The UK’s original festive light trail is set to dazzle visitors once again when Christmas at Kew returns to London’s iconic Royal Botanic Gardens for the 2025 season.
Running on selected dates from 14 November 2025 through 4 January 2026, this year’s spectacular promises to be the most impressive yet, featuring eight brand-new world premiere installations alongside returning seasonal favourites that have made Christmas at Kew a must-visit winter tradition since 2013.
A Fresh Perspective on Kew’s Icons
For the first time in its history, the magnificent Great Pagoda—Sir William Chambers’ 18th-century masterpiece restored by Historic Royal Palaces in 2018—will be illuminated as part of the trail. This historic moment joins other exciting firsts, including a newly constructed bridge allowing visitors to walk across the Palm House Pond, offering an entirely new vantage point of one of Kew’s most photographed locations.
The pond itself will be adorned with 100 illuminated lilies, representing the spectacular waterlilies that have become an internationally recognised part of Kew’s record-breaking Living Collection.
New Installations Celebrate Nature and Science
Among the eight new commissions, visitors can look forward to Christmas Orchestra by Culture Creative and Filament, featuring festive music arranged to mirror an actual orchestra setup, and In Bloom by Dutch multidisciplinary artist Wilhelmusvlug, evoking delicate flower petals dancing through the air.
The innovative Mycelium Network installation will illuminate the ground with delicate fibre optic strands, representing the interconnected fungal networks that play a vital role in ecosystems worldwide—a nod to Kew’s ongoing scientific research into the millions of fungal species that underpin life on Earth.
A special installation will also mark the 25th anniversary of the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, celebrating its crucial work safeguarding biodiversity for future generations.
Festive Favourites Return
The spectacular Temperate House light show returns as the trail’s grand finale. Set against the world’s largest surviving Victorian glasshouse, this music and light spectacular showcases the astonishing architecture while celebrating some of the planet’s rarest plants housed within.
Seasonal stalwarts including the atmospheric Fire Garden, Christmas Cathedral, and the beloved Pealight Tree along Holly Walk will also make their return, with Kew’s expert Tree Gang once again working their decorative magic.
Interactive elements include dancing floors with giant headphones encouraging visitors to immerse themselves in nostalgic festive music, while vibrant illuminated trees and installations will transform the 3km route through the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Practical Information
Tickets are available now at www.kew.org, with advance booking required. Adult tickets start from £27.50, with family tickets from £81 and children (4-16) from £18. Under-4s go free.
Quiet Access sessions are available on 29 November, 2, 17, and 27 December for visitors with hidden disabilities such as autism.
The trail opens at 4:20pm daily, with entry slots selectable at booking. Note that Christmas at Kew is closed on Christmas Day.
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