Add a touch of sparkle to the festive season this year with a Cotswolds Christmas light trail. With castles, palaces, gardens and forests all draped in colourful lights, these light trails have become an annual Christmas tradition. So wrap up warm (and bring an umbrella just in case), grab a hot drink and explore one of these fabulously festive 2025 Christmas light trails in the Cotswolds.
Christmas light trails in The Cotswolds
Sudeley Castle Spectacle of Light
On the outskirts of Winchcombe, the ruins of 15th-century Sudeley Castle make a beautiful backdrop for the annual Spectacle of Light event, with a Christmas light trail running though the castle grounds. Sudeley has an impressive royal pedigree – it has hosted kings and queens and was home to Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr, who is buried in its church.
Sudeley has been running the Spectacle of Light since 2016, and each year the trail has a different theme. The 2025 show is based around the Court of King Arthur, with characters including Guinevere, Lancelot and Merlin on the search for Arthur’s magical sword, Excalibur.
The light trail takes around 60-75 minutes to walk, and there are stalls selling festive food and drink on the castle terrace just after the halfway point (they do get busy so prepare to queue).
- Open on selected evenings from 21 November–30 December 2025.
- Entry £24–£28 adults/£15–£16 children aged 3–15 (save 10% if you book before 20 November).
- Dogs not permitted.
Christmas at Westonbirt
Westonbirt Arboretum near Tetbury swaps the colours of its autumn leaves for the sparkle of Christmas lights this winter at their Christmas at Westonbirt event. The Arboretum has over 15,000 trees and shrubs spread across 800 acres, which are decorated with over a million lights.
There’s a brand-new trail for 2025 which features laser lights, firework trees, wicker animals, dazzling tunnels of light, colourful projections, clever visual effects and interactive displays for kids. And somewhere among them you’ll also catch a glimpse of Father Christmas and his elves.
The trail is around a mile long (plus there’s a reasonable walk to get to the start from the car park) and takes around 60–90 minutes to complete. There are food and drink stalls along the way and in the Christmas village at the start and end, which also has traditional fairground rides.
- Open on selected evenings from 28 November–31 December 2025.
- Entry £19–£25 adults/£17–£22 students/£12–£18 children aged 3–16, plus £8 for parking.
- Dogs not permitted.
Blenheim Palace Illuminated Light Trail
Residence of the Dukes of Marlborough, birthplace of Winston Churchill and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Blenheim is a palace on a grand scale. And each Christmas it opens up for special festive events, including an Illuminated Light Trail through the palace gardens. The trail winds through woodland, with giant light sculptures, projections and lasers set to music.
Each year there’s a mix of new installations and old favourites, from rainbow rays of light filling the gardens and dancing lakeside reflections to the ever-popular (and highly Instagrammable) tunnel of light with over 100,000 tiny light bulbs. Along the way street food stalls sell tasty treats.
The trail runs for 1.8 miles and takes 90–120 minutes to walk. You can also add on a visit to the palace itself, which is decorated with a Wizard of Oz theme this year. And Blenheim’s annual Christmas market and Great Skate ice rink in the Great Court also return for 2025.
- Open on selected evenings from 14 November 2025–3 January 2026.
- Entry £24–£34 adults/£18–£24 children aged 3–16, plus £10 for parking (if booked in advance, otherwise it’s £12 on the day).
- Palace and ice rink tickets sold separately.
- Dogs not permitted.
Painswick Rococo Garden Enchanted Garden By Night
The Enchanted Garden By Night at Painswick Rococo Garden returns for its third year. The garden, located in a valley on the edge of the village of Painswick, was designed in the 18th century to enthrall and delight visitors, and is the last surviving Rococo garden in the country.
In this festive follow-up to their popular Enchanted Garden summer event, willow sculptures of dragons, unicorns, fairies and boggarts are given a Christmas makeover as they’re illuminated with sparkling lights. You can also explore the garden’s follies, sculptures, statues and winding paths as Christmas trees and glowing stars light your way, making a great evening for all the family.
Visitors can enjoy a delicious marshmallow-topped hot chocolate or cup of mulled wine, and shop for locally sourced gifts and food and drink made with produce from the garden.
- Open on selected evenings from 28 November–29 December 2025.
- Entry £18 adults/£9 children aged 4–16, with discounts if you book before 30 September.
- Dogs on short leads welcome.
The Cotswold Sculpture Park Lights Up
New this winter, the Cotswold Sculpture Park at Somerford Keynes is putting on its first illuminated trail to help make art and nature accessible all year round. Lights Up takes you on a journey through the park, with contemporary sculptures set among trees and ponds combined with mesmerising light displays, including one inspired by the breathtaking Auroura Borealis.
Two sessions take place each night, the first from 5pm–6.45pm and the second from 7.15pm–9pm. And there are crackling fires, mulled wine and seasonal treats to keep you warm.
- Open on selected evenings from 22 November–29 December 2025.
- Entry: Off-peak £17 adults/£13 children under 18; Peak £2 adults/£18 children.
- Dogs not permitted.
Christmas light trails near the Cotswolds
As well as the four Christmas light trails in the Cotswolds, there are also a couple of festive trails which are being held just outside the region and would make an easy day trip.
Christmas at Longleat
The Festival of Light annual winter lantern spectacular takes place at Longleat Safari Park near Frome. Their theme for 2025 is Wallace and Gromit and friends. Hundreds of lanterns decorate the grounds, taking visitors on a journey to visit some of the UK’s most famous landmarks.
You can also upgrade your ticket to add in a winter safari drive-through where you can meet some of the park’s animal residents. Or add on the Santa Train, which departs from Longleat Central Station and transports kids to a magical grotto where they can meet Father Christmas.
- Open on selected evenings from 8 November 2025–11 January 2026.
- Entry £34.95–£39.95 adults/£26.20–£29.95 children aged 3–15.
- Winter safari/Santa train at extra cost.
- Dogs not permitted.
Malvern Winter Glow
Winter Glow at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern combines multiple festive events in one, including an Illuminated Light Trail. The trail is one of the longest in the region, with new light installations created by local artists, craftspeople and lighting designers. And if you want to bring your pooch along, there are special dog-friendly sessions being held on multiple dates.
As well as the light trail, there’s a Christmas market and plenty to eat and drink, with street food stalls in the Festive Food Quarter, an Ice Café and Jingle’s Winter Bar. You can also add a personalised Santa’s Grotto experience, UV Glow Crazy Golf, ice skating and fairground rides.
- Open on selected evenings from 21 November–31 December 2025.
- Entry £19.50–£24.95 adults/£9–£12.95 children aged 3–16.
- Other activities at extra cost.
- Dogs permitted on selected dates.
Silverstone Lap of Lights
Follow in the tyre tracks of famous names like Ayrton Senna and Lewis Hamilton at the Silverstone Lap of Lights trail around the iconic racing circuit. Rather than walking, you drive a two-mile route past 10 spectacular light installations, featuring over 35 lasers and 7000 LED panels.
The trail is one of the biggest in the world and takes around 30 minutes to drive around. Then you can head to the Festive Zone to meet Santa in his Garage Grotto, go ice skating in the world-famous garages used by Formula 1 teams and feast on delicious festive food and drinks.
- Open daily from 12 December 2025–3 January 2026 (except Christmas Day).
- Entry £50–£100 per car.
- Ice Trak and Santa’s Garage at extra cost.
- Dogs not permitted.
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