Huge, brilliantly coloured fish float in formation, their dazzling cartoonish forms cut vividly against the sea of deep black. Around them, whales, jellyfish and even a shark roam among the corals and the reeds. The whole experience is like a walk through some sort of electrified, hyped-up Beatles movie on steroids. Radioactive steroids. And that is every bit as spectacular as you might imagine.

 

 

Once again Longleat is hosting its winter time Festival of Light, the largest ever display of Chinese lanterns to be held in Europe, and it is something which simply has to be experienced.

Next to the aforementioned ‘Oceans of the World’, a dragon boat sits on the lake and spits a constant jet of water from its gigantic illuminated head. Outside the main entrance to the house an entire safari park’s worth of animals, including all the favourites Longleat is famous for, gallop on the lawns. Elsewhere a truly vast Chinese dragon runs the full length of a small market, joyful pandas play in a bamboo forest, and a chunk of the famous Terracotta Army guards the Great Wall.

 

Everywhere you look outside the proud sixteenth century home, the night is pierced through by the mesmerising neon glow from the thousands of lanterns which form all these displays and plenty more besides.

 

Christmas at Longleat is more than a little different, and you have to applaud the vaulting ambition of their display. Even more than that, you have to applaud the fact that they have absolutely nailed it.

A slightly more restrained festive special is held inside the house, where each room on the ground floor contains a pastiche of well-known fairy stories and seasonal tales. Some, such as Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood, are crafted models, but Scrooge and others are played by live actors who interact with the stream of visitors passing through.

Perhaps to balance out the electricity bill, the house is dimly lit by little more than electric candles, giving the sort of atmosphere its Tudor inhabitants might have experienced as they moved about its ornate rooms. That particular touch earned a mixed reception- although I personally enjoyed it- but it was slightly creepy for younger people, and my two year old nephew didn’t last long before insisting on being taken back outside.

In truth, though, the displays in the house were more of a sideshow, something to fill the gap between voyaging round the safari park (look out for a separate post on that soon) and darkness descending on the lantern display outside.

 

That is the real reason why thousands of people were traipsing round the grounds in the December drizzle, battling the winds and doing so with smiles of wonder on their faces.

The press reviews threw all sorts of superlatives at the display but it still exceeded all expectations by some margin. It was bigger, brighter and more dazzling, and a rare treat for both children and adults.

 

I have to admit that from time to time I can be a little biased in my appreciation of Wiltshire’s delights. A cynic may say I am sometimes guilty of exaggerating them, while the more generous reader may instead feel that on those occasions I simply dig a little deeper to find a level on which to really appreciate things. No digging is necessary here; the Festival of Lights is genuinely special to anyone, from anywhere. A true Wiltshire gem.

Prices:
Adults: £29.50
Children: £21.95 (Under 3s free)
Disabled/Carer Discount: 50% off
All tickets include entrance to the safari park