The UK’s original festive light trail returns to Kew Gardens in London.
Wednesday 13 November 2024 – Sunday 5 January 2025
Release date: 24 July 2024
- Two new world premiere installations
- Seasonal favourite returns, including spectacular Palm House light show
- Experience the magic of nature by night in Kew’s stunning landscape
- Each ticket sold supports Kew’s mission to protect plants and fungi for future generations
This November, Christmas at Kew returns with a showcase of new installations and world premieres which will allow visitors to see Kew Gardens’ UNESCO World Heritage Site in an entirely new light. A firm festive favourite since 2013, Christmas at Kew has led the way for other festive light trails across the country, celebrating the best of nature by night and providing a plethora of opportunity to create magical memories. Bringing Kew’s incredible natural architecture to life, this year’s trail will feature perennial favourites including towering pea lit trees, a festive funfair and the charming Christmas Cathedral.
Brand new installations and world premieres
This year’s trail will feature two world premieres, with bespoke new installations on display to visitors for the first time anywhere in the world as part of Christmas at Kew. Ombre by TILT takes the form of a series of giant plants in bloom, springing up from the landscape in a spectrum of vibrant shades. Threshold by Studio Vertigo is an illuminated helix-like shape, bathed in golden yellow light to evoke the warmth and joy of the festive season.
Camellia Walk will be transformed into a snowy lane, showcasing the spectacular tree canopy and evoking a wintery wonderland at the start of the trail. Other highlights include Fish are Jumping by Dutch artists TOER and Mist Arches by Culture Creative creating an atmospheric ambience across Kew’s Lake Crossing.
Festive favourites
Other highlights on the trail include returning favourites such as the spectacular light show on the Temperate House, evocative Fire Garden and seasonal selfie-spot Christmas Cathedral. Many of Kew’s striking plants and trees will be highlighted along the route, allowing visitors to soak up the spectacle of nature from a new perspective and bask in vibrant colour as twilight falls. The much-loved Palm House finale will return for 2024, showcasing Kew’s iconic glasshouse in showstopping style.
To add an extra touch of magic to the Christmas at Kew experience, visitors can book a delicious traditional Christmas dinner at The Botanical Brasserie. Along the route, visitors can also find delicious food and drink from independent street food vendors.
Sustainability at Christmas at Kew
As part of our 2021-2030 Sustainability Strategy, every year Kew works closely with our Christmas at Kew event partners and suppliers to design and deliver a beautiful Christmas light trail in a way that is as sustainable as possible - and every year we are making improvements to achieve a lower impact Christmas at Kew event for thousands to enjoy. In 2005, Kew Gardens became the first World Heritage Site in the world to achieve ISO 14001 accreditation. ISO 14001 is an internationally agreed standard for environmental management, helping organisations to improve their environmental performance through more efficient use of resources and reduction of waste.
Where possible, all lighting on the trail is LED and we are working hard to transition towards 100% LED lighting for the artworks which form the Christmas at Kew trail over the next couple of years. This year all Christmas at Kew generators are being run on renewably sourced biofuel.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: “Christmas at Kew is always a much-anticipated highlight of the year, and this year’s trail is already shaping up to be a truly magical seasonal spectacle. With a selection of brand-new installations alongside firm favourites which have become iconic parts of the Christmas at Kew experience, we’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to enjoy the beauty of Kew Gardens by night later on this year.”
At Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, Glow Wild celebrates its 11th year with charming bespoke installations and the world’s largest living Christmas tree. Tickets for Christmas at Kew and Glow Wild are available to purchase now at:www.kew.org
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew’s world-leading research, global partnerships and beloved gardens– home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi– Kew is using its trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity Kew relies on the critical support of its visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.
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Christmas at Kew admission:
Tickets on sale now:www.kew.org/christmas
Entrances at Victoria Gate, Brentford Gate and Elizabeth Gate.
Advance booking only.
Advance prices:
Adult from £25.50
Family from £77
Child 4 – 16 from £16
Under 4s free
Kew member from £21.50
Please note that peak/off-peak pricing applies
Dates
Christmas at Kew runs on selected dates from from Wednesday 13 November 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025 and is open on the following dates:
Wednesday 13 November – Sunday 17 November 2024
Wednesday 20 November – Sunday 24 November 2024
Tuesday 26 November – Sunday 1 December 2024
Tuesday 3 December – Tuesday 24 December 2024
Thursday 26 December 2024 – Sunday 5 January 2025
Christmas at Kew is open 4.20pm to 10pm and you choose a time slot for entry at time of booking.
For more information, images, or to unsubscribe from this list please contact the Press Office atpr@kew.org / 0208 332 5607
Notes to Editors
About Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew’s scientists and partners lead the way in the fight against biodiversity loss and finding nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, aided by five key scientific priorities outlined in Kew’s Science Strategy 2021-2025. Kew Gardens is also a major international and top London visitor attraction. Kew’s 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, and Wakehurst, Kew’s Wild Botanic Garden and ‘living laboratory’, attract over 2.5 million visits every year. Kew Gardens was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and celebrated its 260th anniversary in 2019. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew received approximately one third of its funding from Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils. Further funding needs to support RBG Kew’s vital scientific and educational work comes from donors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. Since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 88,000 visitors with £1 tickets.
About RG Live, a division of Sony Music
As an inaugural partner for the very first Christmas at Kewin 2013, RG Live (Raymond Gubbay Limited), a division of Sony Music, has now been leading the industry in the delivery and creation of light trails for over ten years.They now have over 15 illuminated Christmas and Halloween trails across the UK and a further 10 Lightscape trails around the world. Their chosen partners are national and international heritage venues and each trail is carefully designed to showcase the natural and unique environment of that individual setting. RGL also presents over 500 concerts annually throughout the UK and worldwide.
www.rg.live | FB @RGLive| Twitter @RGLiveTickets
About Culture Creative
Culture Creative is a creative project and production management company based in Scotland and the North East of England. The Company works across a wide range of cultural fields including art, sport, heritage, tourism, festivals and events, developing projects from concept to delivery. Since 2013, Culture Creative has worked closely with leading entertainment promoter Raymond Gubbay Ltd. a division of Sony Music, to create Lightscape and Christmas themed trails in various venues across the UK and overseas.
www.culturecreative.co.uk | FB @culturecreativeltd | Twitter @CCLCreative | Instagram @culturecreativeltd
