Christmas at Westonbirt

Christmas at Westonbirt is an illuminated trail after dark at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, near Tetbury. In 2026 it runs on selected evenings from Friday 27 November to Thursday 31 December: 27 to 29 November, 3 to 6 December, 9 to 13 December, 16 to 24 December and 26 to 31 December. Entry is timed, usually every 15 minutes from 4pm to 8pm, depending on the date.

Tickets and prices

Every visitor needs a ticket booked for a date and time. In 2026 a standard adult ticket costs £26.50, or £19.50 on off-peak evenings, and a child aged 3 to 16 £19 or £13; a family ticket for two adults and two children is £89, or £64 off-peak. Students with valid ID pay £24, or £18 off-peak. Anytime tickets, which let you arrive at any entry time on your chosen evening, cost more: £46.50 for an adult, or £39 off-peak. Booking fees are included. Infants aged 2 and under go free but still need a ticket.

Relaxed sessions for adults and young people with additional needs are on 28 November and 4, 10 and 16 December, and personal assistants go free with a ticket.

Parking and getting there

Parking is not included and must be booked in advance, at £10 a space, standard or Blue Badge. Members of Forestry England and the Friends of Westonbirt get one free space if they book it at least a day ahead. The arboretum is about 5km (3 miles) south-west of Tetbury.

Dogs are not allowed on the trail, apart from assistance dogs. Food and drink stalls sell winter warmers, and there are fairground rides, both paid for separately.

Making an evening of it

By day, the walk through Silk Wood is a separate visit to the arboretum. Stay the night at the Hare and Hounds, about 1km from the arboretum, or in Tetbury at the Close Hotel or the Snooty Fox. For another Christmas light trail in the Cotswolds, see Christmas at Blenheim Palace.

On Boxing Day morning, the Marshfield Mummers perform their play along the High Street in Marshfield.