Stuart Forster heads to Alnwick, Northumberland, to see the Winter Lights at Lilidorei and The Alnwick Garden Winter Lights.
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The Winter Lights at Lilidorei and The Alnwick Garden open to the public on Thursday, 20 November 2025 and continue until Sunday, 4 January 2026.
Winter Lights at Lilidorei
Lilidorei opened in May 2023 and has a magical lore of its own. Lord Elfwin, the King of Lilidorei, rules over nine clans of elves who worship Christmas. Their beautifully designed, intricate clan houses are illuminated during the festive season, making visits after nightfall worthwhile. Playful and mysterious sounds and Christmassy tunes can be heard around the houses.
Lilidorei is the location of the world’s biggest play structure, Elfwin Drin, the home of Lord Elfwin. The vast structure features slides, bridges, towers and more. Youngsters were clambering on it, having a whale of a time during my visit. I couldn’t help but feel slightly envious; why didn’t play parks like this exist when I was a bairn? Smiling Secret Keepers, engaged with youngsters, chatting about the elves and encouraging them to seek out answers to questions on the Christmas Trail Elves Explorer leaflet that was handed to all visitors.
As a consequence, Lilidorei is a popular destination for family days out in North East England. And as I discovered while strolling between the Christmas lights, Lilidorei is also somewhere that adults can visit together and have fun
We paused between peeking into clan houses to share a bowl of mac and cheese. Topped with crispy onions and slices of chilli, it proved a tasty and warming snack.
Santa Claus was present until Christmas Eve. Did he arrive by reindeer-powered sleigh? Seven of the adorable creatures were present in a pen and being fed moss by adults and children alike as we departed Lilidorei nearly one-and-a-half hours after arriving.
Lilidorei at Christmas
Here’s a short video of some of the things that I experienced while viewing the Lilidorei Christmas Lights:
The Alnwick Garden Winter Lights
The Alnwick Garden Winter Lights is also popular with visitors of all ages.
Being the designated driver, I didn’t get to try one of the mugs of mulled wine or boozy hot chocolate that were on sale from food trucks at the entrance to the garden.
We enjoyed strolling along the light trail on a chilly but dry December evening. Doing so took a little over an hour and the experience helped get us into the Christmas spirit.
I created a short video about visiting the winter light trail, which you can view here:
Alnwick Garden admission prices
Looking for Christmas light trails in North East England? View entry prices and opening times for the Lilidorei Christmas lights and The Alnwick Garden Winter Light Trail on The Alnwick Garden website.
Packages are available for combined visits to The Alnwick Garden Light Trail and the Lilidorei Evening Lights.
Alnwick Garden parking
Complimentary onsite parking is available at The Alnwick Garden.
Travel to Alnwick
Lilidorei and The Alnwick Garden are options for people who want to experience winter light trails in North East England.
Alnwick is approximately 36 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Driving between the two on the A1 typically takes less than 45 minutes.
The X15 and X20 buses connect Newcastle and Alnwick.
Alnmouth station, on the United Kingdom’s East Coast Main Line, is less than four miles from The Alnwick Garden. Train journeys between London King’s Cross and Alnmouth take around three hours and 40 minutes.
Map of The Alnwick Garden
The Alnwick Garden is in Alnwick, Northumberland:
Accommodation in Alnwick
How about combining a visit to Lilledorei with an overnight stay in Alnwick? Search for hotel rooms using the map below:
Further information
Stuart Forster, the author of this post, is an award-winning travel writer. His work has been published by the likes of i newspaper, Love Exploring and The Sun.
Thanks for reading this post about visiting Winter Lights at Lilidorei and The Alnwick Garden Winter Lights. You may enjoy reading about the top things to do in Alnwick, Northumberland.
Looking for somewhere to stay in Alnwick? Check out this review of staying at The Cookie Jar, a boutique property near Alnwick Castle.
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A version of this post was initially published on Go Eat Do on 1 January 2024.
