several food stalls along the trail, selling mulled wine, hot chocolates, and delicious snacks. You can also dine at the Botanical restaurant, Kew Gardens.
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Highlights of Christmas at Kew Gardens 2022, London:
Every year we decide to visit at least one Christmas special event. Last year it was Lightopia , and this year, Kew Gardens festival. Since this was our first time visiting the Christmas at Kew (in fact, the Kew Botanic Gardens), we reached the destination before our due time slot at 7.40 pm. I would suggest booking a 5 pm slot for a better experience.
We selected Victoria gate (the best one) while booking our tickets. So your trail experience might slightly differ from ours if you choose another entrance gate. Upon entering, the staff will check your tickets, and security personnel will check your handbags.
The trail starts from Victoria Plaza and ends at the same place. From the beginning of the light trail, you’ll come across plenty of food stalls. Hence foodies, no worries!
The red-colored glittery photo booths are perfect for instagrammable selfies or Christmassy family photos.
➡️ WATCH CHRISTMAS AT KEW 2022 FULL WALKTHOUGH VIDEO ON MY CHANNEL 😍❤️.
The Rays of Light:
The first installation of Christmas at Kew 2022 is the Rays of light. The combination of soothing music and beams of light in vivid colors as rays makes the 2-minutes show worth the watch!
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Liquid Sky:
The next show is Liquid sky. A spectacular hi-tech overhead projection show that displays the clouds and colorful strings merged into one in the sky as a lovely song plays in the background. I loved the music and noticed that the show looks better when you watch it from the corner of the path.
The pictures don’t do this any justice, honestly!
The Fire Garden:
On the way to the fire garden, you can stop by the food & drink stall and see the colorful glowing curvy line structures installations. You can also catch a glimpse of another lighting show along the trail. The Fire garden lighting will return in 2023 as well!
The fire garden, as the name suggests, displays flickering flames. The illuminated trees, the smoke & warmth, the scent, the glimmering flames, and the human-shaped cutouts placed over some of those flames installations as if dancing will certainly leave you enchanted!
The Frost Tree:
Located adjacent to the fire garden is the Frost Tree! A huge heritage tree illuminated with thousands of golden fairy lights. Since the area is well-lit, it’s perfect for photography. You can capture a nice picture of yourself here.
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Earth Tones, Holly Walk:
The next attraction is the Earth Tones, Holly Walk, which is the Christmas at Kew’s new installation for 2022, designed by NOVAK. It’s a wonderful immersive floor animation wherein you’d see animated flowers, leaves, and spiders as you walk. We thoroughly enjoyed our Holly Walk, plus the newly crafted score by composer Ed Carter that played in the background.
Fair Ground Rides:
Here comes the children’s favorite zone, the fairground rides. However, as soon as you pass Holly Walk, do not forget to say ‘HELLO’ to our dear Santa. The designers of Christmas at Kew have placed the Santa model on the top of trees. So he can greet us from the top, I believe! You can spot him on the right-hand side of yourself.
There are 3-4 rides suitable for kids of all ages and adults. Tokens are available for £3.50 each on the night, or get 6 tokens for £18.
As you leave the Fairground, do not forget to take a selfie/photo with Santa Claus, in person.
Make A Wish For Nature Tree:
Another new addition to the Christmas at Kew 2022 trail is the “Make A Wish For Nature” trees. You can pick your wish about the world’s biodiversity and tie it to one of the wishing trees on the light trail. You can read more about it on the official page.
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The Kerb Food Village:
The next destination is the street food market, the famous Kerb Food Village. There are plenty of stalls selling yummy Indian snacks, Kati roll (AKA the original Kolkata kebab), delicious burgers, fries, and drinks.
Star Walk & Starry Night:
The next installation is the sparkling ‘Star Walk’ wherein you would walk through some giant blue-colored glowing star-shaped arches.
A few steps away, the new magical ‘Starry Night’ of ArtAV awaits you. Thousands of glistening lights hanging from the top branches of trees to the bottom will instantly make you sing ‘twinkle twinkle little stars’ and leave you mesmerized.
Just like you entered the zone, you’ll again exit via the same giant star structures.
Illusion Hole:
Illusion Hole by UxU Studio is Christmas at Kew 2022 event’s another new installation. It’s an interesting optical illusion show depicting the flow of water via moving lights into an unknown black hole. We spotted two birds sitting at the edges of the geometrically designed installation from the bridge.
Floraison:
Our next stop was Floraison, an exquisite floral lighting installation. Upon entering the illuminated garden, you’d notice numerous luminous red flowers above your head on the branches of trees. Take your time and wander around this heavenly setup, which is truly a feast for the eyes!
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Feathers:
Another newest addition to the Christmas at Kew 2022 London is this ‘Feathers by Pyrite Creative’ installation. You’ll find about 16 UV feathers that are handcrafted in steel rod and painted to glow pure white at night. They can twist and turn and float away!
From afar, they looked more like fish bones 😜. Lol, kidding 😛😬!!
Sea of Light Show:
An imposing one-minute light and sound show wherein thousands of colorful LED lights twinkle to a specially composed music soundtrack on the grass.
Twelve days of Christmas:
Get into the festive vibes as you enter the Twelve Days of Christmas zone! You’ll see twelve different models, from animals and birds to objects made of dry twigs, placed on both sides of the trail.
Willow Hives:
‘Willow Hives by LuminARTi’ installation, a highlight of the festival, is one of the interesting Christmas light displays at the Kew Gardens. These organic features are attached to the illuminated tree and look absolutely stunning.
As you move towards the next attraction, you’ll come across a beautiful festive floor projection of Christmas crackers with funny jokes about Snowmen, Turkey, and Santa.
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Cathedral Of Light:
The world-renowned ‘Cathedral of Light’ returns to Christmas at Kew in 2023 as well. Inspired by arched church windows and appearing from a distance to be a dome-shaped structure, the Cathedral is illuminated by tens of thousands of LED floral patterned fairy lights. The tunnel of lights makes for a perfect backdrop for your selfies!
Along the winter-festive trail, you will find beautiful white colored flower-shaped light displays and another illuminated huge heritage tree.
People who came through Brentford gate, their trail ends here. And visitors who enter through Victoria Gate will move toward the right lane. But wait! The trail and the shows aren’t over yet!
Grounding:
The ‘Grounding’- another fascinating light and sound show, wherein several lights, coming from the ground twinkle & dance to the beats of Christmas classics. The show lasts for about 3-4 minutes.
There are a few beautifully fairy-lights decorated mistletoe-lit structures, with seating arrangements dotted along the trail. Perfect place and ambiance for creating some romantic moments as the next show features doves!
Two in the Hand Show:
Amidst the darkness, you’ll find a host of doves nestled among the branches of a tree and ground. I loved the background score. Two in the Hand Show was nonetheless impressive!
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Pixel Tree:
If you have already started singing ‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year’ song, this is the perfect display for you! Pixel tree is a huge 12m long Christmas tree made of LEDs with a giant sparkling star. The bright, vivid lights, digital animations, and the much-loved Christmas song – we enjoyed everything about this sparkling Christmas tree.
Winter Water Land at the Palm House:
Oh my my 😍! The magnificent finale show Winter Water Land at the Palm House is a light, laser, sound, fire, and water show. Set against the backdrop of the Kew Gardens London’s iconic Palm House lit up with vibrant colors, the musical show includes various projections, several Christmas classics, vertical fountains, and fire displays across the glass house and the lake. The 7-minute show will keep you entertained till the end. We found this grand show totally value-for-money (Paisa vasool). Watch the full show on my channel.
And with this show, our Christmas at Kew 2022 light trail walk ends here. Please watch the full walkthrough video on my channel for better understanding 😍❤️.
We had a lovely time and fun at the Kew Gardens this year. However, I feel Christmas at Kew is ideal for adults than kids. The kid in me wanted to see more anime characters (like I saw in Lightopia last year) or interactive light displays. Besides, some areas are dark, while some gardens are stunningly illuminated, with an array of lights. Also, keep yourself warm by wearing proper winter outfits and having hot chocolate or mulled wine at the stalls.
With more than 15 interesting light displays, rainbow trees, and installations, Christmas at Kew is a wonderful festive attraction for families to visit this winter holiday season.
Highly recommended!
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I hope you found my guide to Christmas at Kew 2022 with photos and tips helpful and informative. Please share it with your friends as sharing is caring ❤️. Also, let me know, have you visited the Kew Gardens?
Oh wow, I am impressed with all these is to do! I wish I could visit London during the holidays. One day, I hope.
Those are so cool! We love to look at Christmas lights during the holidays, and this takes that concept to an entirely new level.
I’ve always wanted to visit London! Now I have a whole new reason to! I bet the city is GORGEOUS decorated with Christmas lights!
Wow – so many great things to see! That Frost Tree is beautiful! 🙂
I love all the lights. This is a place that I would love to visit.
How fun! I love this time of the year. Can’t wait to take my son. I’m sure he will love it!
Lights during Christmas time has always made the season more magical, and has made me more excited during this time.
This looks so beautiful! We have something similar here where I live. We’ve been wanting to go this year and check it out.
I love Kew, but have never been at Christmas, They do such a beautiful job with their light displays. It looks very festive!
Looks like an amazing place to visit, we are not far from Kew but not been in a very long time. I do love lights and find them so magical
This looks like a great place to visit during the Christmas holidays. I wish I could go visit now. Hopefully, one day.
What a beautiful place to visit, especially during the holidays. I would love to go here. I need to add it to my travel list.
I absolutely love the illuminations at Kew – good reminder for me to book thanks for the nudge!
Wow! This is so amazing and also informative at the same time! Thanks for sharing this guide!
Looks like a lot of fun and a wonderful way to get into the spirit of the season! I’d love to visit someday during the holidays…I think that would be magical!
What beautiful photos, the kew gardens look like a great place to visit this Christmas. Thank you for sharing your beautiful visit.
I am loving al, of the beautiful pictures and makes me wish I was closer so I could go with my family. So pretty and I love the Holidays!
This sounds like a great place to visit and has a lot of things to see. And it must be beautiful at Christmas time.
Those lights and decorations are so gorgeous, and I bet the food there is great!
I have never had the opportunity to go. I love the variation in light displays they are all so pretty. We worth going if I can from the look of it.
Those are all amazing places to visit! I will definitely keep these destinations in mind and add it to my bucket list.
The Kew Festival looks like a great place to visit, it will definitely get you into the festive mood.
wow! This is a magical place! I can feel the Christmas spirit over there! 🙂
Christmas is my favorite time of year. That would be a place I would love to explore. Bet it’s magical!
Wow this place looks so beautiful. Would love to visit there sometime.