Illuminate 2024

ILLUMINATE will transport you on a magical journey of colour, light and sound to bring festive awe and wonder to our gardens. We're truly excited to create a new dazzling display to make your 2024 journey even more special.

The natural features and views of the Landscape Garden come to life at night, with spotlights, lit trees and coloured paths drawing you up towards the Great Cascade, down past beautiful dynamic fountains in the Pear Pond, below the Formal Garden for an interactive experience, before finishing with a show-stopping display in front of Hestercombe House.

This stunning experience is approximately the same walking distance as the sold-out 2023 event, but even more packed with show-stopping sights and sounds to wow the entire family. Prepare to be awe-inspired at our beautiful gardens as they come to life this Christmas.

• Adult (PEAK tickets) £17.00
  
• Child (PEAK tickets) £8.50
• Adult (OFF-PEAK tickets) £15.00
  
• Child (OFF-PEAK tickets) £7.50
• Adult member £14.00 (November only)
• Child member £6.50 (November only)
• Child (under 2) FREE
• Essential Companion / Carer FREE

Children aged under 2 receive free admission - no need to book a ticket. Tickets must be purchased for children aged 2 to 15.

We are pleased to be able to offer an Essential Companion ticket for those guests who require additional assistance to enjoy all that we have to offer. This ticket is provided with the understanding that the essential companion is willing and able to assist the access customer throughout their entire stay at the event.
People attending on an essential companion ticket must be attending with a qualifying visitor who has a valid event ticket already purchased and should be over the age of 18 unless otherwise agreed with the Ticket Office Team. When you arrive you will be asked to produce documentation to validate your carer ticket. You will need to agree to bring at least one of the attached here in order to have your ticket validated. Please contact info@hestercombe.com if you need to discuss your access needs further.

Advance booking is essential and we won't be selling tickets on arrival; tickets are now on sale and sell out quickly.

We will be selling a range of hot and cold food in Bampfylde Hall, including hot dogs, vegan hot dogs, festive turkey baps, cakes, and of course hot chocolate and mulled wine! To view the evening hall menu, please click here. Drop in at the beginning or end of your journey.

A special two course meal will be served at 6pm (arrive for 5.45pm), allowing you and your party to eat and then enjoy Illuminate afterwards at your leisure (last entry 8pm). Please note that the dinner tickets includes entry to Illuminate. Purchase your dinner tickets + Illuminate below:

• Adult £45.00
• Child £22.50
• Member Adult (only during the 29th and 30th November) £40.50
• Member Child (only during the 29th and 30th November) £20.25
• Essential Companion / Carer £28.00

View the menu here.

Gluten free, Vegetarian & Vegan options are available. Please email us at food@hestercombe.com with any dietary requirements you may have.

Good to know

Please read the following carefully before booking your tickets:

• Please check in at our Visitor Reception promptly at the time of your slot.
• All tickets are valid for a specific fifteen-minute slot on a specific day and are non-refundable. Tickets are transferable up until 31st October 2024. After the 31st October 2024, tickets cannot be transferred to another day, time or person. To request an amendment, please email info@hestercombe.com. If you’re stuck in traffic and are delayed, please don’t worry, we’ll still welcome you to the gardens up until the last entry that night.
• When you book online, you will receive a confirmation email. When you check in, please be ready with your reference number and a print out, or screenshot of your confirmation email to show at the Ticket Office. If you don’t receive a confirmation email please email info@hestercombe.com or call us on 01823 413923 to ensure that your booking is confirmed.
• The site will close at 9.15pm to ensure that the last visitors enjoy walking the route.
• As this is an evening event, taking place after dark, you should ensure that you wear appropriate clothing and footwear, as there may be some slippery surfaces on your route, especially when wet. There will be site lighting in place to help guide you around the trail, but please bring a torch with you if you feel you will need extra lighting.
• The illuminated trail is self-led, following a clearly marked and lit route.
• Accessibility: the ILLUMINATE route is wheelchair-friendly, however if you are a wheelchair user and wish to visit ILLUMINATE, please call our Visitor Reception if you have any questions before booking a ticket.
  
• The Bampfylde Hall will be open for hot food, snacks, cakes and drinks throughout the evening.
• Well behaved dogs on a short lead are welcome.
• We have undertaken a full risk assessment and put adjustments in place to mitigate any risk, however you attend this event at your own risk, and Hestercombe cannot be held responsible for any injuries sustained whilst on site.
• Hestercombe is not responsible or liable for garden closure or event cancellation due to events beyond our control (a ‘Force Majeure Event’). We’ll notify you as soon as possible of a Force Majeure Event, we’ll try to re-open as soon as it’s safe for us to do so (and transfer your tickets to a new date).
• We regularly observe the weather forecast to ensure the event can safely be experienced. If the weather should reach extreme levels, we will cancel the event and this would be advertised on our website. On this occasion all tickets would be refunded by our Team.
• Refunds will only be offered where the event has been cancelled and not under any other circumstances.

View our event cancellation and refund policy.

If you experience any difficulty with booking, or have any questions, please email Visitor Reception in the first instance at info@hestercombe.com, or call 01823 413923.

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