The Festival of Light

The Festival of Light is an extremely popular event and dates do sell out — particularly our Peak Days. As such, we highly recommend booking online in advance as soon as you can. 

If we sell out of tickets online there will be no walk-up tickets available to purchase at the gate. 

The same applies to our enchanting Santa Train; this often sells out very quickly (especially for weekends and dates within the school holidays). So please buy both your Santa Train Ticket and The Festival of Light Ticket at the same time and well in advance of your planned visit date.

We have listened to the feedback from previous events and requests for tickets that do not include the Drive-Through Safari or those who only want to come in the evening, predominantly for the lanterns. 

For The Festival of Light 2025 we have three ticket types. 

This will allow us to provide an even better guest experience on Park. Whilst this does mean that fewer guests will be able to experience the Drive-Through Safari, as this is only included in the Day tickets, it will mean a better experience for those who choose this ticket type. 

Day Tickets give you access to everything Longleat has to offer (excluding optional extras), including The Festival of Light. The Drive-Through Safari opens from 9:30am and the rest of the Park from 10am. You are welcome to stay on park until we close at 7:30pm. 

Your ticket includes: 

• Access to our stunning lantern scenes 

• Festive attractions including the Enchanted Christmas Tree Show.

• Our amazing Winter Drive-Through Safari experience.

• The chance to meet more of our famous animal residents on foot with our Walking Safari and Boat Safari.

• A whole host of attractions to explore including the Adventure Castle, Rockin’ Rhino and the Hedge Maze.

• Longleat’s stunning grounds and gardens.

The only things not included with a Festival of Light Day Ticket are optional extras, such as The Santa Train, Longleat House tour and animal feeding opportunities.

Select Main Square attractions, such as the Lorikeet Aviary, Boat Safari, Adventure Castle and The Hedge Maze, will close before the Park does, according to light levels. These attractions are not open in the dark. 

Non-Safari Day Tickets give you access to all of the above with the exception of the Drive-Through Safari and access is from 10am. 

Twilight Tickets give you access to The Festival of Light lanterns, the festive attractions like the Enchanted Christmas Tree Show and some Main Square attractions. Entry is from 4pm. 

Twilight tickets are available on weekdays. Members can book weekend Twilight tickets. To become a Member please click here. 

We also have Peak, Standard and Off-Peak pricing to allow those who can come at quieter times to have access to a more affordable ticket.

We do — disabled guests may bring a carer free of charge. 

Simply find the ticket type you’d like and select the number of people in your party; including anyone with disabilities. You’ll have the option to add carers to your basket at this point. 

There is a limit to the number of carers you may book. However, additional carer tickets are available if needed. If this applies to you, please contact our Guest Services team on 01985 844400 to discuss your requirements. 

Remember, if you don’t bring proof of disability (such as a Blue Badge, DLA/PIP award letter or doctor’s letter) on the day of your visit, carers will be charged the full ticket price. 

No concessionary tickets are available for the Santa Train. 

Each Santa Train can carry two wheelchairs. If you’re interested in booking this space, please contact our Guest Services team on 01985 844400 with the date and train time you’d like to reserve, to confirm availability before making your purchase.

Your confirmation email will act as your tickets, which you will receive after making your purchase online. This usually arrives in your inbox very quickly, but during particularly busy booking periods this may take a couple of hours. Depending on your inbox settings, it may fall into your junk/spam box. 

There is a QR code in your confirmation email that you’ll need to scan on arrival at the Park. Please ensure to bring your confirmation email, either on paper or on a mobile device, in order for us to redeem your booking completely contact free. You can also download your tickets into the Apple or Google wallet on your device. 

Those with a Santa Train Ticket will jump aboard the Longleat Express to meet Father Christmas in his woodland grotto. 

The Santa Train is an optional extra to make your visit even more magical. You will be offered the chance to book Santa Train tickets as part of your ticket booking process. 

Santa Train tickets guarantee you a seat on the Santa Express. Anyone with a child ticket will receive a special gift from Father Christmas himself, whilst adults can indulge with a complimentary hot chocolate and mince pie. 

Everyone riding the Santa Train must have a Santa Train ticket as well as an entry ticket or Member Ticket. The only exception to this is babes in arms (under 12 months) who will not require their own seat or a gift. If you wish to book a child onto the train but don’t want them to receive a gift, please book them an Adult Ticket. 

Any children riding the train must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. 

This is an extremely popular experience and certain dates can sell out very quickly so we’d really recommend booking your date and time as soon as you can to avoid disappointment. 

View more information about the Santa Train here. 

Santa Train Prices 

Adult £7.50

Child £23.50

All guests must have a valid entry ticket or Member Ticket for the corresponding date to ride the Santa Train. 

Booking options for the Santa Train are given only as part of your ticket booking process, so the Santa Train cannot be booked on its own.

We have released all the available Santa Train slots. Unfortunately we’re not planning to release any further slots in the future. 

Yes we do. For Festival of Light please use the links below - 

Festival of Light - Emergency Services 

Festival of Light - Armed Forces 

Our Armed Forces discount is available to members of the Army, Navy and RAF, as well as veterans and dependents. 

Our Emergency Services discount is available for both Blue Light Card holders and individuals whose role is directly involved in the public sector emergency response and care, including members of the Police Service, Ambulance Service and Fire Service.

The offer is valid for the Emergency Services or Armed Forces member plus up to five guests, all arriving together to the Park (infants under 3 and carers do not count in this limit).

If you’re planning on purchasing tickets using either of these discounts please remember that you must bring a valid employee ID card, veteran’s card or Blue Light Card to Longleat on the day of your visit, and you must book these tickets online in advance (at least a day before you plan to visit).

Please note- if you make a booking without using the correct link as shown above- bookings cannot be amended afterwards and no discounts can be given or honoured, all bookings should be made using the links above. This discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers or promotions, and is not available on our Festival of Light Twilight tickets. Please note this discount is not applicable on purchases throughout the park, VIP Experience, Accommodation or any extras. This discount is applicable on Festival of Light Day Tickets only.

Yes, you may use Tesco vouchers towards Tickets. These can be booked in the usual way here. 

Tesco vouchers can only be redeemed against Festival of Light Day Tickets and cannot be used against the cost of additional experiences such as the Santa Train or Guided House Tours. 

As a Member you’re entitled to 20% off Friends & Family Tickets for The Festival of Light. 

Each Member may bring up to four guests at once using the Friends & Family discount, and must be present on the same visit with a valid Member pre-booking. Infants under 3 do not count towards this limit. 

Find out more by clicking below and logging into your Member account:

• Member Friends & Family Tickets (all valid dates) 

• Member Friends & Family Tickets — The Festival of Light Exclusive Night (7th November only) 

Absolutely. The Winter Drive-Through Safari is included in Day Tickets for The Festival of Light. However, it is not included in Non-Safari Day Tickets or Twilight Tickets. 

The Drive-Through Safari opens at 9:30am and the rest of the park from 10am. Most vehicles are accepted into the Safari except for soft top cars, motorbikes and bicycles.

Day Ticket holders may book seats on the Safari Bus with Guest Services when you arrive. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Tickets are £9.95 per person (3+ years). Under 3s are free. 

The Drive-Through Safari closes earlier than usual in winter, and dependent of daylight hours, so please leave plenty of time if you'd like to enjoy it.

These are currently unavailable to purchase online, however we will keep everyone up to date via our social media channels, so if you’d like to be the first to know sign up to our email mailing list (scroll down past this section) and follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.