Having spent the afternoon celebrating the Year of the Rooster in ChinaTown we were looking forward to our visit to The Magical Lantern Festival. However the heavens opened and many saved days of rain poured out of the sky. Were we dispondent? NO WAY. The gardens had been transformed into a fairyland which took us back to childhood. A childhood where rain mattered not. Footpaths, with direction signs, laid out so nothing was missed. Beautiful, artistic exhibits with well signed descriptions. Wonderful. Along the way, places to drink and eat. I felt sorry for the guys in those stalls because the rain made people walk past. Likewise the entertainment area at the end. A fantastic evening out for, we felt, a very reasonable price. A tip.....wear waterproof boots as the way can get rather muddy. read more

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The first Chinese Lantern Festival in the UK? Seems hardly believable, especially in such a cosmopolitan city such as London where everything seems to be given it's time in the limelight. Well there is an old saying that "the first is the best" and if this festival is anything to go by it does seem "best-worthy" as the thousands of Chinese lanterns, both life-size and bright in vibrant colours are a breath-taking sight when taken in their entirety. The area is well cordoned off with a path to lead you through the grounds where you will be surrounded by lanterns round every corner. If you are like me and like to take photos of anything beautiful (which was basically every lantern) then you can find yourself walking for a good 2 hrs whilst taking in the displays.  The only thing I would have liked in addition to the lanterns would be some form of introduction, labelling or backstory, but I realise that it would be difficult and time-consuming to put in place. It's like if you have a museum full of wonderful pieces of art to admire perhaps you don't need any written descriptions? P.S. There is also no audio here so coming to this Lantern Festival is purely a visual spectacle but one created to the highest quality. It is important to note that whilst the entrance time is designated, there is not a time limit to your visit, so you can enjoy it at your leisure. However there is not much to eat there except at the entrance there is a burger stall and a waffle stall and within the park you can roast some mashmellows if that should tickle your fancy. All-in-all it is a feast for the eyes, an honour to be able to experience in London and well worth a visit if you like colour, lights and a walk in the park - which let's face it, who doesn't? read more

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Absolutely not worth £20 a head. "Nice" was the word to describe it. Thoroughly meh about it. If had paid for a family night out with my nieces and nephews I would not be a happy camper. No ambience, no music or sounds. Just beige. Won't be going back. read more

The lights at this year's Magical Lantern Festival are.... well, truly magical. Walking along the trail is absolutely mesmerizing and also very calming. The bright colours and the beautiful reflection of some of the displays in the lakes definitely cheered my friend and me up (after a tough day at work and a tricky journey from the tube). My only two suggestions would be an improvement required for directions on the website/sign posting and there were a few light displays that were partly obstructed by trees or statues. Overall a lovely evening for couples, families or friends :) read more

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I had a fabulous time at this event! I was feeling quite hyped up after having had a Vietnamese drip coffee and that helped me keep warm as we zipped around the beautiful display. I wish I'd saved some room in my tummy for the toasted marshmallow treats and the churros we saw, but I'll have to come back next year for those. There was also lots of cute gift items along panda-lines, which I love. The elephant was my favourite lantern scene but the others were also very impressive. It was really fun watching kiddos around me exclaim over the various scenes too! In terms of getting to the event, I got a bit lost from the station so I do recommend taking an Uber if you're a bit space-challenged like me. I would also have rather had a fancy camera to take pics, as my phone didn't really do the scenes justice. Definitely one to return to! read more

Magical Lantern Festival - Pretty elephant baby - Festivals Near Me - London, XGL

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The day I visited with friends was EXTREMELY cold. So cold that the lake had actually frozen in some areas. As it is open air, I suggest you wrap up extremely warm and wear comfortable and waterproof footwear as it was quite muddy along the pathways. Some of the lanterns were quite cute and pretty. ie the giant panda, cartoon styled Chinese opera characters and rooster in an egg shape. In addition, I liked the elephant made out of crockery as it was pretty clever. But some were not to my taste, because I am Chinese, some of the lanterns shaped like people and buildings reminded me of "gifts" that you would burn for the dead, hence my friends and I skipped past those pretty quickly. Overall, it was an okay night out but I felt there was less variety and was quite short in comparison to Kew's Christmas lights. read more

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I really enjoyed the evening. Basically, it's a walking tour full of different lantern groupings depicting different scenes, mostly from the silk road. It did depict culture, art and heritage but there is the token thing that you can relate to like the noodles and a scene featuring Aladdin. Some of the lanterns are really breathtaking and very mesmerizing. It's truly something that brightens up the gloominess of winter. I would totally recommend going to this if you are able to walk for a good 20-30 minutes ie not for small kids or elderly. Only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is that you need to be mindful of some pointers. It is a good walking exercise, and the tube station is a good walk from Chiswick house, so please do get an uber there if you are tired on the day. Second, please wrap up warm because it is all outdoors. Finally, sometimes it does get really crowded and if it rains before your shoes will get muddy. It is very worth it though, but I would really recommend to come prepared. Also the queues for food is really long, and food is at the end of the lantern tour so I would recommend to not come hungry as by the time you finish looking at all the lanterns, you will have worked up an appetite. If it comes back next year, please do book your tickets. It is quite a magical experience, as the title suggests. I was really blown away by the level of detail and artistry that the lanterns have. read more

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Absolutely blown away by the art and creativity of the sculptures at the magic lantern festival. I really had no idea what to expect, I had friends who went last year and loved it, so I had heard good things, just assumed it wasn't something I'd enjoy. How wrong was I! I was inspired by the lovely characters and craftsmanship. Throughout I found the exhibits to get better and better, so each new discovery on our path was met with a bigger wow. My favourite being at the end, the lovely panda gateway, with red glowing fire crackers, yummy green bamboo and such movement and life to it. I enjoyed most exhibits, finding myself standing fixated trying to work out how these bright and vibrant pieces had been created. Each was linked to the theme of Silk Road in it's many forms and ideas. Tickets are around £15 children and £20 adults, and personally I think it's worth it, there's a lot to see, it's a beautiful way to spend an evening, slowly wandering the gardens of Chiswick house, hot cocktail and toasted marshmallow in the other (which you can buy half way round the walk - and can toast yourself). It was a shame that it was a cold night, the only suggestion I'd have for them is that they emphasise that it's outside and to wrap up suitably. I didn't and was a little chilly myself. Although a good tip - hot cocktails do help fight this ;) It really did light up a dull Friday evening! read more

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The Magical Lantern is a spectacular fusion of art, heritage and culture which is set outside. This is it's second year and this year the lanterns created scenes from Europe to China. There was even a scene on Aladdin. All the lanterns were spectacular and full of colour. I especially loved the lanterns which were next to the water as the reflections hitting the water looked stunning. I also love the massive panda bear with its beady green eyes. Along the magical journey of colour around Chiswick Gardens half way you will come across a few stalls one selling marshmallows, a stall selling drink, and a stall selling festival merchandise. I especially love the marshmallow stall as they sell all unique flavours from passionfruit & ginger to plain vanilla and you can cook your chosen marshmallow over a fire pit. I chose the passionfruit & ginger one which was full of flavour of the passionfruit and my husband had blueberry & gin marshmallow which he said was very fruity. I highly recommend to anyone that loves marshmallows as they are full of flavour and very fun to cook. At the end of your walk around the grounds you will come across yet more stalls selling various burgers, crepes, drinks, festival merchandise stalls, ice skating rink, virtual reality games area, ice bar plus a few fairground rides. Apart from the food and drink stalls the fairground rides etc are new to the festival. For me having the funfair etc at the festival sort of ruined the whole magic of the festival for me as I had just experienced a lovely walk admiring such beauty in such tranquil grounds then I am hit by this mass of noise and ugliness. Even though I enjoyed the lanterns I did not enjoy it as much as last year unfortunately. Last years for me had more of a wow factor as the lanterns mainly consisted of animals and I love animals. Plus also last year there seemed to be more lanterns and not so sparse. I am however though looking forward to revisiting in 2018 to see what new journey of lanterns I will be doing. read more

Firstly this festival is in Chiswick. It's far, what with it being accessible by a train ride or quite far west on the district line. To me though I only look at the positives of exploring a new side to this great city and an area I am not familiar with as I often make a night out of it (dinner after for example). I thought the entrance was grand. A nice start. And as an event I thought there was much more light displays than I possibly could have imagined. Made me realise how huge this park was TBH! I'm not sure why I didn't expect it but I didn't think I'd see a starting point of British icons I lights. I soon realised it was going to be a spectacle of global iconic monuments and sights. Neat idea. I dunno I supposed I thought it would be all Chinese! Silly narrow minded me. Some were better than others. The ones that stand out are ones that are by the water, or ones you go through and ones that really show (in this case) an animal you resonate with; I love a panda. It was cold that day, but what would you expect. Actually used the flames of the cans for marshmellows to warm myself. I think they missed an opportunity to put lights on the path as sort of a yellow brick road to follow to the end. That would have added a neat touch. Overall I thought it was good. Nothing spectacular. I think it's because everything is static. Imagine this idea for Chinese New Year with floating dragons moving back and forth at night. Would be cool! I'm half tempted to give it 4 stars. But for me it's a 3.5/5. It's good but on the whole I loved the artistry and creative skill of the whole designs but feel it is best targeted for a family and younger kids to marvel at the lights. read more

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I found this experience magical - although the tickets were pretty pricey at £18 each to go for a walk in the park in the cold in London! To be fair we went on a mild night - but be sure to wrap up if you do head here. I loved the lights and the colourful displays throughout - I felt like a child again! I also loved the midway stop off point to get hot chocolate and roast marshmallows over a coal fire (you have to pay for it of course, it's not included). It's a must see! Beautiful, colourful and bright - Wear some comfy shoes that you don't mind getting a bit muddy as its a long walk through the park! read more

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I've never been to this event before and I'm afraid I was a little underwhelmed by the hype. The lanterns before the paid entrance were not great and I'm not sure whether the organisers thought the 12 Chinese horoscope signs were supposed to entice customers to buy tickets or to make them all run away!!! I was relieved to find that the lanterns were quite delightful inside, especially with the dark sky contrast. The use of lanterns on the lake gave an especially stunning effect with the reflections on the water. The displays were duplicated on both sides of the path at the beginning of the walk which was also a great idea for if there were crowds walking through. Fortunately it was not busy when I went, probably because of storm Doris closing the event the night before. My favourite displays were the Chinese opera ones. The characters were cute and their faces looked really good. Compared to these some of the faces of the other lanterns looked very strange and unrealistic. I loved the Lee kum keep advertisement lantern as well!!! Not sure how this fits in with the silk road theme but it gave a good chuckle!! I would suggest to make this event better, to have some heaters along the path as it was freezing and I was dressed like an Eskimo, more obvious road signs. Hey! Why not do a photo stand for memorabilia? Extra cash income, on something like a special panda where you can get professional photograph!! It's definitely quite a challenge for the crowd to do a selfie against the lanterns without their faces turning out to be dark! Please also have more displays. For me to want to consider traveling such a long distance again next year, and if I was to pay full price, I would ask for more displays in general! My hubby also mentioned that in Malaysia when they have lantern festival they had mobile displays like cars you that you can go into and move about with, perhaps something interactive would be great!! To conclude, although this event may not be for me, during my walk through the displays many people were praising the lanterns. I think it is perfect for family and especially children will love this event! read more

This is the second year of this spectacular and magical event. I was looking forward to seeing it again, I got the Groupon deal last year and it was very good value for half the price. I went via the main entrance as I did not read my tickets (who has time to read the small print? haha) that there was an entrance 100 yards from the bus stop in Burlington Lane, so I walked back to Hogarth Lane, pass Hogarth House (mental note, must remember to come earlier next time, as this place closes early, but it looks very interesting) to the main entrance at Dukes Avenue Gate, where the arch over the entrance was fully lit with lanterns. Then beautiful lanterns of the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac, and a Fashionable England lantern group, plus the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, lined the path to the box office and paid entrance. To the right of Dukes Avenue Gate is the small disabled car park and entrance to the other activities in the entertainment area for the mini funfair, ice rink, ice bar or VR experience and food stalls, if you have tickets before the Lantern walk, which you come back to if you are doing the Lantern part first. Finally, when we reached the entrance to the paid part, there is a very romantic Eiffel tower lantern surrounded by Parisian fashion and next to it, a cafe and toilets. Next up is the a structure to evoke a Mediterranean atmosphere of coconut trees and desert, a lighthouse, and a very fairytale like Turkish/Persian building. Passing the Chiswick House in the dark itself we come to the lake where there is a fantastic ship with its sail brilliantly shining in the dark and playful dolphins dancing around it and reflected in the dark waters. On the lake is also a reflection of the many Central Asian countries on the Silk Road, with camels and beautiful buildings. A close up of one of the Silk Road ship with its explorers and a large camel structure then greets us as we walk past the lake. Then we came to the Genie and the magic lantern which looks very good. Princess Jasmine did not look very good, the lantern had too many lines around her face making her weird and old looking! But Aladdin looked very boyish so was much better, and the palace with many colours, was beautiful. Halfway, you can get mulled wine (£4.95) and, roast yourself, marshmallows (£1.50 for one) over a coal fire. Very welcoming on a cold night. I love the queue of camels large and small, and looks very much like they were wondering around the desert. I also love the Chinese opera characters with their oversized heads, and the playful chef with his noodles and the bowl of noodles lantern, and cartoon characters, some relaxing, some playful from the Lee Kam Kee display. We also saw a Chinese goddess, or may by it's a Tibetan Buddha, Swans from Swan Lake (on the Silk Road?), a giant panda on a bamboo base, groups of flowers, and palaces, and more beautiful arches. In the centre of the entertainment area is a giant teapot and cups, its lights sparkling in the dark night. Absolutely beautiful. Surrounding this is lots of food stalls where you can buy cheesy foods, burgers, noodles, duck wraps, Chinese buns, hot dogs, churros, chips and drinks including mulled wine. Also a Hansel and Gretel Magical House of Sweets including pick and mix heaven. This area is accessible at the end of the walk or before the walk, so you can either eat here before or after. I would allow an hour and a half to 2 hours for the walk through the park. Again, the sign posting was not all there to get to the Gardens. It is quite a long trek from the closest stations. I remembered last year, walking from Turnham Green Station in the dark following Google Maps which took 20 minutes of brisk walking to keep warm, as it was so, so bitterly cold, even well wrapped, so a leisurely walk could take up to 30 minutes! So this year decided to get the bus from Hammersmith Station, thinking it would be quicker, which was fine until the bus got stuck at the approach to Hogarth Roundabout for 15 minutes. The bus stop was on the other side to the Gardens, if coming from Central London, so crossing the road to the Gardens' side is a bit hit and miss, you have to be so careful, as there is no crossing there. Surely for safety sake they should put a crossing there, luckily since there were roadworks at that juncture, cars were slowing down. This year the entry was a lot less strict and regimental, where previously you had to queue according to your time slot and wait for your time slot, if you were too early. This year, as long as you got a ticket, you were beeped through at whatever time you arrived. In comparison with last year's, I thought last year's was much more breathtaking and stunning, perhaps, being the first time held in London, but still worth a visit for the colourful displays. It still really deserves its Magical Lantern Festival tag. read more

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We loved it - what a wonderful display of colour and light! My husband said he still wasn't sure if it was worth the money, but I definitely disagree with him. The grounds are beautiful, very easy to traverse, and the lanterns were placed beautifully within the landscape. We bought 8pm tickets so it wasn't very crowded and were able to take some great pictures. read more

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If you are looking for something diffrent to do and like pretty lights then this is for you. It is amazing to see what they have created and a dark evening really makes all of the art pop. It's a great date idea as well as you are walking around and can talk with art to spark the conversation. This is popular with families but since its such a big space you never feel crowded or like you're stumbling over small children. The tour ends at the food and drink are where you can collect your thoughts and warm up with a hot drink or visit the ice bar before heading home. Very well executed and fun thing to do! Only minus would be that it might be a bit far for some to travel if you live east. read more

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