Christmas at Kew
Kew Gardens 22 NOVEMBER 2017 – 1 JANUARY 2018 £16
Royal Botanic Garden, Kew, is taken over once a year and transformed into a Winter Wonderland. With over one million twinkling lights, singing trees and pantomime acts, this really is a fantastic way to get into the Christmas mood – and is particularly good for kids.
The first half of the walkway see’s lots of lit up trees, some dancing light up baubles which move with the music and some big oak’s singing Christmas songs. In total the route is 2km long and supposedly takes 75 minutes to walk. Wrap up warm as when we went it was 2 degrees and very very chilly! The route is designed to be viewed from the paths, and various ropes and gates prevent you from taking a closer look on the grass which is slightly irritating but fair.
Further on there are more interactive elements, such as photo frames to get into, mistletoe benches and a performance. The performance is a Punch and Judy-esque panto, performed by three characters all dressed ridiculously with a backdrop of candy houses. Although this was astonishingly cringe worthy for us, it must be said that the large number of children there probably loved it. After all, is Christmas really Christmas without a camp man in tights shouting, “I can’t hear you”?
The evening was crowded, but not too bad. We were able to get through the whole walkway in around an hour, however, we stayed a while at the grand finale – which saw Kew’s greenhouse light up with a fantastic display of lasers, projections and colour. The house itself was lit up with ever changing patterns to provide a backdrop for the action going on in front, whilst laser beams of all different colours shot out and created powerful rays across the gardens. Over the water there were projections being shown on water vapour, detailing all sorts of things from clocks, to snowmen, to lovers – an inviting and warming Christmas story. This was the highlight of the evening and the whole thing would have been horribly underwhelming without it.
In terms of pricing, the entry ticket isn’t cheap. When entering you are greeted with some food stalls: Burgers, Hot dogs, Hog Roast and some sweeter options, as well as a bar. We got two cups of mulled wine, which were £5 each as well as a hot dog £6. The queue for food and drink options were MASSIVE, and you can pick up drinks and food along the path at various points, so if in doubt, get walking and have a booze break on route.
Overall, Kew at Christmas is a nice way to spend an evening in the run up to Christmas. It has some impressive light shows at the end, however, all that comes before isn’t noteworthy. If you’re looking for a way to get a child excited for Christmas (as if they need any more stimuli) – then it’s a good option. However, if you’re looking to be blown away by some stand out entertainment, save your £16 and seek your kicks elsewhere.
OVERALL RATING: ***
https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas-at-kew
