17 November 2024
Christmas at Kew is one of my absolute favourite of London’s most-do festive traditions. The original, biggest and best of all the light shows staged in gardens and country houses across the capital, this year is bigger and better than ever with more than 1 million lights over an expanded 3km route throughout the gardens, featuring over 20 dazzling installations. And all accompanied by a winning mix of pop music and sacred Christmas choral classics – one minute you are dancing to Abba’s Dancing Queen down a Rainbow coloured light path, the next listening to the most angelic choristers. A clever mix of returning favourite installations and new surprises ensures the event feels fresh and innovative and you could easily spend two hours walking the route. It includes this year flaming Christmas trees, a Harry Potter themed forrest of twinkling delights, laser light tunnels and new overhead projections of stars on walkways that burst to life when you step on them (I became the biggest kid in the park), plus great food, mulled wine and hot chocolate, and a breathtaking finale with lasers and lights illuminating the palm house and the fountains in front of it. Also new this year you can even add on a stunning three-course Christmas meal in The Botanical Brasserie while watching the finale. We had an incredible seasonal soup and turkey dinner and it was great to warm up inside. It’s true that the weather can be a bit of a lottery but I’m booking for 2025 as soon as tickets go on sale.