Christmas at Kew adds its first adults-only evenings on 3 and 9 December

Christmas at Kew will hold adults-only evenings for the first time this winter, on Thursday 3 December and Wednesday 9 December, as part of the annual lights show at Kew Gardens.

What is on the Kew Gardens light trail this year

The trail runs for three kilometres around the gardens and has 30 installations, large artworks and soundscapes. New commissions sit alongside seasonal pieces that are coming back, and several works are being shown for the first time anywhere after being made only for this event.

At the Treetop Walkway, Squidsoup’s Infinite Choir combines sound and light. Drift, by Studio Vertigo, takes its cue from seeds blown on the wind and sends lit spheres almost 2 metres into the air. French collective TILT has made oversized flowers that are programmed to move with music.

ITHACA studio is creating an animated willow whose light looks like water pouring from the branches down to the ground. It draws on Kew’s historic tree collection, which has not featured on earlier Christmas at Kew trails.

Christmas at Kew tickets, prices and opening times

The show is open from 4.20pm to 10pm, and an entry slot is picked when booking. Most tickets are for evening visits, but daytime tickets for adults and children are back this year. Holders can turn up whenever suits them while the show is running, and no date has to be fixed when buying.

Listed prices include the booking fee. An off-peak child ticket for ages 4 to 16 costs £20. A family ticket for two adults and two children aged 4 to 16 costs £89 off peak and £108 at peak times. No separate price has been given for the adults-only evenings.

Tickets are still available for early quiet access sessions on 16 and 26 December. These give visitors with hidden or visual disabilities a calm visit without the crowds.