Light Up Trails at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens runs 26 November to 1 January, entry 4.30pm to 8pm. Adults £22 to £27 by night, family from £69, parking free.
The Christmas light trail at Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey returns from Thursday 26 November 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027, with tickets already on sale. This year’s trail is called Radiance, and the organiser, Light Up Trails, says every zone is new.
The quick answer
- Dates: selected nights from 26 November, then every night from 15 December to 1 January, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day
- Entry: timed slots every 15 minutes, 4.30pm to 8pm
- Adults: £22 off-peak, £24.50 peak, £27 super peak
- Children: £14, £17.50 or £19; under-2s free
- Family of four: £69, £81 or £89
- Booking fee: £2 per order
- Parking: free, not bookable
- Time on the trail: 60 to 90 minutes, the organiser says
Dates and the three kinds of night
Hampshire County Council, which runs the gardens, says the trail is open on selected dates between 26 November and 1 January, and daily from 15 December, closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Neither the council nor the organiser lists the individual November and early December dates on its information pages; you see them when you pick a date on the booking site.
Each night is sold as one of three tiers. The organiser’s own descriptions:
- Off-peak: quieter, later-entry nights, “midweek and early December dates”. The cheapest tickets.
- Peak: “the classic Light Up experience”, no live performers.
- Super peak: the only nights with live entertainers across the trail, fire performers and “flower fairies”, in collaboration with Steamship Circus.
The super peak nights are listed: Saturday 5 December, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 December, and every night from Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December. The organiser says these sell first.
Prices
| Ticket | Off-peak | Peak | Super peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | £22 | £24.50 | £27 |
| Child | £14 | £17.50 | £19 |
| Family (2 adults, 2 children) | £69 | £81 | £89 |
A £2 booking fee is added to each order. Under-2s go free, and every child must be with an adult. Food and drink are extra.
What is on the trail
Light Up Trails describes eight zones for 2026, including Ember Garden in the National Glade, Written in the Stars beside the water, where you can send a message to be lit up above it, Fernlight Walk, a Christmas tree, and Kingdom of Snow, finishing with a zone called Lightplay.
Halfway round is the Christmas Village, with a bar, indoor and outdoor seating and street food. The organiser lists a hog roast, Yorkshire pudding wraps, fish and chips, bratwurst, and crepes and churros. There is a bar and merchandise chalet in the courtyard at the start.
Getting there and parking
The gardens are at Jermyns Lane, Ampfield, Romsey SO51 0QA, between Romsey and Winchester.
Parking is free and cannot be reserved. The organiser uses three car parks: the Hillier Gardens car park, the Hillier Nurseries car park and the Ganger Farm overflow car park across the road, and staff direct you on arrival. Blue Badge holders are guided to accessible bays. Drop-off is at the main entrance roundabout, with no waiting there.
Allow time to park and walk to the entrance before your slot. If you are late, the organiser says it will try to let you in the same evening as long as you arrive before the final entry time.
Without a car: the organiser says the Stagecoach 66 between Winchester and Romsey stops at Hillier Arboretum near the entrance.
Only registered assistance dogs are allowed.
Nearby that month
Romsey’s own Christmas lights switch-on is on Saturday 21 November, and Andover’s is on Friday 20 November: see our Andover Christmas lights page. For road closures on the way, check our roadworks and travel page, and for town centre car parks, parking in Andover.
Everything here was checked against Hampshire County Council’s and Light Up Trails’ own published material on 29 September 2026. Prices and dates can change; check the booking site before you go.
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