Last Updated on 5 September 2023 by Colette
This post features gifted experiences
For something a bit different this October half term- and an alternative to ghosts, ghouls and pumpkins, why not book the NYMR Light Spectacular experience? This one hour long trip on NYMR heritage carriages, decorated with thousands of lights departs from Pickering Station (about 40 minutes out of York) and travels to Levisham before returning to Pickering. As well as on-board narration (from the actual X Factor voiceover man) and music, each passenger will receives their own interactive LED wristband which is synchronised with the music and yours to keep after the event.
We were lucky enough to experience the The NYMR Light Spectacular ourselves last year so wanted to share information about our experience as well as our top tips for making the most of your visit.
What is the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Light Spectacular?
The NYMR Light Spectacular is a special night time adventure on one of the NYMR heritage carriages – the train is wrapped in thousands of lights which stay on throughout the journey. The train is also lit from underneath which means all the forest is lit up as you pass (we commented on how strange the sheep must find it). The lights make for a magical experience – one which we enjoyed both on the train and off.
As well as the train itself being decorated with brightly coloured, twinkly lights, each passenger is given an LED wristband. At first you can choose the colour of the lights yourself but once you’re on the train and ready to set off, your wristband is synchronised with the music on the train. You can keep your wristband when you leave and take over the colour choices for yourself again! I did notice other families had taken extra glow sticks too (you know the skinny sort that you can wear as a necklace) which I thought was a nice idea.
Voice Over Man (of X Factor fame) is your host and DJ for the hour long experience – playing a range of cheesy tunes from across the decades, interspersed with some terrible “Dad-jokes” which saw some hard eye rolls and grudging smiles from my teen! For me, musical highlights included Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now and Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon. The girls absolutely loved Spice Girls’ Wannabe and all three of them definitely preferred the more modern tracks played on the return journey from Levisham including a very dancey Whitney Houston remix. I must admit I was surprised by how much random old music Chloe knew the words to!
To get the most out of your Light Spectacular experience, you do just need to lean into the cheesy nature of it – to laugh at the rubbish jokes, sing along to YMCA and wave your arms around like you’re at a school disco – if you take yourself too seriously, you’re not going to enjoy this! Ben, at 13, definitely wasn’t onboard with the singing and dancing, but did say he had enjoyed the experience and was glad he’d gone – if I’m honest I think I’m probably reaching the end of my days of being able to take him to something like this!
It’s worth noting that the atmosphere on the train can be quite damp – our windows were super steamed up and we had to keep wiping them clean with our hands to be able to see out. I rather wished I had a squeegee with me!
All the staff we came into contact with, from the people checking our tickets and giving out the LED wristbands to the staff onboard the train, were really lovely and friendly – they were keen to help, to chat and to make sure that everyone was feeling the party mood – encouraging the kids to get up and dance, and sing!
How long does the Light Spectacular train ride take?
The train ride take around an hour in total – this includes a stop of about 20 minutes at Levisham to turn around (well, to move the engine to the other end).
Are you allowed to eat on the NYMR Light Spectacular?
You are allowed to eat on board the train. Pickering Tea Room is open offering a selection of light refreshments for you to take and enjoy and there is also a reasonably priced trolley service on-board offering hot drinks and cakes. We hadn’t actually had our tea before we hopped on board the train which, in hindsight, was a bit of an error and I wished I’d planned that one better. I did see a woman carrying a full fish and chip dinner onto the train which seemed like a genius idea though I imagine the other people in her carriage might not have agreed!
When is the The NYMR Light Spectacular?
The NYMR Light Spectacular runs during October half term from Sunday 22nd October to Sunday 5th November plus Friday 10th / Saturday 11th / Sunday 12th November 2023 with two departures each night at 6pm and 7.45pm.
We booked onto the 6pm train which meant it was still light as we set off but got dark throughout our journey – it also meant the kids weren’t too late to bed as we were back at Pickering for about 7.15pm and on our way home (or at least to Mum and Dad’s in York) before 7.30pm.
How much does the The NYMR Light Spectacular cost?
Tickets for the Light Spectacular are priced at £25 per person (which is actually cheaper than last year!) and must be pre-booked online. (Specially discounted rates for groups of 20 people or more are also available and can be booked via the NYMR Customer Service Team: info@nymr.co.uk).
It’s worth bearing in mind that the carriages are set out in tables of four so it worked well for us that Dave hadn’t come with us this time – I think it would have felt a bit odd if one of us had ended up sat with another family! That said, we did end up just chatting to the family who were sat across from us.
Is there parking at Pickering Station?
Parking is limited at Pickering Station but we found there was plenty of space when we arrived at 5.20pm ish for our 6pm train. Parking at Pickering Station is usually charged at £5 and can be paid for by debit card or cash however for the NYMR Light Spectacular event, there is no parking charge. As the gentleman I asked explained, they’d rather we spent that £5 on the train and got a bit of a treat! I thought this was lovely as having to pay for parking on top of an already expensive event always riles me a little.
How accessible is the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Light Spectacular?
The platform is accessible from both entrances – from the road or the car park. We accessed the platform from the car park over a bridge however there is a ramped walking route at the far end of the platform to cross over if you are coming from the car park and need to avoid using the stairs.
On the train itself, there was an accessible coach with a wider door and a ramp.
I did check as to whether there was a “quiet carriage” or “quiet night” with lights but no music – this isn’t something that NYMR offer at the moment however they have confirmed they are looking into this for next year. They do have a selection of ear defenders available to loan from customer services.
You can find full accessibilty details for NYMR here.
For more suggestions of things to do near York this October half term, check these posts out next:
Halloween things to do in York
Where to go pumpkin picking near York
Halloween things to do near Leeds
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This looks like an epic evening out for the whole family!
It was such a lot of fun!