Unfortunately we have now heard from Gibside that they will not be hosting another illuminated walk this year but will have details of another Christmas event shortly.
The review below is from Christmas at Gibside in 2022.
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Magical, mesmerizing, memorable – Christmas at Gibsideis everything you’d want from a festive illuminated walk.
Christmas at Gibside is an illuminated trail round the National Trust property Gibside, near Gateshead. We have friends who go every year and absolutely love it. To be honest though, despite their recommendation, I have always been a bit skeptical. Could an after-dark night walk really be worth the price tag?
In a word – yes Gibside Illuminated Trail is worth the price tag! Why not check out our review of Christmas at Gibside in 2022 below.
The details from 2022
The trail runs from 1st December 2023 till 1st January
You need to book tickets for a timed entry slot and car parking.
Entry slots start at 4.15pm and finish at 8.15pm. Check online for available slots and prices for your dates.
National Trust members can get a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children and a car) for £64
Non members can purchase a family ticket for £72
Additional children start from £14 and additional adults from £19.50.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/north-east/gibside/christmas-lights-at-gibside
Christmas at Gibside 2022 Review
The Christmas trail at Gibside takes about 90 minutes to walk around (although we made it a bit faster – our 3 year old who is usually a reluctant walker was so excited that she was keen to run from one light installation to the next!).
Stunning music accompanies the light installations throughout the trail, giving each different section it’s own unique feel. There are over 1 million lights throughout the trail including lasers, neon lights, projections, fairy lights and perhaps most impressive of all, strings of coloured light bulbs that change colour and dance in a synchronization to Christmas music – this particular installation is so huge it spans an entire lawn.
It’s hard to put into words what it’s like to experience the magic and atmosphere of Christmas at Gibside – even photos don’t really represent what it’s like. It needs to be experienced first hand to truly know. I don’t even want to tell you too much about what’s there – part of the magic is not knowing what is round the next corner and being thrilled by the surprise…
I will tell you though, that our children loved seeing Santa Claus – he was so friendly and recruited them to help him find Rudolf. We didn’t know that Santa would be at the trail, and as the children entered the walled garden and saw him, they audibly gasped!
Food and Drink
Throughout the trail there are places to stop for hot food and drinks, there’s even a marshmallow stall where you can buy a stick of marshmallows and road it over open fires. At the end of the trail there are several food vendors – I can confirm that the Gyros from the Greek Street Food van is delicious.
There’s also a second hand book shop and some fair ground rides – our boys enjoyed going on the helter skelter – I wasn’t brave enough to do it(!) but I can imagine that the views from the top of the illuminations were very pretty indeed.
Cathy who is married to Scott and has three lively little'uns. Aged 5, 3 and 1.