As the festive season began to cast its enchanting spell over the Cotswolds, we found ourselves drawn to the majestic Blenheim Palace and their famous Christmas light spectacle. 

 

 

As we approached the palace gates, a sense of anticipation fluttered, even as the crisp winter air was mixed with rain on and off, nothing was going to stop us from enjoying what we were sure would be a truly magical experience. 

As we walked through the gates, what we were first met with, was a fabulous festival-style setting with merry-go-rounds, a helter skelter, and lovely booths serving festive food and drink. We were four adults visiting, so we passed through this section without stopping too long, but for those visiting with kids, this was an amazing place to start. 

 

 

We moved on through the next set of majestic gates, and there was the palace, standing majestically against the dark sky enveloped in moving images of Christmas canes, baubles, snowflakes, all dancing to the sounds of music blasting out of loudspeakers all over. Fantastic!

Now we had a choice to make. Would we go left and start inside the palace with the Sleeping Beauty fairytale? Would we go right and explore the Christmas Market in The Great Court? Or would we go straight towards the Christmas light trail? 

We went right and walked around exploring the market first. Festive gifts and tasty treats offered from wooden chalets twinkling in lights, it was lovely. Out on the others side of the market, we decided on the Christmas light trail next. 

 

 

A note here: If we had could do the evening again, we would have done the Sleeping Beauty exhibition inside the palace before the light trail. The walk around the trail is about a mile and a half long, and our legs would have been less tired, and we were a bit cold and wet, so went through the fairytale display, which was completely fabulous, inside a little faster than we would have done if we’d started there. 

 

The Christmas Light Trail

The incredibly talented light trail designers have surpassed themselves with this year’s after-dark trail around the gardens at Blenheim Palace. There quite simply are no words that do it justice, you will have to walk it to believe it. We took pictures all through the trail, and they only scratch the surface of what this unforgettable experience is like when experienced in real life. 

For a mile and a half the trail of people wove its way through the palace gardens, each step revealing a new enchanting scene. Majestic trees adorned with thousands of twinkling lights transformed into shimmering giants, their branches reaching towards the starlit sky. Dazzling tunnels of light, their hues shifting and changing like a kaleidoscope, beckoned me to explore their depths.

Playful characters from beloved Christmas stories emerged from the shadows, their forms illuminated by vibrant lights. We were completely captivated by the intricate light installations, each one a masterpiece of artistry and imagination. 

 

 

Out on the other wide of this incredible and spectacular experience of lights and festivities, we finished our wonderful evening inside the palace with a walk through the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty. The rooms in the palace had been transformed to retell the classic fairytale for a new generation. It was magical. Each room telling a different chapter in the story of Aurora and eavery inch exquisitely transformed, from the Great Hall filled by an amazing Christmas tree to the candle-lit bedchamber where the beauty slept. Pure magic!

 

 

There are still tickets to have for this fabulous and festive experience at Blenheim Palace. Book yours here.