Entertainment

Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.

Reviewed by Amanda Hayes

It really was a crisp and cold evening as we arrived at Leeds Castle, Maidstone, for their Christmas Light trail.  The lights and lasers are so bright you can see them shining from the motorway, which really adds to the excitement.  Leeds Castle has very easy access from several major roads and is situated just off the M20 Junction 8, where we found it to be very well signposted from the motorway junction to the parking at the start of the trail.  We picked a prime time to arrive, 6.30pm on a Saturday night, and there was a long stream of cars arriving, but the attendants were both quick to scan the parking ticket and manoeuvre you into a vacant parking space.  From there it is a short walk to the castle entrance where the trail starts.  Just outside there is a large block of toilets, which is very handy if you have had a long drive like we did!

Looking towards the entrance we saw a really long queue to get in but were pleasantly surprised to find it went really quickly.  Entry to the trail is by time slot only, 15 minutes per slot, with the first entry at 16.15 and the last at 20.00, I’m not sure how may people are allowed per time slot, but the trail was very busy at our time, especially with pushchairs, so you may want to choose a later time if you prefer it slightly less congested.  

At the start of the trail is a map showing the light installations and the location of the various food stalls along the route, which is all hard paved and fairly flat, so suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs & mobility scooters.  Due to the way the land rises and falls at Leeds Castle you can see parts of some of the light installations from the start of the trail, giving you a little taste of things to come, but the one that strikes you straight away is the magnificent colour changing Christmas tree, it is a sight to behold.  I don’t want to give away any more of the surprises that greet you as you walk round, but rest assured the Castle itself looks fantastic.  Around halfway round is the stopping point for the fairground rides and food stalls, which was covered in a carpet type material, so you aren’t standing in mud at any point.  There are four rides, suitable for younger children, at £3.00 a ride surrounding a covered, tented seating area, which looks really Christmassy surrounded in lights.  There are food & drink stalls suitable for most palettes with everything from burgers to Greek gyros.

A little further round is a stall where you can buy single speciality marshmallows and toast them over the fire.  It was lovely to take time and warm up with our chocolate orange flavoured treats, other options were vanilla and salted caramel, all at £1.80 each.

The trail continues and concludes with several more jaw dropping light displays, every display is backed with music which makes each one even more special.  They also each have a QR code which you can scan to find out further information about the designer, music, and the building of the display.  The good thing is you can scan this to your phone and look later with a hot drink when your hands have warmed up, you don’t have to read it right there and then.

Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle, is a fabulous family evening out, full of festive songs and sparkling lights and takes around 60-90 minutes to complete, probably more on a quieter evening when you can take more time over each display.  Its easy motorway access, simple parking and breath-taking displays make it a must do for the festive season.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tickets cost from £20.00 for adults & £15 for children age 3-16 years.
Tickets can be purchased here

Christmas Lights at Leeds Castle can be found at Leeds Castle, Broomfield, Maidstone, ME17 1RG

Show More
Back to top button