Lightopia Festival At Heaton Park, Manchester Review

Reviewed by DT (initials used for privacy reasons)

I have 10 year old twins who get very excited about all things Christmas. They started writing their Christmas wish lists some weeks ago.   They love family outings and so I had a feeling that they would love Lightopia Festival.  We easily found where we were heading for using the Waze app and got dropped off a few minutes walk away from Heaton Park, Manchester which is the location of the event.  It was a great opportunity for my twin sons to wear their new Christmas jumpers.

We arrived quite a while before our 5pm slot and so we had a short wait outside the park before being let in by a helpful member of staff around 10 minutes before our slot.  At 5pm prompt, staff called us forward and quickly and efficiently checked tickets and let people into the event.  All staff we came across throughout our visit to the event were knowledgeable, approachable and helpful.  We had a short walk down a lit pathway to the light trail.  At the end of this pathway, we sat on a bench to wait for the other members of our party who had parked and entered the light trail at a slightly different point to us. They had just a short walk to reach us from where they had entered the light trail
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The children and adults alike were mesmerised by the lights and music.  Some of us found ourselves singing along to the music that was playing. We recognised many of the songs.  There was the opportunity to stop as we walked along and take pictures.  So much thought had clearly gone into the layout and selection of lights. There was a good mix of different types of lights, from animals to mythical looking creatures.

We soon reached the highlight of the light trail for my sons which was 2 drums which you could play to make the lights work.  This was competitive and fun.   We carried on walking along at our own pace.  Along the way were plenty of opportunities to go on rides or buy refreshments. For those who fancied a sit down with their refreshments, I spotted plenty of tables and chairs around.  There were also plenty of toilet facilities at various points the trail as well as a festive tram ride.

The highlight for me was the water show on the lake.  It made everything feel so festive and really was something special.

Refreshments, rides and the tram ride did cost extra. 2 of the guests in our party went on the Ferris Wheel and this cost £10.00.  The 15 minute tram ride cost £10.00 for a family of 4 but we didn’t go on it ourselves.  It did look fun though.  I purchased 2 light up spinners for my twin sons which cost £8 each as well as buying the 3 of us a drink each and some donuts to share.  The refreshments cost £12.00 which is around what I would expect for such an event.

My sons and I plus the other guests in our party had a wonderful time.  It really got us into the festive mood.  Once we got back to where we started the light trail we walked back down the lit pathway that we walked down upon arrival to the pedestrian exit near the tram stop.

I would recommend Lightopia Festival to others and hope to be able to return next year with my sons if the event is on again. It was an enchanting evening which I will treasure as a special family memory.

Rating: 5/5

Lightopia Festival is on from 24^th November 2022 until 2^nd January 2023.

Tickets cost from £17.50 for an adult and £11.00 for a child.  Under 2’s are £0.00. A family ticket (2 adults + 2 children) costs from £49.00. Parking costs £5.00 and it best to prebook it.

For more information or to book tickets please visit https://manchester.lightopiafestival.com/