FIRST LOOK: Christmas At Belton dazzles with much needed cheer and joy

TREE-tops glisten and the gardens are sparkling with millions of lights and a stunning new festive lights trail – Christmas At Belton is back.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

And it brings much needed cheer and joy to help lift lockdown gloom.

Tickets are selling fast for one of the few major family fun festive attractions getting the green light and every other colour of the NHS rainbow - it's now open at the National Trust's Belton House, near Grantham, in Lincolnshire, on selective dates to January 3, 2021.

BUY TICKETS: Tickets, on sale now, in advance are from £19 adult, £13.50 child, £60 family (two adults and two children), free for carers and two-year-olds and under. Parking is £8 per car. For further information, timings and bookings visit bit.ly/christmasatbelton

This year's mile-long after-dark illuminated trail sees the return of festive favourites including the towering Cathedral Of Light, a grand finale light show in front of Belton House itself, a brand new Fire Garden and Laser Garden.

But there's plenty new to see including a breathtaking, shimmering Meadow Of Light, giant luminescent candles, neon strings and a jaw-dropping hypnotic walk-through lights installation, towards the end of the trail on the approach to the house, called called Baubelles towards the end of the trail.

There are giant baubles, glowing flowers and snowflakes where you least expect them, with clusters of trees wrapped in ever-changing ribbons of colour.

Festooned with seasonal cheer, the walk is enhanced by a soundtrack of festive classics as visitors wander beneath unique tree canopies drenched in Christmas colour.

Even the social distancing signs have been turned into floor lights and there are public announcements to remind family and friends how to stay safe as they walk under the stars or enjoy mulled wine, hot chocolate and other seasonal favourites.

Santa also makes an appearance.

It will now open from 4.30pm, last entry is 8pm and it will close at 10pm, on selected days. Check the web site for timed visits and buy tickets in advance.

It is one of seven illuminated trails brought by leading promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited and is held in partnership with the National Trust and Belton House.

Christmas At BeltonChristmas At Belton
Christmas At Belton

Zoe Bottrell, head producer of trail creators Culture Creative, said: "It's just great to be back. We've created a lovely new trail for 2020.

"I think when we first did our show here last year, everybody thought I was mad when I suggested that we were going to bring people through a wonderful secret door from the courtyard.

"But it's a bit like, imagine that you're in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and you've just walked through the wardrobe - all of a sudden, this vista opens out in front of you. That's exactly what happens here at Belton.

"We have kept that and festive favourites, like the towering Cathedral Of Light and the Fre Garden, albeit in a different place, but we re-programme our trails every year - we have some wonderful new parts of this as well.

Christmas At Belton Fire GardenChristmas At Belton Fire Garden
Christmas At Belton Fire Garden

"You start in the lovely sunken garden, walk through a fibre optic installation called Meadow of Light. We then walk into a series of very contemporary neon strings, something very different for this wonderful natural landscape through a secret haze arch that leads out through some illuminated Snowdrops.

"And from those we come back through neon strings and into everybody's favourite, the Cathedral of Light. We have two wonderful fabric installations of some huge candlesticks, five meters high, and then some contemporary Christmas trees further down the trail.

"Then we end up with our finale in the sunken garden behind the house. Again, a dynamic programmed piece of music, just to leave you high in spirits before you enter back into the courtyard for something to warm your cockles. There's a merry go round and a Helter Skelter here as well before you head on home after having a lovely walk,

"There's lots of sparkle and twinkle. Yu could absolutely say there are millions of lights here. Our Cathedral of Light also has hundreds of thousands of lights within it.

"You'll be looking at 20 or 30 kilometers or cable, hundreds of theater style type lights, but millions of heads of lights as you go right the way through the garden.

"We've got four or five artists that are here from Australia, through to UK artists as well - though international artists are obviously a little fewer this year because of the pandemic, but nevertheless we've got a great showcase of artists here for everybody's to see.

Christmas At Belton now open selective nights to January 3, 2021Christmas At Belton now open selective nights to January 3, 2021
Christmas At Belton now open selective nights to January 3, 2021

"Essentially we respond to the landscape. We always talk about a sense of place and we want you to come to Belton and know this is about Belton - we don't want you to come here and think we've just borrowed other pieces of installations that are from other shows. So we very much work with the location. We work with the the built infrastructure and the natural infrastructure.

"We're asking people to come and enjoy themselves. We want everybody to not only come to Belton but leave here having a happy, safe and well Christmas.

"So we are asking people to stay in their family groups, stick to all the government guidance that is there maintaining family bubbles.

"Visitors will hear some messages along the route, just helping people remember that as they go around, stay in those groups, to give everybody else the respect and the space that they need and that you would yourself like to receive.

"There's plenty of space here on site. We have reduced our ticket capacities so we've got less people on site to give you more space. There's no reason why your trip has to be any different to other illuminated trails that you may have been in in previous years. Just be very conscious of those around you and give them the space they need."