Best Christmas light trails near Bristol 2024

I’m all for adorning as many things in twinkly lights as possible, beaming neon-coloured lights into the world and making foliage glitter! One of our yuletide family traditions is to visit one of the magical Christmas light trails near Bristol each December and they never fail to get us into the festive spirit! Here are seven of the best Christmas illumination events in Bristol and the surrounding West Country.

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Christmas lights Bristol 2024

Christmas displays in Bristol

This Facebook group will be rounding up the best places to find Bristol Christmas lights festive house displays around Bristol on Google maps, with coded driving and walking trails. These are Bristol and South Gloucestershire houses that have gone above and beyond with their outdoor illuminated Christmas decorations.

Christmas lights to visit near Bristol

Avon Valley Christmas Nights

2024 dates: 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 December.

With stunning light installations and play areas creatively lit up, Avon Valley are bringing you a family-friendly, Christmas light trail.

Not included in the Christmas Nights event ticket, but available to purchase separately is the Avon Valley Christmas Experience. Combine the sparkly Christmas light display with letter writing to Santa, a miniature train ride (the Elf Express bound for the North Pole – just watch out for the Grinch), Dinosaur Valley, a festive fun fair and Christmas disco in the playbarn! Visitors can follow and interact with a family-friendly festive light trail around the park, with the lake providing a spectacular backdrop.

There’s also reindeer food-making, Mrs Claus giving gingerbread-cooking advice in her kitchen, a magical forest and adventure park attractions.

Enhance your experience EVEN FURTHER by booking Ice Skating at Avon Valley on the same day.

Westonbirt Christmas Lights 2024

2024 dates: selected evenings, 29 November – 31 December

By day, Westonbirt Arboretum is breathtakingly beautiful, come Enchanted Christmas nights, the forest is transformed into a magical festive feast for the senses, ablaze with colour, twinkly fairy lights and sensory surprises. Grab a hog roast bap and mulled cider from one of the stalls to quaff on your way along the mile-long illuminated trail through the trees and witness the wonder and commotion that comes with elves creating Westonbirt’s Christmas lights walkthrough.

Out of the darkness come glittering disco balls, talking trees and colour-changing decorations hanging from sparkling branches – a new surprise awaits around every twist and turn.

As well as mesmerising light displays for Christmas, there are natural crafts and the chance to get a glimpse of a very special guest from the North Pole…Festive treats don’t get much more magical than this!

Read my review of Westonbirt Light Show here

Sudeley Castle Spectacle of Light

2024 dates: 22-24, 29-30 Nov., 1, 6-8, 12-15, 17-23, 27-30 Dec.

One of the most beautiful winter lights trails I’ve ever been to, Sudeley Castle’s Spectacle of Light is brimming with wow moments and sparkly thrills. Christmas illuminations are all set against the backdrop of 15th century castle ruins – explore the gleaming grounds, full of glamorous topiary, dazzling plants, flickering flames and sparkling water features. This year’s theme is The Wizard of OZ!

Fuel the festive merriment with whacking great cream-topped hot chocolates on your way round, and soak up the Yuletide buzz emanating from the Salvation Army band, tooting Christmas classics on their instruments.

Keep your peepers open on the journey from Bristol – the Cotswold town of Winchcombe is a quintessentially English town that wouldn’t look out of place in a Hollywood blockbuster’s re-imagining of England in winter. 

Click here to check availability and book tickets to Sudeley Festival of Light 2024

Wookey Hole at Christmas

2024 dates: 23-24, 30 November -1 December, 7-8, 14-15, 21-24, December

Wookey Hole bedeck their caves with 100,000 festive lights for the Christmas season, turning the subterranean world into a colourful twinkling grotto (with a few Santas and reindeer thrown in for good measure).

Guided tours take you through the magnificent caverns (home to the legendary Witch of Wookey) and then you’re free to explore above ground, where you’ll find a wonderful wizard, gigantic gorilla, fairy garden, animatronic dinosaurs, 4D cinema, live shows, soft play, a Victorian-style arcade and a chance to meet Santa and his elves. 

Click here to check availability of tickets for Wookey Hole Christmas

Festival of Light at Longleat

2024 dates: 9 November 2024 to 5 January 2025

Of all the illuminated Christmas trails near Bristol, Longleat’s Festival of Light is one of the biggest! This year’s Christmas lights Festival at Longleat will whisk visitors through an historical wonderland with kings and queens, a giant 12 metre clock, the spectacular colours of The Arabian Nights or with the impressive House light show in celebration of Longleat opening its doors 75 years ago.

Extra festive flavour comes from mesmerising light displays from Britain’s biggest singing Christmas tree, a daytime winter safari and boarding the Santa Train to a snow-covered winter wonderland to meet Father Christmas and his elves (book separately).

Click here to find out more about the Longleat illuminations 2024

Christmas lights trail at Stourhead

2024 dates – 29 November-1 January 2025

The National Trust’s Stourhead, with its 18th century landscaped garden, lakeside walks, grottoes and classical temples is transformed with over a million twinkling lights at its Christmas lights event.

Wander along the illuminated mile-long trail to see the beautiful gardens dripping with festive colour. Discover gigantic luminescent sculptures rising high into the night sky, glittering trees swathed in light, giant baubles and a fire garden aglow with flames, all enhanced by a soundtrack of festive tunes.

Click here to view prices for Stourhead Festival of Light

Old Down Estate Illumination Trail 2024

2024 dates: November-24 December, 4.30pm – 6.45pm

Old Down Estate’s Christmas lights are back again for 2024. This year, the after-dark event will transport you to themed worlds, including the enchanting Ice Kingdom, Fairy Land, and vibrant Rainbows.

A selection of warming Yuletide treats will be available from the Barn Café – treat yourself to a hot chocolate or mulled wine, go on, it’s Christmas!

Dog-friendly light trail for well-behaved pups on leads.

Click here to check availability for Old Down Festive Illumination Trail

A Christmas Carol Drone Light Show Bristol

2024 dates: 19-20 December

After the success of previous drone light show Evolution, Yuup, the local experiences company, and Celestial, the drone light show specialists, are back with a brand new show.

Aim your eyes to the skies above Bristol for A Christmas Carol, the captivating new animated drone light show. Witness Charles Dickens’ timeless Christmas classic comes to life in the sky.

There’ll also be festive food stalls, mouthwatering local street food, fairground rides, and music at Seat Unique Stadium, home of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, Nevil Rd, Bristol, BS7 9EJ, near Gloucester Road, Bristol.

Gates and food village open at 2.30pm (early show) & 7pm (late show), show starts at 4.50pm (early show) & 8.45pm (late show) and ends at 5.35pm (early show) & 9.30pm (late show).

Suitable for all ages.

Find out more about this Christmas drone light show on the Yuup website

ILLUMINATE at Hestercombe House and Gardens, Taunton

2024 dates: 21 November-30 December

Hestercombe’s Christmas illumination event casts a kaleidoscopic spotlight on their historic gardens, with new water features and musical accompaniments for 2024. The technicolour Christmas displays wind a route through the natural features of the Landscape Garden, towards the Great Cascade, and back down past the Pear Pond and through a ‘Christmas tree’ grove below the Formal Garden, before finishing with a show-stopping display in front of Hestercombe House.

The Bampfylde Hall will be open for hot food, snacks, cakes and drinks throughout the evening.

Read more

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