The theme of this year’s glowing lantern sculpture trail is ‘British icons’ including Wallace and Gromit
The frontage of Longleat House, illuminated during a previous Festival of Light trail(Image: Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
One of the West Country’s leading Christmas attractions has justified the £50 peak ticket price after complaints online. Longleat’s Festival of Light event is a hugely popular spectacle each winter, with the iconic estate transformed with huge lantern sculptures depicting everything from landmarks to storybook characters, and more.
And while some feel that the cost of the trail, especially for a family, is more expensive than they would like, the safari park in Wiltshire says that you get a lot for the price of a ticket during your visit.
This year’s Festival of Light theme is focused on ‘British icons’ including Bristol’s very own Wallace & Gromit and other Aardman characters. Organisers state on the Longleat website: “Meet fan-favourite characters from Shaun the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit and more while you journey to some of the UK’s most famous landmarks, marvel at native wildlife and sights – all spectacularly reimagined in lantern form.”
At time of writing, prices for a Longleat Festival of Light Day Ticket range from between £49.95 to £56.95 per adult, £37.45 to £42.70 per child (aged 3-15 years) and infants and carers go free. A Twilight Ticket, which allows you to enjoy the park and festive attractions from 4-7.30pm, will cost from £34.95 to £39.95 for adults, £26.20 to £29.95 for children (3-15 years), with infants and carers going free. You can also purchase Day Tickets without the safari option, and group tickets at a range of prices too.
Taking to a range of social platforms, community forums and message boards, a number of people have shared their thoughts on the price of the experience. When tickets were first announced on Facebook for this year, one commenter posted: “I HATE how much I love the Festival of Light cos damn you charge a ridiculous amount of money for the twilight tickets!
“No doubt though I’ll suck it up and still come, just annoys me how much they put the prices up every year, I’m just glad I’m not paying for a full family!”
Morph is also appearing at Longleat’s Festival of Light 2025(Image: Lloyd Winters/Longleat)
Another commented: “We came last year and really enjoyed it. But this year tickets have increased £12 for adults and £9 for children. That is crazy!”
A review of last year’s event on TripAdvisor reads: “Did Longleat festival of light 2024. It’s very expensive and it was so busy it was hard to actually see the lights due to the masses of people.
“The queues were really long… The lights are nice but it was oversold and there were too many people to enjoy it properly. Feels like Longleat are trying to make as much money as possible… I wouldn’t recommend it this year.”
However Longleat has defended its ticket prices, with a spokesperson for Longleat telling BristolLive: “The Festival of Light Day Ticket includes a full day of activities, from 9.30am until 7.30pm. Throughout the day our attractions are open as usual, including our animal areas, such as the drive-through safari, Adventure Castle playground and our hedge maze.
“In addition to our usual offering, we have our 2.6km lantern trail as evening falls, including hundreds of hand-crafted lanterns, Enchanted Christmas Tree Show and Longleat House Light Show. Other ticket types are available, including Twilight Tickets and Non-safari Day Tickets, allowing you to choose the best option for your visit.”
Wallace and Gromit star in this year’s Longleat Festival of Light trail(Image: Lloyd Winters/Longleat)
And a vast array of previous and regular visitors say the price doesn’t stop them from booking tickets, with many dates selling out well in advance of the November start date. One Facebook user said: “Have done the festival of lights at Longleat and yes it’s expensive but it’s such a great experience. Well worth the money.”
A Mumsnet user felt the experience was weather-dependent, posting: “I went one year and it was fantastic. Went back the next year and it was cold and wet, if I hadn’t prebooked and paid I wouldn’t have gone.
“It was very miserable. I think your enjoyment will be weather dependant.”
Longleat’s website advises of three ticket options for 2025, noting: “We have listened to the feedback from previous events and requests for tickets that do not include the drive-through safari or those who only want to come in the evening, predominantly for the lanterns.
“This will allow us to provide an even better guest experience on Park. Whilst this does mean that fewer guests will be able to experience the drive-through safari, as this is only included in the Day tickets, it will mean a better experience for those who choose this ticket type.
“We also have Peak, Standard and Off-Peak pricing to allow those who can come at quieter times to have access to a more affordable ticket…disabled guests may bring a carer free of charge.”
During the event, which runs on selected dates from November 8, 2025 until January 11, 2026, visitors will be able to explore London and walk under a 15m tall Tower Bridge, travel through Stonehenge and to Shaun the Sheep’s own Mossy Bottom Farm. Ticket holders will also be able to marvel at a ‘spectacular’ Welsh dragon before heading to Blackpool and the great British seaside, and even journey to Scotland and Giant’s Causeway.
Longleat will also be marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth as it focuses on writers, celebrating British native wildlife and landscapes, and presenting iconic singers through the decades.
