Last Updated on 22 November 2025 by Colette
This post features a gifted experience & affiliate links
Heaton Park has played host to several festive light trails in recent years – some have wowed, some not so much (it was no surprise at all to see that Christmas at Heaton Park did not return after it’s first year). Let me tell you, the brand new Northern Lights Manchester absolutely blows them out of the water.
If you’ve done a light trail at Heaton Park before, it’s important to note that Northern Lights Manchester is an entirely new set up brought to you by the team who have been running successful light trails in Newcastle, Leeds and Cardiff for a number of years now and I was so excited to see they were coming to weave their illuminated magic around one of my favourite places in Manchester.
Check out these handy links to plan your next adventure …
The Northern Lights creative team have made brilliant use of Heaton Park to create this spectacular trail – so much so that at points, Chloe and I struggled to orientate ourselves in a place that is so familiar to us during daylight hours!
The 1.1 mile long trail features 14 “illumination zones” and in all honesty it’s hard to choose a favourite however I did really love it the Sea of Light which I could have watched for ages and also Runway to the Sky which featured a corridor of incredible lasers. The girls all loved the Fiber Field – I’m not sure they’d really experienced fibre optics before so they loved watching them move and dance as if they were living creatures.
We also really loved that one of the installations (Buzzing Boulevard) had been created in collaboration with two local primary schools – not only was their work absolutely gorgeous but I really appreciated what an awesome experience it would be for those children to get to see their artwork on display to a genuine audience.
Throughout the trail, the music was beautiful and at a volume which, combined with the lights, felt really immersive rather than just background sound.
Northern Lights is not Christmas themed – which makes it’s a super inclusive winter experience for those who don’t celebrate Christmas. It is in fact a beautiful celebration of art, light and music and I was quite honestly blown away by it.
The Northern Lights Manchester trail follows a mostly paved route around Heaton Park though some sections are more “off road” making with the potential to be more muddy / uneven so I would recommend sturdy footwear / wellies. The trail route is clearly marked with bright strip lighting along the ground, however the paths themselves are quiet dark in places so as not to detract from the light installations so you do need to take care. Because of the wide pathways and clever use of space, the trail doesn’t feel cramped and it never felt overly busy (I’ve been on some light trails where you do just feel a bit swept along by other people, not wanting to get in the way).
Part way round the trail you’ll find a clearing with a bar, a marshmallow stand and the Hotel Chocolat Chocmobile selling their luxury Velevtiser hot chocolate (I am so obsessed with my Velvetiser that I rarely drink hot chocolate outside of my own home now!) I would rarely buy hot drinks on a trail like this as it just gets too expensive but there was no way I was turning down the chance of a bougie hot chocolate – especially on such a cold night! (While you’re queueing, take a look up and spot the illuminated cacao pods in the trees too!)
Within the clearing there’s four marshmallow toasting stations – marshmallows are a fairly expensive £4 for a stick of three which the girls said they thought might have been vegan but I can’t confirm this as I was queuing for the hot chocolate! I have form for carrying my own marshmallows and skewers to events like this but didn’t even think last night!
It’s worth noting that there’s also a toilet spot at this point which, whilst we didn’t need it, I really appreciated as usually once your on a trail, there’s no toilets till the end.
The Christmas Village area features a range of food and drink vendors (you’ll find coffee and boozy hot chocolates, mulled wine, wood-fired pizza, burgers, toasties, fried chicken and even Christmas tree shaped waffles) as well as some picnic benches and a Ferris wheel – I had planned to get the girls on it as I’d have loved to see the lights from the sky but in all honesty Chloe was tired as struggling with back pain so by the time we were done she just wanted to get straight to the car. The Christmas Village is accesible before and after the trail so you can grab a drink or some food – it also makes a great place to meet if you’re doing the trail with friends or family.
Heaton Park is super accessible by public transport but if you’re coming by car, you need to pre book your parking with your tickets. Parking is the Sheepfoot Lane car park (also known as the lake car park) and is really well managed by stewards who are checking parking tickets (make sure you have those ready to avoid causing a queue) and guiding cars to available spots.
I was honestly so impressed by Northern Lights Manchester – the scale and beauty of the trail blew me away (and let’s be fair I’ve seen a lot of light trails over the years). It felt like every twist and curve of the trail held a new surprise. I absolutely recommend booking tickets for this winter light trail at Heaton Park and I’m keeping everything crossed that From the Fields will bring the Northern Lights Manchester trail back to us next year!
Book tickets for Northern Lights Manchester priced from £5 for children and £15 for adults (Super Off Peak) up to £16.50 for children and £23.95 for adults (Peak). There are two neuro-inclusive evenings taking place on Wednesday 3rd and Wednesday 10th December 2025.
Tips for visiting Northern Lights Manchester in Heaton Park this year:
- Have your parking ticket ready for scanning to avoid causing queues
- The Christmas Village area is accessible before and after the trail so you can grab a bite to eat, a hot drink or just meet up with friends and family before you start
- It’s absolutely worth pausing at points during the trail to look behind you and take in the installations from a different angle
- Wrap up warm – you’re not moving fast enough to really warm up so layers and hats are key – we all regretted not wearing gloves (I should have definitely taken my hard warmers too!)
- While we’re on the subject of what to wear – sturdy shoes or wellies are the order of the day (white trainers and UGGs are not the one!)
- Do not sleep on the Hotel Chocolat chocmobile – the girls recommend a salted caramel whereas I love the 50%
- Take your time – there’s no need to rush. I think sometimes it’s easy to to get swept into the flow of people but honestly try to take your time to really appreciate it the beauty of the trail
- Pack a sneaky bag of marshmallows & skewers to make the most of the marshmallow toasting stations without breaking the bank
- The trail is approximately a mile long but including the walk from the car park, I tracked our walk to be just over 2 miles. Of course this is a super steady walk (or dawdle!) over mostly flat grounds and the trail is designed to be accessible by pushchair and wheelchair.
You’ll find more Manchester based festive adventures here:
What to do with teens in Manchester this Christmas
Festive days out in Manchester with kids
New Years Eve with kid in Manchester
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