Having enjoyed this festive evening so much last year http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/blogs/showblog.php?post=2890 we returned this year full of enthusiasm especially as they said that the trail had been completely redesigned. So wearing cold and wet weather gear and armed with a torch I guided my intrepid team to Victoria Gate where there is a small Christmas market and various seasonal food stuffs and drinks (the pulled pork was good).
If you have never been, then I urge you to book a visit. The fountains and lights set to music across the pond in front of the Palm House made an impact at the start. We spent ages choosing marshmallows (with flavours such as Blueberry and Gin, Strawberries and Champagne and Coconut) and then toasted them over fire pits while a woman on stilts recited poetry and chaps juggled with fire nearby.
We took lots of photos in the new Mistletoe display – there’re huge models of the stuff as well as the real McCoy dangling invitingly from numerous positions in the prettily-lit circle. We gave Santa’s Grotto a miss though. I tarried a while in the sort of fairy cave created by twinkly-lit stems entwined around trees. Magical and really close to nature.
The half way point will delight the children. There’s a helter-skelter, a carousel, a small train ride as well as a large café and shop and kiosks selling Ho Ho Hotdogs. Parents will enjoy the mulled wine and cider and the hot apple for those who don’t drink alcohol. A loo stop too.
Further along were some illuminated rods suspended from huge tree-like structures that swayed in the breeze. The large light sculptures of bulrushes and lily-of-the-valley were beautiful although we all thought the eerie music made the chandeliers hanging from trees nearby a bit spooky. All of the conservatories were wonderfully lit although you couldn’t enter them.
There was much fun in the new light tunnel and we took it in turns with other visitors taking group photos. We all stopped to light a lantern for the wishing tree too. And in between all these and other attractions, we walked along the trail and looked at illuminated trees and other light sculptures dotted around. At the end, we peered beyond gushing jets of fire at the laser and light show with projected stars playing within the palm house.
However, for those who visited last year, be prepared for some disappointments. Alas, there is no mancala fire garden – my favourite from last year. And no Chinese lantern lit walkway along the lake (we particularly missed the plant whisperers who told stories and actors who last year urged us to hug the trees). Nor the activity where you threw marbles into the lake from the Sackler Bridge to hear the trees answer back. We were really disappointed not to get to the lake this year. And the mild weather and entirely paved pathway meant that we had no need of our special clothing and footwear and our torches remained in our pockets. So not quite the exciting adventure that it was in 2013 but still worth a visit for some outdoor festive fun.
Adult tickets are £15 in advance (£17 on the day) and kids £10 (£12). http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas-at-kew-2014/ticket-information
