Mythical beasts, ancient gods and legendary heroes will illuminate Longleat this winter as the estate prepares to welcome back its spectacular Festival of Light.
The first images of this year’s lanterns have been released ahead of the event, which gets underway on 7 November with the theme Legendary Worlds.
Among the highlights will be a mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone and the Greek god Poseidon.
Visitors will also be able to explore lantern scenes inspired by the Lost City of Atlantis, Thor’s battle with a serpent, along with dragons, giants, fairies and a giant Trojan horse.
The lantern trail will stretch for around 2.5km, transforming the Wiltshire estate into a colourful world of mythology and legend as darkness falls.
Scott Ashman, Head of Operations at Longleat, said the estate was the first to introduce a lantern trail of this kind to the UK and Europe in 2014.
“Each year the lanterns create a series of dramatic wow moments for guests,” he said.
The Festival of Light will form part of Longleat’s wider Christmas celebrations, with visitors also able to enjoy the Enchanted Christmas Tree Show, Santa’s Grotto and festive market huts.
This year’s event also marks the end of Longleat’s celebrations of the 60th anniversary of its Drive-Through Safari.
And there could be some particularly young stars to look out for during a festive visit, following a baby boom at the estate this summer.
Visitors may get the chance to see Longleat’s new tiger cubs, wolf pups, capybara cubs and red panda cub experiencing their first Christmas.
The Festival of Light runs on selected dates from 7 November 2026 until 10 January 2027.
Tickets and further information are available from Longleat.
