We had booked tickets for the Christmas Lights Trail and were a bit worried as there were some negative comments but luckily for us it was brilliant. It was still very snowy and icy and bitterly cold but the trail had been cleared and well gritted. The lights were terrific, very impressive and we loved it. Great music choice to go with the lights (we had a quick dance at the dancefloor!). Half way round there were several food vans and we tried the mulled cider which was delicious. The candles at the castle itself were lovely and we enjoyed toasting our marshmallows over the firepits. The staff were great but I did feel a bit sorry for them as it was so cold. There were several babies in pushchairs but I wouldn't recommend it for them due to the cold. Thanks to all the staff who obviously worked so hard to put the display on, it was certainly worth it.

Just a bit lame. Some very nice set pieces. The neon tree and flame pots in the castle garden were great and the music atmospheric. However there was no where near enough made of the landscape itself. What makes Bedgbury so good is the way they bring the set pieces together by lighting the trees and landscape and this was largely absent . The refreshment huts had nice food snd drink, but not much character and not enough seating. We had the benefit of a crisp snowy evening, but even with this we came away thinking it was an opportunity missed. There was a LOT of dark park between the lights. All in all is was poor compared with Bedgbury and we won't be rushing back.

We have just visited Leeds Castle and we have been amazed by its new look and the new way the visit is. It is very nice to see how the castle looked at the time of Lady Baillie and how the castle have been changed and transformed to accommodate new items which belonged to her. We loved the Christmas trees which complemented each room, but the room we preferred was the Birds room with all the lovely displays of birds on the walls, the trees with birds and Christmas decorations on them and the birds songs in the background. The visit is different than previous times we visited, but we really liked the fact that we can see how the castle was when it was an entertaining place for Lady Baillie. All the staff we talked to were very friendly and happy to answered our questions. Thank you for making our visit a perfect day out!

Just returned from visiting Leeds Castle Lights. We were a party of 4 and all agreed that it was a lovely evening. The light installations were very good and the music gave it a wonderful atmosphere. The displays on the castle walls were particularly good along with the fire garden. I dont often leave reviews, but felt compelled to leave one, if only to counter all the bad ones that have been left, which quite honestly I dont understand.. I honestly think people expect too much sometimes..

I read all the bad reviews in the days and weeks leading up and had I had the option to cancel I probably would have based on what I had read, I'm glad I didn't... Compared to Bedgebury it doesn't have the backdrop of trees lit up which is pretty spectacular but it makes up for this with the amount of stand alone lights around and the kids absolutely loved it. I saw the music was criticised on other reviews too. No idea why to be honest! A mixture of festive pop hits, festive film music and some classical which fit right in to the mood. Don't miss the Castle if you're going where it's £1.80 for a marshmallow. Take a pair of gloves to use when roasting in the fire pit though. The one thing it was lacking from previous years was the fairground rides. With both Bedgebury and the old Leeds Castle Christmas event having it we just expected it to be there but unfortunately not. I guess for many this will be a big positive for many though! The car park was extremely well marshalled too and a bit of a queue to get in but for a good reason.

Went to The Christmas Lights event at Leeds Castle, having been to several others in the last few years. Leeds Castle is one of the very best. Very classy, spaced out, different designers, well chosen music. Food and drink stalls could be better balanced out en route from start, middle and end. Excellent and well worth visiting.

Great place to visit but very expensive: good value if you can visit multiple times a year (your ticket is valid for as many visits as you like in one year). The displays in the castle change quite often and the gardens sometimes have sculptors etc. So it’s worth coming back. The falconry centre is great: go to a flying display and a “meet the birds” session. We’ve held eagles and stroked owls and it doesn’t cost any extra. Playgrounds are really good. Kept the kids entertained for hours. Take a picnic: the food selection isn’t great especially if you have allergies. We’ve been three times and all the cafes seem to run out of food very early. We spent over £30 on a couple of barely edible vegan sausage rolls (they’d run out of everything else), 3 packets of crisps, some coffees and the worst doughnuts I’ve ever had. (Raw inside, soaked in grease outside and hardly any sugar). I’d understand if it were late but we got to the cafe at 1pm! There are 3 food outlets, all selling unhealthy, not very nice and incredibly over priced food. Queues are also huge and you don’t know if they’ll have anything left by the time you get served. Our last visit on a fairly quiet day was an hour wait at the main “restaurant”. If you go at Christmas, you get kicked out early if you don’t have a “Christmas lights” ticket. We didn’t mind as we were on our third visit of the year but I met a guy in the cafe queue who’d paid a fortune for a one off visit, then found he could only stay for a few hours.

This was always a must visit venue when I came back home because the rich history of the castle was celebrated across all of the rooms in the castle. Sadly, now the castle feels very modern and sterile, only "celebrating" the times of Lady Bailey. I cannot remember seeing any references in any of the rooms to previous occupants including Henry VIII! I also LOVED checking out the exotic birds in the aviaries that have now gone. For me, personally, the castle has lost alot of its charm that is its rich history of occupants.

We’ve been to a few Christmas light venues and this is up there with the best. A beautiful walk, beautiful lights and most importantly for me the music that went with it. It all went perfectly and the songs at the castle haunting and perfect. Would definitely recommend.

We visited on a day which was quite cloudy and cold. We arrived just before 10am. Walked into the grounds and had a coffee in the courtyard cafe. After which we walked through Lady Baillie's Garden always and enjoyable experience. After which we walked back to view the Castle which opens from 10.30am. Our recommendation is to go early, start with the gardens and finish with the Castle, which avoids the crowds.