A glittering light trail will take over Temple Newsam this Christmas, bringing the most sparkling of festive celebrations to Leeds.
Northern Lights Leeds will take place in the grounds of the Grade I-listed landmark, filling it with light installations and illuminations.
Tickets are now on sale for the huge event, which is expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors this winter and had more than 40,000 excited fans sign up for pre-sale.
The news of its arrival in West Yorkshire follows sell-out success in Newcastle last year.
The Northern Lights Leeds light trail is a mile-long spectacle with 14 distinct illuminated zones, each one immersive visitors into another dazzling world.
As you stroll through the jaw-dropping displays around the heritage gardens and picturesque woodlands, you’ll listen to a soundtrack of unique musical compositions.
One such installation will be The Rainbow Road, a multicolour marvel, and the River of Light, developed by multi-media experimentalists Ithaca Studios who also created installations for the likes of Kew Gardens, Netflix and Glastonbury.
Ithaca Studios will also be bringing their light experience, Upon A Star, to life, with four enormous trees adorned with more than 3000 computer-programmed lights that will dance to originally composed music.
The trail will also include a magical Christmas Village serving a huge range of festive food.
Northern Lights Leeds comes from event specialists From The Fields, the team responsible for breathtaking light trails including Cardiff’s Christmas at Bute Park, Northern Lights Newcastle and the multi-award-winning music festival Kendal Calling.
As well as hosting two neuro-inclusive evenings at Northern Lights Leeds (reducing capacity by 60% to allow more space for visitors and lowering audio volume levels), From The Fields and Northern Lights Leeds are proud to be partnering with Leeds Women’s Aid and Leeds Hospitals Charity.
The collaboration between Northern Lights Leeds and Leeds Hospital Charity will feature festive designs from young patients of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Roxy Robinson, creative director at From the Fields said: “We’re incredibly excited to go on-sale with the very first Northern Lights Leeds today.
“The response from the city, not only in the huge number of pre-sale sign-ups, but in the hundreds of messages and wonderful comments we’ve received has been a brilliant thing to experience.
Light installations will take over Temple Newsam when Northern Lights Leeds arrives this Christmas. Credit: Supplied
“With such a warm welcome coming from Leeds and West Yorkshire, we can’t wait to get on and deliver a truly enchanting experience for all those joining us this Christmas”
Catherine Butt, Leeds Hospitals Charity Community Fundraiser Manager said: “We're so delighted to be partnering with Northern Lights Leeds to bring more joy and excitement to the city during the festive season.
“With their support and your generosity, we can continue making a real difference for staff and patients who visit our world-class NHS hospitals right here in Leeds.”
Northern Lights Leeds will take place at Temple Newsam between 21 November and 31 December.
Tickets are on sale nowhere, priced from £13.95 for children and £19.50 for adults.
Leeds Christmas Markets is returning to the city centre in just two months' time and some major plans and changes have been announced.
Although Pop Princess Zara Larsson might want us to believe "Summer isn't over yet", it's safe to say that the recent downpours we've had across West Yorkshire disagree.
Leeds Christmas Markets are also ringing in the new season with a jam-packed video posted to social media announcing all the current plans and changes for its 2026 schedule.
This year, outdoor events company Thor’s Tipi are stepping up as the all-new operators of this Christmastime spectacular and are organising a celebration where 'even if you’re not from Yorkshire, you’re going to leave being from Yorkshire'.
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November with plenty of Yorkshire-centric stalls / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Although Leeds locals already know that Yorkshire is 'God's Own Country', the Leeds Christmas Markets team are making sure that the county is represented through its food, drinks and wider stalls.
In a video uploaded to its social accounts, foodie expert and Little Bao Boy Founder James 'Jimmy Chews' Ooi was given the honour of revealing all these exciting plans.
Informing everyone that "You best come hungry", Ooi noted that some of the phenomenal vendors taking part include La Grassa and The Savvy Baker.
Real Markets Yorkshire and Stump Cross Caverns are also getting into the Christmas spirit and setting up their own stalls at Leeds City Square this November.
La Grassa is just one of many familiar foodie faces returning to Leeds Christmas Markets / Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Rated restaurants and bars are contributing to the festive frenzy too, like Cabaret Thursdays at Italian restaurant Bibi's and beer garden destination Green Room are hosting singalongs at Leeds Christmas Markets.
There will be plenty of activities for families happening all around the unofficial capital of West Yorkshire like elf-themed scavenger hunts, various elves on various shelves and lots of live music.
If it wasn't apparent already, in the words of Jimmy Chews himself, there's about to be "So much Christmas that Mariah Carey is going to look like the Grinch".
Leeds Christmas Markets are returning to Leeds City Square from Thursday 19 November and there will be plenty of exciting announcements to the upcoming celebrations ahead of the big day.
Popular TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Think it's too early for 'C word'? Never mind, you've already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn't exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner - but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right - Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there's arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that's charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it's now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films - including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Viewers will find GREAT! Christmas on Freeview channel 51, Sky 319, Sky (Glass/Stream) 317, Virgin channel 424, and Freely channel 47.
Daisy Jackson -
28th June 2024 
