The much-loved light trail, which has welcomed visitors since 2013, transforms London’s largest UNESCO World Heritage Site into a glowing winter spectacle. This year’s edition will feature eight new commissions, alongside festive favourites such as the Christmas Cathedral, Fire Garden and the Pealight Tree along Holly Walk.
Among the new installations for 2025 are Christmas Orchestra, a collaboration between Culture Creative and Filament featuring lights synchronised to festive music, and In Bloom by Dutch artist Wilhelmusvlug, which evokes flower petals drifting through the air.
For the first time, visitors will be able to cross the Palm House Pond via a bridge, offering new views of 100 illuminated lilies inspired by Kew’s famous waterlilies. The trail’s three-kilometre route will begin at the Palm House, with a projection show on Museum Number 1 highlighting humanity’s reliance on plants.
Other highlights include interactive dancing floors set to nostalgic music, a fibre optic installation called Mycelium Network representing the vital role of fungi in ecosystems, and a display marking the 25th anniversary of the Millennium Seed Bank at Kew’s sister site, Wakehurst. The Great Pagoda will also be illuminated for the first time.
This year’s finale will centre on the Temperate House, where a light and music show will celebrate the spirit of the season amid one of the world’s rarest plant collections. Visitors can enjoy festive food and drink along the route, or dine indoors at the Pavilion Bar + Grill.
Kew Gardens said sustainability remains central to the event, with all lighting LED-powered and generators running on renewable biofuel. The trail supports Kew’s wider mission to protect plant and fungal biodiversity.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: "There’s no doubt that Christmas at Kew is a firm favourite of the seasonal calendar, and the experience this year promises to be just as enchanting as always. With a freshly designed route and a spectacular selection of new installations for 2025, we’re very excited to be welcoming visitors to Kew Gardens to enjoy the beauty of nature by night once again."
Tickets are available now at www.kew.org/christmas
