Best Christmas Light Trails in Surrey 2026 (and Nearby)
We went to our first Christmas light trail at Kew back in 2016, when the boys were much younger, and absolutely loved it. There’s something really lovely about wrapping up warm, grabbing a hot chocolate and wandering around somewhere that’s been completely transformed with Christmas lights.
Since then, we’ve been to quite a few different light trails in Surrey and nearby. We’ve done Glow at Wisley, the old IGNITE trail at Polesden Lacey and, most recently, Illuminate Guildford in 2025. They’ve all been quite different too – from the huge trail at Kew to the much smaller experience at Guildford Castle.
So, if you’re looking for Christmas lights in Surrey in 2026, I’ve rounded up the light trails worth knowing about this year. I’ve included the ones we’ve visited ourselves, along with a few that are a little further away but still doable from Surrey.
If you’re looking for more ideas for days out locally, have a look at our Surrey Days Out guide too.
Christmas light trails in Surrey and nearby at a glance
| Light trail | Location | 2026 dates | Parking | How long to allow | Have we been? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illuminate Guildford | Guildford, Surrey | From 14 Nov 2026 | Town-centre car parks nearby | Trail 30–40 mins; allow around an hour with stops | Yes – 2025 |
| Wisley Glow | RHS Wisley, Surrey | Selected dates 20 Nov 2026–3 Jan 2027 | On-site parking | Around 1½–2 hours* | Yes – 2018 |
| Christmas at Kew | Richmond, London | Selected dates 13 Nov 2026–3 Jan 2027 | Limited pre-booked parking | 2+ hours | Yes – twice |
| Windsor Great Park Illuminated | Windsor, Berkshire | 13 Nov 2026–3 Jan 2027 | Limited; book in advance | Allow around 2 hours* | No |
| Leonardslee Lights | Lower Beeding, West Sussex | Selected evenings 27 Nov–30 Dec 2026 | Free on-site parking | 60–90 mins | No |
| Glow Wild at Wakehurst | Ardingly, West Sussex | Selected evenings 26 Nov 2026–2 Jan 2027 | Free on-site parking | Allow around 2 hours* | No |
| Light Up Hillier Gardens | Romsey, Hampshire | Returning for Christmas 2026 – dates TBC | Included; reserve when booking | Trail 45–60 mins | No |
*Suggested time to allow rather than an official published trail duration.
Our experience: We’ve personally visited Illuminate Guildford, Wisley Glow and Christmas at Kew. We also visited IGNITE at Polesden Lacey before it stopped running. The other trails in this guide are ones we’ve researched for 2026 but haven’t visited ourselves yet.
Illuminate Guildford
Where: Guildford Castle, Castle Street, Guildford GU1 3SX
When: From 14 November 2026
Trail time: Around 30–40 minutes
Illuminate is back at Guildford Castle for 2026, with a different route and new light installations compared with 2024 and 2025. The trail winds around the castle grounds and takes around 30–40 minutes to walk, with hot chocolate, mulled wine and marshmallow-toasting available along the way.
Its town-centre location is actually one of the things I like about it. Rather than driving somewhere specifically for a light trail and then driving straight home again, you can easily combine it with Christmas shopping, food or something else in Guildford.
Our experience of Illuminate Guildford
We visited Illuminate as a family in 2025 as part of a collaboration, and it’s definitely the smallest of the Christmas light trails we’ve done.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. We probably spent around an hour there altogether because we stopped for drinks and toasted marshmallows along the way.
We parked in one of the nearby Guildford car parks and made an evening of it. I think that’s probably how I’d do it again – combine the trail with Christmas shopping, dinner or another activity in Guildford rather than going into town just for the trail.
Our tip: If you have older kids or teens, I’d definitely make Illuminate part of a bigger Guildford trip. It’s short enough that you can easily do something else before or afterwards.
Wisley Glow – RHS Wisley Christmas Lights
Where: RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB
When: Selected dates from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Wisley Glow is one of the main Christmas light trails actually in Surrey, and the 2026 event has an enhanced route with new light and sound displays illuminating the gardens after dark. RHS recommends booking ahead as popular slots can sell out.
There’s food, drink and Christmas shopping available too, so you can easily turn it into more of an evening out rather than just walking the trail.
RHS Wisley is also much easier if you’re driving than some of the London options, with parking at the gardens. If you’re coming from the London direction, it’s worth checking the latest A3/M25 travel information before setting off as the road layout around Wisley has changed.
Our experience of Wisley Glow
We last went to Glow at Wisley on New Year’s Eve in 2018, so our visit was quite a while ago now and the trail has changed since then.
We had dinner at The Black Swan in Ockham beforehand and then headed over to Wisley for the lights. It made for a really lovely New Year’s Eve family outing and was something a bit different to do with the boys.
It’s been such a long time since we visited that I’m actually quite tempted to book it again this year and see how much it’s changed!
Christmas at Kew
Where: Kew Gardens, Richmond
When: Selected dates from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Trail length: Around 3km
Allow: More than two hours
Okay, so Kew isn’t technically Surrey, but it’s close enough that I couldn’t write a guide to Christmas light trails for Surrey families and leave it out.
Christmas at Kew is the biggest of the light trails we’ve personally visited. The 2026 route is around 3km long and Kew recommends allowing more than two hours to make your way around it.
This year’s event includes new installations alongside returning favourites, with the Palm House Pond display, festive food and drink and Father Christmas among the attractions.
Parking is one thing worth thinking about before you book. Kew encourages visitors to use public transport, but there is limited pre-bookable parking. Parking at Kew’s Ferry Lane car park is £15, while spaces at the National Archives are £13.50 and involve around a 15-minute walk to Victoria or Elizabeth Gate.
Our experience of Christmas at Kew
Christmas at Kew was actually the first Christmas light trail we ever did as a family, back in 2016.
We absolutely loved it. We easily spent a couple of hours walking around, stopping for waffles and hot chocolate along the way. It felt like such a lovely thing to do in the run-up to Christmas and was probably what started us going to other light trails over the years.
We went back again a good few years later and had a very different experience – mainly because it absolutely poured with rain the whole way round! We didn’t spend nearly as long there that time and definitely didn’t enjoy it as much.
The first time we visited, we managed to park on a nearby road. For our second visit we booked parking, which made getting there much easier.
If you’re spending quite a lot on tickets, I’d definitely keep an eye on the forecast and dress accordingly. Kew itself warns that parts of the trail can be more challenging in wet weather.
You can read more about our first visit in my Christmas at Kew review.
Christmas light trails near Surrey worth travelling for
There are also some really good Christmas light trails just outside Surrey. We haven’t visited the next four ourselves, so these are based on the current 2026 event information rather than our own experience.
Depending on where you live in Surrey, some may not actually take much longer to get to than Wisley or Guildford.
Windsor Illuminated – Windsor Great Park
Where: Windsor Great Park, Berkshire
When: 13 November 2026–3 January 2027
Windsor Great Park Illuminated returns with a redesigned trail for 2026, including new installations and immersive soundscapes through the woodland.
This looks like one to make a proper evening of rather than a quick wander around some Christmas lights. Tickets start at £19.80 for adults and £12.10 for children aged 3–15, with family tickets starting from £56.10.
If you’re driving, book your parking when you book your tickets. Parking is limited and the organisers say spaces should be purchased in advance. If there happens to be space on the night, parking costs £8.50 at the gate, but it isn’t guaranteed.
Why consider it: The woodland setting and larger-scale installations make Windsor a good option if you want the light trail to be the main event of your evening.
Leonardslee Lights
Where: Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens, Lower Beeding, West Sussex
When: Selected evenings from 27 November to 30 December 2026
Trail time: Around 60–90 minutes
Leonardslee Lights sounds a little different from a straightforward walk-through light trail.
For 2026, the route has been extended and reimagined, with light, sound, live performance and storytelling woven through the gardens. The trail itself takes around 60–90 minutes.
There’s also a Leonardslee Village with food, drinks, live entertainment, firepits and marshmallow roasting, so I’d allow extra time if you want to stop there as well.
There is free parking on site, or on selected evenings you can use the free shuttle bus from Horsham Station or Horsham Carfax. If you’re driving, Leonardslee recommends allowing at least 15 minutes to park and walk to the entrance before your booked time.
Why consider it: This sounds a good one if you want more of a performance alongside the lights rather than just illuminated trees and installations.
Glow Wild at Wakehurst
Where: Wakehurst, Ardingly, West Sussex
When: Selected evenings from 26 November 2026 to 2 January 2027
Glow Wild looks a little different from some of the more traditional light trails on this list.
Rather than being all about traditional Christmas illuminations, the Wakehurst trail uses thousands of handcrafted lanterns alongside light, music and performance.
For 2026 there are more than 2,000 lanterns, including a huge illuminated iceberg almost five metres high, complete with penguins and fish. The theme is In Search of Nature’s Gifts, with the trail taking visitors through different landscapes inspired by the natural world.
Tickets start from around £13, under-fours go free and there’s free parking on site. Pre-booking is essential.
Why consider it: If you’ve already done one of the more traditional Christmas light trails, the handcrafted lanterns make Glow Wild sound quite different.
Light Up Hillier Gardens
Where: Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 0QA
When: Returning for Christmas 2026 – dates TBC
Trail length: Around 1 mile/1.6km
Trail time: Around 45–60 minutes
Parking: Included, but must be reserved when booking
A little further away again, Light Up Hillier Gardens takes place at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey in Hampshire. We haven’t visited this one ourselves, but it looks like another option worth considering if you don’t mind travelling a bit further from Surrey.
The mile-long trail takes around 45–60 minutes and features immersive light installations, projections and soundscapes through the gardens. The organisers have confirmed it’s returning for 2026, with more immersive zones and new additions planned for this year’s event.
Parking is included with your visit, although you’ll need to reserve a parking space when booking.
Why consider it: It’s further from Surrey than the other trails in this guide, but could be worth the drive if you’ve already done some of the closer options and fancy trying somewhere different.
What happened to IGNITE at Polesden Lacey?
If you’ve landed here because you remember the IGNITE light trail at Polesden Lacey, unfortunately it isn’t running anymore.
We went as a family in October 2022 and I thought it was really lovely. It wasn’t anywhere near as big as Kew, but it was beautifully done and felt quite intimate.
One of the nicest touches was being given a lantern to carry as we walked around. M absolutely loved carrying his and it’s one of the things I particularly remember about the evening.
Parking was really easy too because we could use Polesden Lacey’s own car park.
I would happily have gone back another year, so it’s a shame it isn’t running now. You can still see what it was like in our IGNITE at Polesden Lacey review.
Which Christmas light trail should you choose?
They’re quite different experiences, so I’d choose based on what you want from the evening rather than trying to find one that’s simply “the best”.
If you want a bigger evening out, Christmas at Kew has a 3km route and plenty to see along the way. If you want to stay in Surrey, Wisley Glow is the obvious larger garden option, while Illuminate Guildford is much shorter and easy to combine with shopping or dinner.
For something different, Glow Wild focuses heavily on handcrafted lanterns, while Leonardslee incorporates live performance and storytelling. Windsor, meanwhile, uses the woodland of Windsor Great Park as the setting for its illuminated trail.
Light Up Hillier Gardens is the furthest from Surrey, but could be one to consider if you’ve already visited some of the closer trails.
Tips for visiting a Christmas light trail with kids
A few things we’ve learnt from doing these over the years:
- Check the weather. Our two trips to Kew were a good example of how much difference the weather makes. Walking around in the rain for two hours isn’t quite the same!
- Book parking if you can. This made our second Kew visit easier and it’s particularly important somewhere like Windsor where spaces are limited.
- Don’t rush around. Stopping for hot chocolate, food or marshmallows is part of the fun.
- Wear more layers than you think you’ll need. You’re often walking quite slowly and stopping to look at installations, so it can feel colder than a normal walk.
- Make more of the shorter trails. Illuminate Guildford is perfect for combining with Christmas shopping, dinner or another activity in town.
For more ideas when the weather isn’t playing ball, have a look at our Indoor Activities in Surrey for Kids and Teens.
FAQs about Christmas light trails in Surrey
Which Christmas light trails are running in Surrey in 2026?
Illuminate Guildford and RHS Glow at Wisley are both running in Surrey in 2026. Christmas at Kew is just outside Surrey in Richmond, while Windsor Illuminated, Leonardslee Lights, Glow Wild at Wakehurst and Light Up Hillier Gardens are options if you’re happy to travel a little further.
How long do Christmas light trails take?
It varies quite a bit. Illuminate Guildford’s actual trail takes around 30–40 minutes, whereas Christmas at Kew is around 3km and can take more than two hours. Leonardslee says its trail takes around 60–90 minutes. I’d always add extra time if you’re planning to stop for food, drinks or marshmallows.
Do you need to book Christmas light trails in advance?
I would. The larger events use timed entry slots and popular dates can sell out. Some venues also require you to sort out parking when you book – Windsor in particular has limited parking that should be booked in advance.
Are Christmas light trails good for teenagers?
I think they can be. We’ve been doing light trails since the boys were much younger, but they don’t have the same “this is for little kids” feel as some Christmas activities.
With older kids and teens, I’d probably make more of the evening – have dinner first, stop for food or hot chocolate along the trail, or combine a shorter trail like Illuminate with shopping or something else nearby.
Christmas light trails have ended up being something we’ve dipped in and out of as the boys have grown up, from our first trip to Kew back in 2016 to Illuminate Guildford last Christmas. I’m quite tempted to revisit Wisley this year too – although after our second Kew experience, I’ll definitely be checking the weather forecast first!
More Christmas days out in Surrey
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