The Heligan Night Garden at The Lost Gardens of Heligan offers an enchanting festive experience in Cornwall, and our family had an enjoyable evening exploring this illuminated wonderland. Here’s my honest review of the Heligan Night Garden, sharing both its highlights and areas for improvement, as well as photos and videos so you can experience it virtually for yourself!

Why We Chose the Heligan Night Garden

We’ve always been fans of the Lost Gardens of Heligan, having previously visited and written about our experience during a rainy November trip. You can read more about that visit in my review of Heligan gardens. Knowing the beauty of these gardens, we were eager to see them transformed by Christmas lights, hoping for a magical evening.

Also, after two consecutive years of visiting the Eden Project’s Christmas lights—thoroughly enjoying the 2022 display but feeling slightly underwhelmed in 2023—we decided to try something new for 2024.

The Risk of Cancellation and Preparation for Weather

The weekend we booked had weather warnings for 70mph winds in Cornwall, and we were concerned the event might be cancelled, given that three weeks before we’d had a storm of 90mph winds in our hometown of Newquay and were housebound for the day. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t too bad, and while it was drizzly, it wasn’t too windy at all.

Having learned from previous visits, we came prepared with wellies, knowing the paths could get muddy after rain—a wise decision that kept us comfortable. Make sure to pack some wellies for the trails especially if it’s been raining or due as it was muddy and there were puddles in places.

When I booked the tickets there was an option for additional insurance which I booked. For only £6 extra we were able to protect our booking so that if we needed to rearrange to a different day and time, we could.

Arriving at the Event

Our booking was for the first time slot at 4.30 pm on the Saturday evening before Christmas Day. We arrived slightly early and found the entrance not yet open, but friendly staff told us the gates would open in ten minutes, so we spent some time in the gift shop.

Once the gates opened, many visitors entered simultaneously, making the start of the trail feel crowded. This is one area where we think Heligan could improve. The crowd density at the beginning of the trail made it difficult to stop, take photos, and fully absorb the atmosphere without feeling rushed as we had a crowd of people behind us wanting to keep moving.

Heligan Night Garden Review 2024: The Light Displays

The Heligan Night Garden featured a variety of captivating light installations that showcased the natural beauty of the gardens. Highlights included:

• Woodland Creatures: Larger-than-life illuminated animal lanterns, including a mesmerising kingfisher and a frog on a lily pad, brought the gardens to life. We also saw hedgehogs, badgers, deer, owls and much more.
• Artistic Umbrellas: An artistic installation of brightly coloured umbrellas suspended in the trees added a unique touch.

• “Flow” Light Show: This was our absolute favourite. An installation and creation by Squidsoup. A moving, colour-changing display set to music—it was utterly mesmerising, and we could have watched it all night. Well, me and my husband could have! The kids were keen to get back to the gift shop as “Flow” was at the end of the trail, but my husband and I loved this light display and wanted to keep watching it!

• Tunnels of Lights: Walking through the colour-changing light arches was a magical experience. There were also many other arches covered in lights which would have made great photo opportunities, but sometimes we felt rushed to go through again as there were so many people behind us. More staggered timeslots perhaps would help, or some quieter sessions (which we’d pay more for) to help make it a quieter experience for those of us who don’t like crowds of people so much!

• Mushroom Lights: These glowing fungi added a whimsical feel to the trail and were one of my favourite parts. The oversized twisting mushrooms looked so effective lit up in the evening amongst the trees.
• Butterflies: There was an arch near the end with beautiful butterfly lights on either side which was beautiful.
• Large Flowers: Giant drooping flower lanterns.

The trail spans about a mile, but with plenty of stops to admire the lights, it takes a good hour or more to fully enjoy, especially if you stop around the fire pits and enjoy food from one of the various huts.

Festive Food and Drink at Heligan Night Garden

Heligan offers various food and drink options to enhance the festive spirit. We visited the BBQ hut and opted for vegan Moving Mountains hot dogs and potato wedges. I also treated myself to a mulled cider, which was welcomingly warm on the cold dark winter night in December!

While there was a canopy with undercover seating, it was fully occupied. Additional covered seating would have been helpful, but we managed to enjoy our food by an open fire, and stood by benches which were soaked by rain, but it was warm and atmospheric by the fire.

A lovely touch was the free marshmallow toasting over open fires. As a vegan family, we were thrilled to find they provided vegan marshmallows on request. Our kids were especially delighted when we gave them our marshmallows, allowing them to toast two each! I hadn’t noticed the sign saying the marshmallows were free and was expecting to pay, so it was a nice surprise! I then noticed the sign afterwards!

As well as food at the BBQ hut, there were a couple more food stations with other choices from ice cream to pastys. As well as snacks such as chocolate, sweets and nuts in the gift shop.

A Hidden Christmas Tree Gem on the Trail

Not far from the food area, once we continued along the trail, a staff member kindly directed us to a less obvious area featuring undercover seating surrounded by beautifully lit Christmas trees.

It would have been nice to know about this spot earlier, as it was a perfect place to enjoy food and escape the drizzle!

The Finale… Snow!

The trail ended with a delightful surprise—a foam snow machine. The kids absolutely loved running through the “snow,” and our nine-year-old couldn’t get enough, laughing as he ended up covered in foam. It was a charming way to conclude the evening and added an extra layer of festive fun.

Here’s a video we filmed of the foam snow machine… what is the green squirming light we picked up? Drop a comment at the end of this blog post if you know!

The Gift Shop Experience

No trip to Heligan is complete without a visit to their incredible gift shop. We spent some time browsing after the light trail and left with a few treasures, including dark chocolate, honeycomb, and a beautiful candle for our newly decorated bathroom.

The shop features a wide range of ethical and local products, from homewares to Christmas decorations, toys to stationery, and is well worth a visit. There was a lot more I could have purchased and I had to resist the temptation!

Comparing Heligan to Eden Project Christmas Lights

Having visited the Eden Project Christmas lights in both 2022 and 2023, we were curious how Heligan would compare. While we loved the Eden lights in 2022, our experience in 2023 felt a bit less magical as it was not as good in my opinion as their 2022 lights and we’d hoped for something on the same level if not better, prompting us to try something new.

Heligan’s Night Garden was a refreshing change, offering a different atmosphere with its focus on woodland creatures and artistic installations.

Both offer a different and unique experience and next year I’m tempted to book both for our family, perhaps one as a pre-Christmas treat and the other as a New Year’s treat, depending on the duration of each.

One thing to note is Eden Project is good in all weather as the majority of the lights are in the domes, so you can escape any rain! But Heligan is perhaps more suited to younger children with the woodland creatures, marshmallow toasting and decorated lit-up tractor!

Final Thoughts on Heligan Night Garden: Would We Go Again?

The ultimate test of any event review is whether we’d return, and for the Heligan Night Garden, the answer is a resounding yes.

Despite some crowding at the start of the trail and limited undercover seating, the overall experience was magical, and the light displays were beautifully crafted. The free marshmallow toasting and vegan-friendly options were thoughtful touches, and the foam snow added extra joy for the kids.

If you’re considering a visit to the Heligan Night Garden, we wholeheartedly recommend it. Just be prepared for potential crowds during peak times and dress for the weather, especially if rain is forecast.

We’d prefer a quieter slot so we can walk around with more space between ourselves and others and more of a chance for photos and to take our time. Maybe a January slot could have provided this, or a slot on a weekday instead of choosing the weekend. Or perhaps it’s just so popular it will be busy at any time!

Find out more on their website at https://www.heligan.com/events/events-at-heligan/heligan-night-garden/

For more inspiration on garden visits in Cornwall, check out my Cornwall garden reviews, where I’ve shared insights into many other stunning locations.