Last Updated on 2 October 2023 by Colette
This post features gifted experiences
*There will be no Christmas at Trentham for 2023 – you can find alternative festive light trails here*
This Christmas, Trentham’s award-winning gardens have come alive with an immersive, multisensory Christmas trail to get you and your family into the festive spirit whilst making some fantastic memories along the way.
We were super excited to head down to Christmas at Trentham right at the start of December and, although we visited Trentham at Easter this year, this was our first Christmas visit after our plans had to be cancelled last winter thanks to Covid!
I wanted to share with you our top tips and all the information you need to make the most of your visit to Trentham Gardens this festive season.
Everything you need to know about Christmas at Trentham:
What is Christmas at Trentham?
Christmas at Trentham is no ordinary festive lights display, but a totally unique illuminated trail designed to sprinkle a little Christmas magic and allow you to experience the historic landscape at Trentham in a new light. The trail takes you on a magical journey featuring a mix of lasers, music and stunning installations offering up plenty of ‘instagram-able’ moments! There’s also be lots of chances to enjoy a festive bite to eat around the trail.
Whereas other festive light trails we’ve done have tended to be full of twinkly surprises hidden around corners, Trentham offers the wow factor in a different way with an incredible vista almost as soon as you walk in – the impact of the many bulbs and displays across the whole of the gardens is breathtaking. (No photo I’ve taken could do it justice, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you!)
When is Christmas at Trentham this year?
The Christmas at Trentham experience runs from Friday 2nd December 2022 to Sunday 1st January 2023. The first bookable entry time each night is at 4.30pm and the last entrance time is at 8pm. It’s worth bearing in mind that for those very first slots each night, it won’t be properly dark until you’ve finished the trail so whilst you’ll benefit from there being less people around, you might not get the full effect of the light displays.
Where is Trentham?
Trentham is centrally located just off junction 15 of the M6, taking just over an hour to drive from Manchester. Set in the heart of Staffordshire, Trentham has 725-acres of magnificent grounds, woodland wildlife, and landscaped gardens making it one of the UK’s most visited attractions. Parking for Christmas at Trentham is plentiful and free.
Are dogs allowed at Christmas at Trentham?
They certainly are! After taking feedback from the public, organisers have decided to invite dogs along to Christmas at Trentham too so yes, dogs are allowed at Christmas at Trentham this year! We ummed and aahed over taking Poppy but in the end decided against it as she can be a bit giddy and isn’t very good at waiting around – as it was, I think we’d have got away with it last night because it wasn’t too busy but I’m not sure I’d have wanted to take her if it was busier.
How accessible is Christmas at Trentham?
The paths along the route are mostly quite flat – there are some slight inclines, a few low bridges to cross and some humps caused by cables across the path in rubber casing, no steps that I can remember. The paths are a mixture of small gravel and tarmac which could make a pushchair or wheelchair harder to manage in places but not impossible. The paths are fairly wide for the most part and the route is about 1.3 miles from the entrance to Trentham Gardens.
There’s a number of benches around the route if you needed to stop for a rest as well as the tea rooms about half way.
Although there are no strobing lights at Trentham Gardens, if flashing lights are a particular issue for you, I would suggest giving Christmas at Trentham a miss – the disco balls and lasers were particularly dazzling installations (though the lasers can be avoided if necessary).
What food and drink is available?
You’ve got two opportunities for food and drink at the event – there is a market area at the end of the trail offering pancakes, pizzas and hot drinks. Although this area is set up at the end of the trail, there is also the chance to take a detour into the market area quite early on in your visit if you need to eat first or just want a warm drink to take around the trail with you. There’s plenty of picnic tables and some larger heaters to help keep you cosy.
About half way through the trail you’ll find the tea rooms – there’s marshmallow toasting outside (£3 per marshmallow) as well as mulled wine and mince pies for sale in the tea rooms themselves. We didn’t get to try these as the queue was very long and a member of staff came out to suggest we’d be waiting a long time so we skipped it and carried on with the trail – I’m still craving my mince pie!
How much are tickets for Christmas at Trentham?
Tickets start from £14.60 for children and £22.10 for adults. Family tickets can be purchased for £66.40. Trentham Members will receive a 10% until the end of October so if you already have a Trentham membership, or were thinking of getting one, crack on and get your tickets booked before the discount ends!
For more information and to book your tickets visit www.christmasattrentham.co.uk
Top tips for making the most of your Christmas at Trentham experience!
- Wrap up warm – you’re walk around Trentham Gardens is likely to be quite a slow meander, you’re not going to be walking at any sort of pace to keep warm and there’s plenty of stopping to take photographs
- Don’t rush – There’s so much to take in and so many gorgeous pictures to take and you might need to wait your turn for a clear spot to get the best pictures in certain areas – for example in the light tunnel or the stars.
- Don’t worry about getting lost – the trail is clearly marked through a combination of sign posts and ropes. There’s also plenty of staff along route to help you out (they’ll even take photos for you if you ask them nicely!)
- Eat your tea before you go if you’re budget conscious – although there’s a selection of good stalls at the end of the trail, they’re very expensive. You’re not allowed to take your own food to Christmas at Trentham, we ate our tea in the car before going in!
- Be prepared for pester power – There are two fair ground rides at the very end of the trail – the Ferris wheel was priced at £3 per person.
- Don’t worry about taking cash – all vendors are card only.
We were thrilled to be able to experience Christmas at Trentham Gardens right at the start of December – it was such a lovely start to the festive season for us! I hope the information and tips shared in this post will help you to make the most of your visit – if there’s anything you specifically want to know about, leave a comment below or drop me an email at Colette@goingonanadventure.co.uk
For more festive adventures check out these posts next:
Christmas days out in the Manchester area
Christmas things to do in Leeds
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