We checked four Christmas light trails near Uxbridge, from Kew Gardens to Ashridge House, for 2026 dates, prices and parking. Updated November 2026.

There are four Christmas light trails within about 20 miles of Uxbridge for 2026, and all four have published their dates and prices: Kew Gardens, Windsor Great Park, RHS Wisley and Ashridge House near Berkhamsted. None of them is in Hillingdon. Kew and Windsor open first, on Friday 13 November; Wisley and Ashridge follow on Friday 20 November. Every one is timed entry, booked online in advance.

The quick answer

  • Cheapest: RHS Wisley’s Glow, from £7.50 an adult and £6 a child on its super off peak dates. (RHS)
  • Nearest: Christmas at Kew, about nine miles from Uxbridge in a straight line. Tickets from £25.50. (Kew)
  • Best for a dog: Windsor Great Park Illuminated, which allows dogs on leads on the whole trail. Adults from £19.80. (Windsor Great Park)
  • Free parking: only Ashridge House says so. Kew and Windsor make you pre-book parking with your tickets.
  • Tickets on the door: none of them. Ashridge says so outright, and the other three sell timed slots online.

Christmas light trails near Uxbridge at a glance

Trail Dates Hours Adult from Child from Parking
Christmas at Kew Selected dates, 13 Nov to 3 Jan 4.20pm to 10pm £25.50 family and child tickets, price not shown limited, pre-book
Windsor Great Park Illuminated 13 Nov to 3 Jan from 4.15pm or 4.30pm to 10.30pm £19.80 £12.10 (3 to 15) limited, buy in advance
RHS Wisley Glow Selected dates, 20 Nov to 3 Jan 4pm to 9pm £7.50 £6 (5 to 16) not stated on the Glow page
Ashridge House Illuminated 20 Nov to 2 Jan first entry from 4pm £24.50 £15.40 (4 to 16) free

“From” prices are the cheapest date each organiser lists. Weekends and the week before Christmas cost more everywhere.

Kew Gardens: the nearest, and the dearest

Christmas at Kew runs on selected dates from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, from 4.20pm to 10pm. Last entry depends on the gate: 7pm at Brentford Gate, 7.20pm at Elizabeth Gate and 8pm at Victoria Gate. On Christmas Eve the trail closes at 9pm and last entry is up to an hour earlier.

Tickets start at £25.50, with member discounts and family and child tickets, though Kew’s page does not print those prices. A limited number of anytime tickets give trail access between 4.20pm and 7.40pm. New this year are two adult-only evenings, on 3 and 9 December. Christmas at Kew is a separate ticket from day entry to the gardens, and Kew’s £1 tickets for Universal Credit and Pension Credit holders do not apply to it.

Kew asks visitors to come by public transport. Parking is limited and has to be pre-booked when you buy your tickets. From Uxbridge there is no direct line: Kew Gardens station is on the District line’s Richmond branch and the Overground.

Kew’s own page blocks automated reading, so the details above come from the copy of that page archived on 15 September 2026. Check it before you book. (Kew, archived copy)

Windsor Great Park Illuminated: the dog-friendly one

Windsor Great Park Illuminated runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. From 13 to 26 November it opens at 4.30pm, and from 27 November at 4.15pm; it closes at 10.30pm, with last entry at 8.30pm throughout.

The trail is 2.2km (1.36 miles) through woodland and around Obelisk Pond, and the park says it takes about an hour and a half to two hours with stops. Entry is from The Savill Garden and Adventure Play car park. There are food stops with mulled wine, hot chocolate and marshmallow toasting, and Santa and his reindeer are on the route. Dogs are allowed on a lead.

Ticket From
Adult £19.80
Child, 3 to 15 £12.10
Family, 2 adults and 2 children £56.10
Under 3 free, with a £0 ticket

Prices include the booking fee, but parking is extra and must be bought in advance with your entry ticket. Tickets are sold through See Tickets and cannot be exchanged or refunded. The trail goes ahead in all weather, and the park says there is no refund if you choose to stay at home because of rain. (Windsor Great Park)

RHS Wisley Glow: the cheapest night out

Glow at RHS Wisley runs on selected dates from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, and for the first time it opens on Christmas Eve. Hours are 4pm to 9pm, last entry 7.30pm; on 24 December it is 4pm to 8pm, last entry 6.45pm. The same page elsewhere gives the hours as 4pm to 8.30pm, so plan around the 7.30pm last entry, which both versions agree on.

This year’s trail has a “field of fire”, giant crocuses, an illuminated enchanted garden in the Glasshouse, a fairy village in the Rock Garden and two light shows set to music. Everyone, including RHS members and under 5s, needs a pre-booked Glow ticket. You can arrive at any point in your time slot and stay until closing.

Ticket Adult Child, 5 to 16
Super off peak £7.50 £6
Off peak £16.75 £11.25
Standard £22.75 £15.25
Peak £26.25 £17.75
Christmas Eve £27.50 £19.25
Premium, any day and time £45 £32

Under 5s are free. RHS members pay less: £6.50 an adult and £5 a child on super off peak dates. Wisley is at Woking, GU23 6QB, about 16 miles from Uxbridge in a straight line, and the RHS is flagging roadworks at M25 junction 10, which is the way in. (RHS Wisley Glow)

Ashridge House Illuminated: free parking and a projection show

Ashridge House, near Berkhamsted, HP4 1NS, about 18 miles north of Uxbridge, runs its trail from 20 November 2026 to 2 January 2027, with first entry from 4pm. This year’s theme is ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, with a projection show on the house, a new route and a bigger Christmas market. Some nights are dog-friendly nights.

Ticket From
Adult £24.50
Child, 4 to 16 £15.40
Senior, 65 and over £22
Family of four £72
Under 4 free

Prices vary by date and time. Parking on site is free, and opens at 3.30pm for the first slot. Tickets are online only, through See Tickets, and you can arrive 30 to 45 minutes before your slot to use the food village. If high winds close the trail, Ashridge says it decides by 2pm and texts and emails ticket holders to reschedule or refund.

One thing to check: Ashridge’s FAQ gives the run as both “20 November - 2 January” and “27 November - 1 January”, with last entry between 7.30pm and 8pm. The ticketing pages, which show 20 November to 2 January, are the ones to trust. (Ashridge House)

Free Christmas lights closer to home

If you would rather not pay at all, the borough’s own lights are free. Uxbridge town centre’s switch-on is on Saturday 21 November and the council’s Civic Centre tree is lit on Friday 27 November, 5.45pm to 7pm, with choirs, a brass band and Father Christmas: see our Uxbridge Christmas lights switch-on page. Every other lit street in Hillingdon is in our borough-wide lights story.

Hillingdon has no ice rink this winter; the nearest are on our ice rinks near Uxbridge page.

Getting there

All four are easiest by car from Uxbridge, and three of them, Kew, Windsor and Wisley, need parking booked or bought with your tickets. Check our Uxbridge roadworks and travel page before you set off, and our Christmas travel page for Tube closures over the holiday. If you are leaving a car in town, charges are on our parking in Uxbridge page.

What none of the trails publish

  • Which dates are off peak. Every trail prices by date, and only the booking pages show which nights are cheapest.
  • Kew’s child and family prices, which are only in the booking system.
  • Wisley’s parking arrangements for Glow, which are not on the Glow page.

Sources