Christmas light walks

[Shoobydooer]

DS6 has an early December birthday and I've been looking at all the Christmas light trails as a nice surprise. There's a fair few around us in NT gardens, there's a Harry Potter one, etc.

They all cost a small fortune! Despite the fantasy of lovely children wandering around enraptured with delight, my gut is telling me it won't really be worth it and I'll end up with overtired DCs who aren't bothered and grumpy DP trying to get them home quick to bed. They all seem to cost £70 upwards for a 45 min slot, plus snacks, petrol, parking as well.

How can they justify these absurd prices?! Can anyone tell me if they are worth it?

@KloppsTeeth

I thought this was going to be about going for evening walks in the local area looking at people’s home Christmas lights!

We do London lights every year (not helpful to the OP!) but last year ended up doing just this. It was actually lovely. I think people made more effort with decorations, really going to town.

@Floralnomad No, it's Killerton in Devon. I think several of them are jumping on the bandwagon now. Such a shame. It was lovely as it was with just some plain fairy lights round a few trees and some coloured filters over the floodlights that lit up some bigger trees. Add a cup of tea and a mince pie in the tea room followed by a browse in the shop and it was a perfect festive evening out.
I'm sure the new show will be amazing and I understand it will cost a fortune to produce, hence the high ticket prices, but there was nothing wrong with how it was. I also think it goes against the conservation ethos of the National Trust. Having thousands of people tramp along - and eroding - a footpath and having excessively bright / colourful lights and music in a place that's full of wildlife that would normally be asleep in the dark and silence seems a bit wrong.

If you're looking at Arley Hall, you must be vaguely near us. We've booked onto biddulph grange NT. no slots left to get a present from Santa but £30 for 2 adults, 2 children. Lots of normal tickets with out the big man visit left.

Blackpool Christmas light show is free plus a free “ice” rink. If you have bikes you can join the Christmas ride the lights in December. No traffic but usually hundreds of bikes which people are being encouraged to decorate with lights.

There’s a lantern parade on 5th December in Knutsford, might be worth a look and it’s free
www.knutsfordtowncouncil.gov.uk/event/lantern-parade-crib-service-2021

My goodness I didnt think they were that expensive!

When my DS was small we uses to walk the streets looking at the lights. And go and see all the trees in the various villages.

Honestly? We went last year to the light trail at Waddesdon and didn't enjoy it. It was ridiculously overcrowded, the DDs were cold and miserable, there was a Christmas market on and we couldn't get anywhere near it because of the crowds. I thought it would be a lovely, family memory to treasure but instead I just remember tramping through mud for what felt like miles to get back to the car with gritted teeth while DD2 cried because she was cold and DD1 complained she was tired. Never again!

I work at a place that does this - in fact I went last night and it was bloody glorious. However, I didn’t have to pay!

It’s bloody expensive but places are booking up fast, so there must be an appetite for it in spite of the price.

Yeah, I did one and was shocked at how much they charge. We went and it was nice but I wouldn't do it again. Very very muddy and it's just looking at lights.

My dc are 5 and 8 this year and we're not bothering. Weve done one Brilliant one in the past and one freezing cold, raining one that was rubbish really. We're doing a local walk this year!

We went with dd and family to one at Blenheim last year - to be fair it was pretty spectacular.

A really nice (free!) idea last year, in dd’s area, was Advent windows. Each of 24 houses locally undertook to decorate a front window on a given date, so kids could walk around after dark and admire them. Very successful and the kids loved it.

You must be near us. We've done Chester zoo for the last 4/5 years, normally on DS birthday but I left it too late to book this year and missed the boat. Dunham was also full and we're not into HP so Arley was out. Ended up booking Luminate at Walton Hall. Feel like I might regret it but wanted to keep the tradition.

I've recently been to Ignite at a NT place. It was terrible. I left a very critical review! It took about half an hour to walk round and was just bad. We went to one a few years ago by Glow and that was much better.

I appreciate what pps have said about the cost of staging these events and the professional design and installation of it all. And that so many of them are sold out means there's plenty of people who don't mind the price. Don't think it's the right thing for DCs this year though, I'd be gutted if it just ended up being a miserable waste of money.

[quote careerchangeperhaps]@Floralnomad No, it's Killerton in Devon. I think several of them are jumping on the bandwagon now. Such a shame. It was lovely as it was with just some plain fairy lights round a few trees and some coloured filters over the floodlights that lit up some bigger trees. Add a cup of tea and a mince pie in the tea room followed by a browse in the shop and it was a perfect festive evening out.
I'm sure the new show will be amazing and I understand it will cost a fortune to produce, hence the high ticket prices, but there was nothing wrong with how it was. I also think it goes against the conservation ethos of the National Trust. Having thousands of people tramp along - and eroding - a footpath and having excessively bright / colourful lights and music in a place that's full of wildlife that would normally be asleep in the dark and silence seems a bit wrong. [/quote]
It's so sad that Killerton has done this, even with the 'tiny' members discount it is going to be too expensive for many. The event at Saltram has been scaled back too which is sad, despite the parking issues it's always been a lovely event.

We did one last year and will do one again this year. But, DD is a teen and the family with whom we go also has older kids so we know they enjoy it.

A 6 year old - no way. Most families with smaller children were far too busy trying to stop crying ones or dragging around bored children.

I would look for something else.

I'm trying my first one this year op. However I have do feel rather like other Xmas experiences eg lap and come and see an old donkey dressed up... Compared to lapand UK... Which is amazing...

There are going to be light walks and light walks.

The one I'm going too I'm expecting to be amazing.

@Runwayqueen - yes, we've visited Saltram too in recent years. That was more of a 'production' than the old Killerton offering but there was no additional cost for members. I fully expect that if / when it reappears, it will be a ticketed event that members have to pay for.

Couple of pics I took from Arley
The finale was amazing