Last Updated on 12 December 2023 by Colette
This post features a gifted experience & affiliate links
New for 2023, and taking the place of Lightopia after they went into administration at the start of the year, the team behind Christmas at Dunham Massey and Christmas at Kew are bringing their special brand of seasonal lights to Heaton Park.
We attended the opening night of Christmas at Heaton Park – and by “we”, I mean me, my little sister, Chloe and her best friend. It was really nice to be able to do something Christmassy with my sister and Chloe loved being able to take Willow out with us for the evening too!
Now I’m going to be brutally honest and say that compared to Christmas at Dunham Massey, Christmas at Heaton Park feels like the poor relation.
Don’t get me wrong, it is well organised and there were some lovely installations (Carol of the Bells was my favourite despite the fact several rows of lights were out) but I just felt that Christmas at Heaton Park lacked the wow factor. I wanted to love it, but it just doesn’t have the same magic. I did wonder if this was me being a little jaded by having already done several Christmas light trails this year but I spoke to a friend who was also there last night and, having never done a light trail before, she said that although they did enjoy it, they wouldn’t pay to go again.
There are two entrance to Heaton Park for the event – a pedestrian entrance which leads directly to the fairground and food stalls before the main entrance to the trail or an entrance from the Sheepfoot Lane car park if you’re driving. If you’re coming from the car park, you have to walk through the last two installations before you get to either the fairground or the start of the trail – which seemed a bit odd and also means that if you choose to go the fairground / food stalls at the end of the trail, you’re going to repeat that section of the trail – and then have to walk back against the flow of visitors to get back to the car park afterwards. If you’ve got tired little legs I’d maybe look at doing the food stalls and fairground rides before the trail (or in all honesty just swerve them completely).
The fairground and food stalls honestly just felt like a bit of an after thought plonked on a car park – the fairground rides were very much aimed at younger guests and the food choices were lacking. I think perhaps with more festoon lighting and a better layout, it would have felt more cosy and would have allowed for a more festive atmosphere but with the food stalls one one side and the fairground rides on the other, it felt more like a gaping corridor. It just lacked a certain something.
Now, I know that so far I’ve been quite a negative Nancy – but I do think it’s really important to be honest with you about these things! So with that I shall tell you about all the things we really loved too!
Getting on site is smooth and painless with plenty of stewards checking you have pre-booked parking and directing you to spaces (make sure you have your parking booking details to hand to help things move quickly). There is a clear one way system into and out of the car park to keep things running smoothly.
All the staff we came into contact with along the trail were really lovely – from the lady scanning our tickets and welcoming us to the trail, to the staff offering to take our pictures on the way round (an offer which I gratefully accepted having moaned earlier that day that I’m always the one taking the pictures!) and all the stewards manning the car park and keeping things flowing.
We struck lucky with the weather – it was super cold and the boating lake was completely frozen which just added to the wintery magic. It wasn’t windy or wet, just absolutely freezing – do make sure you wrap up warm for this one!
For the most part the light installations are really gorgeous – perhaps not as impactful at some we’ve seen at other “Christmas at” events but pretty just the same.
My sister loved the “Pink Blossom” and the “Neon Tree”, Willow loved “The Cathedral” and Chloe and I loved “Carol of the Bells”. The Carol of the Bells is one of my favourite pieces of Christmas music anyway so I could have watch the colour changing globes dancing to the music for ages (some of the globes were a little muddy and would have benefitted from a good wipe down, and at least three rows were out at each side of the installation but I’m sure these details will be fixed quickly!)
The “Bubbles” weren’t really working as we passed through but I do wonder if they had frozen as I’ve seen other people’s pictures where it looks far more effective! The “Laser Garden” has the potential to be quite overwhelming with it’s smoke machine and a multitude of bright green lasers, at one point I lost the girls in the haze (it was rather reminiscent of an early 2000s night club) but we loved it!
This is the first year of Christmas at Heaton Park, however sister event Christmas at Dunham Massey has been running for years and it’s safe to say the team know what they are doing when it comes to putting on a fabulously festive light show. I’m hopeful that there will some tweaks and changes made to give this event a little more oomph for next Christmas!
Tickets for Christmas at Heaton Park must be pre-booked online.
How long is the light trail at Heaton Park?
The light trail at Heaton Park is approximately one mile long – The organisers say it should take an average of 90 minutes but it took us about an hour to wander round stopping to toast marshmallows along the way. We were on site for a total of 2 hours and that includes a half hour wait for pizza. If you know Heaton Park well, then you’re starting the trail at the boating lake, heading up to the left to the intersection of blossom trees and then back to the right down the hill again and then around the lake.
Is Christmas at Heaton Park pushchair friendly?
Yes the Christmas at Heaton Park trail is pushchair and wheelchair friendly. The route is mostly flat bar a short uphill section just after the boating lake. We wore wellies and walking boots but the trail is paved – it wasn’t especially muddy but there were some fallen leaves and icy patches to be aware of.
Can I take my dog to Christmas at Heaton Park?
Yes, dogs are allowed at Christmas at Heaton Park – you are of course asked to keep them on a short lead and clean up after them! There were lots of dogs on the night we visited – we didn’t take Poppy though as I’m not sure she’d have really enjoyed it to be honest.
Can you see Father Christmas at Heaton Park this year?
You won’t see Father Christmas on the light trail at Heaton Park.
You can find alternative places to see Father Christmas in Manchester this year here including at the Heaton Park garden centre.
How much does the Christmas light trail at Heaton Park cost?
Tickets for Christmas at Heaton Park must be pre-booked online and are charged from £15 for adults and £10 for children at off peak times. Family tickets are also available. Parking for Christmas at Heaton Park costs £6.50 per car when booked in advance.
Can I buy food at Christmas at Heaton Park?
There’s a small section of food huts at the start of the trail which you can also access again at the end. We chose to grab some food once we’d enjoyed the trail but were a bit disappointed by the range of food options. Chloe and Willow had pizza – just short of £10 each and waited nearly half an hour for them – which they said were lovely. Nic and I had hot dogs which were just a bit sad and absolutely not worth the near £13 price tag. We spent the best part of £50 on food for the four of us and definitely regretted our decision! I’d be inclined to take a hot picnic (though you might struggle for somewhere to eat it) or to just eat before / after you arrive on site!
As well as the huts at the start of the trail, there are a couple food and drink stalls part way round but these are more snack based – think hot chocolate, mulled wine and marshmallows for toasting.
You can also get hot drinks and sweet treats at The Lakeside Cafe.
Is there anything else I need to know before visiting Christmas at Heaton Park this year?
The car park for Christmas at Heaton Park is what we would typically refer to as the “Lake Car park” – use post code M25 ODL for Google maps or Sheepfoot Lane Car Park.
Entrance to the Christmas at Heaton Park light trail is in timed slots to stagger the number of people on the trail at any one time – you will choose a time when you book. Personally I like to book an early slot as there’s less people in front of you which makes taking photos at key points much easier! What I would say is that traffic was really heavy in general on the night we visited so we were about half an hour late for our timed slot – this didn’t seem to matter but I would recommend leaving plenty of time to get to Heaton Park and on site – you can always head to the fairground if you’re too early.
There’s toilets in the car park, in the food village and part way round the trail so you won’t get caught short. You might want a torch though for the portable toilets!
Make sure you dress for the weather – this is an entirely outdoor event and your trail will go ahead even if it’s raining! We were absolutely freezing!
You’ll find fire pits for toasting marshmallows part way around the trail – the fancy marshmallows cost £1.80 a piece this year (and are delicious – I recommend the chocolate orange). I bought us all one each but you could easily just take a bag of standard marshmallows and wooden skewers to toast your own!
Have a read of these posts next:
What to do in Manchester this Christmas
Free and cheap things to do in Manchester this Christmas
Christmas theatre and pantomimes in Manchester
Where to go ice skating in Manchester this Christmas
Where to buy a real Christmas tree in Manchester
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We went on the opening night of Christmas at Heaton Park after going to the Lightopia event each year previously, given this was supposed to have been by the same team who do Dunham Massey and how well that is done and how many lights on the trail there is we were quite disappointed with what we saw, the trail was much shorter than previous years and took us about 40 minutes to work the circuit from the car park (Expensive for the time you are there) round the lake with a small loop to the church light tunnel via the field of bells which were not all working. I know it is the first year but for almost £50 for 2 adults and child including parking it would have to improve massively to go again if on next year. Queues for food and drink were long and prices given current climate were very high. Not a Grinch by any means but will be going to Dunham Massey next year for sure as much much better
We’ve done Lightopia for a couple of times too and I found it hard not to compare the two events but of course they are completely different companies with a very different brand of event – Lightopia was very much grand lanterns whereas the “Christmas at” trails are much more twinkly and musical – however, I think it’s totally fair to compare to Dunham Massey as that is of course a sister event and, as I’m sure you have read, I agree that Christmas at Heaton Park just didn’t live up to expectations.
I’m hopeful that lessons will be learned if the event is to return next year.
We went last night and if hadn’t been to Dunham Massey and Lightopia previously I would have thought it was amazing. Compared to Dunham Massey there wasn’t enough to see, the music is good and the lights are lovely but somehow it didn’t have the wow factor that we have experienced previously. It was very wet last night and parts of the trail were muddy and flooded but staff were on hand to direct us round the flood. The fairground didn’t seem to be open, the rides were lit up but there was nobody around to start them working. I hope it returns next year bigger and better. Also big thanks to the staff for standing in the pouring rain still cheerful while directing cars and people.
I agree – I really do hope they can bring it back next year with a bit of oomph! I had wondered if my own disappointment was due to having done other trails but having spoken to my friend and my sister who have never done a light trail before, they agreed that it was lacking. Such a shame. We had a similar experience with all the staff being super friendly though!
We visited Christmas at Heaton park this evening and really enjoyed the experience.
The lights were beautiful and the trail was long enough for our two young children aged 9yrs and 5yrs (although felt shorter than previous years and compared to the Dunham massey trail). The marshmellows by the open fire were a hit and reasonably priced too – although you could just take your own!
The only downside was the additional cost for food, drinks and treats – very expensive for what you get!
Also, the fairground is extortionate and aimed primarily at very young children. At £3 per child for one helter skelter ride, £4 per child for hook a duck and £5 each for the dodgem’s nearly knocked us off our feet!
Overall the light trail was good and even got a ride on the festive tram (at a cost of £10 of course). Will probably try somewhere else next year though!
Thanks for taking the time to comment Corinne, it definitely felt shorter than the previous Lightopia events didn’t it – having done quite a few Christmas light trails now, Dunham Massey definitely remains king in my eyes.
Save your money and don’t go.
We went to Lightopia a few years ago which was fab. This is just a vary poor copy.
We paid £60+ for a family ticket. The trail took us about 40 minutes to amble round , when we got to the end we tried to go round again to at least get and hour’s worth of ‘entertainment’ and were turned away.
£10 to park the car. Food was ridiculously expensive. £12 for a hot dog. £6 for half a tray of chips and curry sauce.
Sorry to say we felt well and truly ripped off. I’m surprised that Heaton Park dare to put their name to this even. It could / should have been fabulous but I’m sorry it fell well short.
There were so many people there who all had the look of someone who’s just been mugged !
Thanks for taking the time to comment Gavin – I agree it was just disappointing wasn’t it. Its hard not to compare to Lightopia though in fairness they are very different experiences with Lightopia having been about bright and bold lanterns, whereas the “Christmas at” trails are more about twinkly lights set to music. That said, it just wasn’t done well – I found it hard to believe that it was the same company behind Christmas at Dunham and Christmas at Trentham – both of which had considerably more wow factor. I hope that they are able to return to Heaton Park next year and do a proper job!
It was a big rip off. I was unaware that Lightopia had gone into administration. It was not worth the 60 I spent for an evening with my daughters and grandchildren. I was expecting more for my miney in these hard times. Money would have been put to better use if I had known.