First Halloween light trail and Room on the Broom family fun comes to Kew this autumn
October 2024
Release date: 21 August 2024
- Room on the Broom family trail will bring October half-term family fun to Kew Gardens from Sat 19 October – Sun 3 November
- Brand new Halloween-themed light trail runs Fri 18 October to Sun 3 November
- Features illuminated spider webs, spooky light installations, fire performers and headless horsemen
- Three session categories each evening - Daylight, Twilight and Moonlight
This October, visitors to Kew Gardens in London can expect tricks and treats as a new Halloween light trail transforms the UNESCO World Heritage Site for the first time (18 Oct – 3 Nov 2024).
Kew is famous for hosting the UK’s original Christmas light trail each year, but this Halloween, trees will twinkle in spookier colours, fire performers will dazzle and enchant, and visitors won’t know what’s lurking in the dark…
As dusk falls, Halloween at Kew will see the Gardens transformed with eerie illuminated trees, ghoulish installations, fire performers and more. A band of actors will haunt the Gardens and bring family-friendly thrills as the light fades, creating a spooktacular evening out for everyone to enjoy. Stumble across a Possessed Pumpkin Farm, wander through an illuminated Spiders Web, survive a sensational storm and discover a neon Carnivorous Tree feeding on unsuspecting skeletons. Witches, scarecrows, vampires and monsters will lurk in the shadows, and you may even stumble upon a headless horseman along the way.
Three sessions each evening offer visitors the option to choose the scare-factor that suits them: Daylight, Twilight and Moonlight. Each session will have a slightly different feel, with the ghostly goings on gradually increasing as the evening progresses. The darker it gets, the spookier it gets!
Adam Thow, Head of Commercial Activities at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: “We are delighted to be able to unveil Halloween at Kew, a chilling new light trail around the Gardens to celebrate the spooky season. We hope to see families really get into the spirit of Halloween, dressing up and creating some spooktacular memories.”
The Halloween at Kew trail is curated by Raymond Gubbay Limited and Culture Creative who design the ever-popular Christmas at Kew.
Tickets for Halloween at Kew can be purchased online (Halloween at Kew | Kew) and prices are:
- Adults £20 peak, £17 off peak
- Children £15 peak, £12 off peak
- Family £67 peak, £55 off peak
Room on the Broom
Elsewhere in the Gardens, the much-loved book Room on the Broom, by author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler, will be brought to life with a brand-new family trail encouraging curious visitors to explore their spooktacular surroundings.
From Saturday 19 October to Sunday 3 November, join this magical adventure about friendship and family as you wander through tall grasses and peer around trees searching for the kind Witch, Cat and friends in a unique adventure.
Room on the Broom runs during daytime opening hours (10am-4pm), and is free with day Gardens admission.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is dedicated to harnessing the power of plants and fungi to end the extinction crisis and secure a future for all life on Earth. With Kew’s world-leading research, global partnerships, and beloved Gardens – home to the world’s most diverse collections of plants and fungi – Kew is using its trusted voice to shape policy and practice worldwide. As a charity, Kew relies on the critical support of its visitors, not only to sustain the gardens, but to protect global plant and fungal biodiversity for the benefit of our planet and humanity.
ENDS
Admission to the exhibition is included in a ticket to Kew Gardens. Pre-booking online offers the best value visit.
For more information or images, please contact the Press Office at pr@kew.org.
For images, please visit: https://we.tl/t-XOt62H37tL
Notes to Editors
About Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a world-famous scientific and horticultural institution and conservation charity, whose mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth. It is internationally respected for its outstanding collections, horticultural and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew Gardens, with its 132 hectares of historic, landscaped gardens, is also a major attraction for international and London visitors alike. Dating back to 1759, the site has a rich history and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003. Combined visitor numbers with Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, total over 2.5 million per year. Wakehurst is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild plant seed bank in the world and a safeguard against the disastrous effects of climate change and biodiversity loss. RBG Kew receives approximately one third of its funding from the UK Government through the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and research councils, with the remaining two thirds coming from supporters, sponsors, memberships and commercial activity including ticket sales. This enables RBG Kew to carry out its vital scientific and educational work. For tickets, please visit www.kew.org/kew-gardens/visit-kew-gardens/tickets. Since implementing a new accessibility scheme for those in receipt of Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Legacy Benefits, Kew has welcomed over 100,000 visitors with £1 tickets.
About RG Live, a division of Sony Music
As an inaugural partner for the very first Christmas at Kew in 2013, RG Live, a division of Sony Music, has now been leading the industry in the delivery and creation of light trails for over twelve years. They now have well-established illuminated
Christmas and Halloween trails across the UK plus a portfolio of Christmas, Dark Spectrum and Lightscape trails around the world. Their chosen partners are national and international heritage venues and each trail is carefully designed to showcase the natural and unique environment of that individual setting. RG Live also presents concerts throughout the UK and worldwide.
rg.live | mychristmastrails.co.uk | FB @mychristmastrails | Twitter @mychristmastrails
About Culture Creative
Culture Creative is a creative project and production management company based in Scotland and the North East of England. The Company works across a wide range of cultural fields including art, sport, heritage, tourism, festivals and events, developing projects from concept to delivery. Since 2013, Culture Creative has worked closely with leading entertainment promoter Raymond Gubbay Ltd. a division of Sony Music, to create Lightscape and Christmas themed trails in various venues across the UK and overseas.
www.culturecreative.co.uk | FB @culturecreativeltd | Twitter @CCLCreative | Instagram @culturecreativeltd
Room on the Broom
Room on the Broom, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, was first published by Macmillan Children’s Books in 2001. It is published in 48 languages and has sold over 11 million copies worldwide.
The book was adapted for screen in 2012 by Magic Light Pictures and premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day – the film went on to win a BAFTA and numerous other awards. Since then Magic Light has developed a comprehensive licensing programme with a wide range of products available from plush, to apparel, and toys and live events.
@MagicLightPics – Instagram, Facebook and Twitter