Alton Towers Resort has announced a brand-new festive attraction for this year’s Christmas celebrations. In partnership with Lightopia, the theme park will host Europe’s biggest light and lantern festival, Seasonal Wonderland, which will take guests on a magical and immersive journey through the four seasons with spectacular lanterns, stunning light installations, a magnificent water show and colour transformations.
The Seasonal Wonderland trail will take guests on a magical 2.3km journey, with 120 different groups of lantern and light installations and over one million LED light bulbs, offering the ultimate multisensory experience. This winter, Lightopia will bring never-seen-before, bespoke light installations, and for the first time ever, will showcase a state-of-the-art laser show that will dazzle guests with colourful illuminations, specifically designed for the UK’s biggest theme park.
Guests are invited to journey along the seasonal pathway, stepping foot into a unique projection that has been curated to beautifully capture each season and instantly transport visitors into that time of the year:
- Winter: This is where the magic starts, get into the Christmas spirit as the most wonderful time of the year is brought to life with floor projections, immersive dancing lights and smoke bubbles. Continue through the enchanted lands to see majestic winter animals and incredibly fantastical creatures.
- Spring: Witness an explosion of colours, flowers and butterflies as nature blooms and awakens, leading the way through sparkling string lights with birds and a giant lantern tree with cute Easter animals.
- Summer: Get ready to be transported to the ultimate Summer holiday destination, with brightly coloured floor projections, fun beach party themed lights and lanterns, and a stunning, state-of-the-art laser show.
- Autumn: As the leaves start to fall, guests will follow the floor projections as the season changes. Enter a magical world with mythical creatures, friendly ghosts, pumpkins, skeletons and a jaw dropping 6m tall Halloween handmade haunted house and other wicked and spooktacular surprises.
- Water Show: Expect to be dazzled as the lake in front of the iconic Towers is brought to life with a spectacular Christmas themed water and light show. The 45m wide and 25m tall water curtain, synchronized dancing lights, shining stars and breath-taking soundtracks, will offer a magnificent and magical finale, the perfect place to create unforgettable memories with friends and family this Christmas.
This year, the Resort will also be transforming Towers Street into a festive wonderland with over 60 Christmas market stalls for guests to explore. From unique crafts, festive food, mulled drinks and more delightful surprises, guests can enjoy some Christmas shopping and revel in the twinkling lights, charming local stalls and fantabulous feel-good festive atmosphere.
Guests will also have the chance to enjoy a Festive Day Out with specially selected rides ideal for families, including CBeebies Land and Gangsta Granny: The Ride, meet joyful characters and take a stroll through the enchanting Alton Towers Gardens Lights Walk: Twinkling Stars.
Returning for 2021 is the family fave Santa’s Sleepover. The festive package includes an overnight stay in one of the fantastically themed hotels, a visit to Santa’s Grotto, one day entry to the theme park, plus the brand-new Towers Christmas Market and the Gardens Lights Walk: Twinkling Stars, and so much more.
Chris Carter, Events and Entertainments Director at Alton Towers Resort, said:
Last year, Christmas was cancelled for so many people, which is why this year, Christmas will be bigger and better than ever and we are very excited to be working with Lightopia to bring this amazing attraction to life!
We remain committed to creating a much-needed form of escapism for families and thrill-seekers across the UK and beyond. We’ve got an incredible line-up of seasonal entertainment and festive delights, which we’re sure our guests will love.
Ava Moradi, award-winning artist from Lightopia, comments:
As an artist, my main focus is to bring emotions and feelings to life through the power of art and creativity. I believe the aim is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inner significance too, focusing on how it makes the viewer feel. For Alton Towers Resort, I wanted to create something that has never been seen before and work alongside nature to allow both to coexist, without disrupting the beauty of the landscape. I believe creativity takes courage and passion. My aim is to bring family and friends together at this magical time of the year and allow them to relive the year again, just in one day.
Ian Xiang, Creative Director at Lightopia, added:
I am thrilled to bring the biggest lantern and light festival in Europe to such an emblematic place like Alton Towers Resort this Christmas. Our idea from the beginning was to mix the old with the new, bringing traditional craftsmanship and combining state-of-the-art light technology. The upcoming Lightopia will be a magical seasonal adventure for families and friends to get together and experience a whole year in a day during Christmas time.
We welcome our guests to visit Lightopia at Alton Towers Resort and become part of this after-dark odyssey, making this a night to remember.
The Christmas celebrations will take place on various dates from Saturday 27th November – Thursday 23rd December. Most of the festive offering can also be enjoyed during Monday 27th December – Sunday 2nd January, excluding the Christmas Market and Santa’s Grotto. For more information and to book, click here.
Alton Towers Resort will continue to have some additional hygiene and safety measures in place, designed to ensure a happy, safe and healthy experience for all guests and employees, including enhanced cleaning, hand sanitiser stations throughout, increased ventilation and some suggested social distancing markers for guest comfort. The Resort will continue to also operate on reduced capacities, meaning all guests must pre-book tickets online in advance to guarantee entry.
Are you excited for the new festivities for 2021? Have your say over on the Attraction Source Forum.
