Christmas Light Trails 2026: Blenheim, Chatsworth and Chester Zoo Dates, Hours, Prices

Chatsworth’s Christmas trail opens on Saturday 7 November 2026, and Blenheim Palace and Chester Zoo open their light trails on Friday 13 November, according to each venue’s own page. All three run to Sunday 3 January 2027. The table below sets out hours, tickets and booking rules, and a one-page planner is below it.

How do the three light trails compare?

	Blenheim Palace	Chatsworth	Chester Zoo
First night	Friday 13 November 2026	Saturday 7 November 2026	Friday 13 November
Last night	Sunday 3 January 2027	Sunday 3 January 2027	Sunday 3 January
Days open, by our count	52 (about 7.4 weeks)	58 (about 8.3 weeks)	52 (about 7.4 weeks)
Hours	10.00-20.00	Market 10am-5.30pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-6pm Friday to Sunday; arrival any time after 9am	Sessions 4.30pm-8pm
Cheapest ticket as stated	Prices on Blenheim’s booking page	Child (3-16) £12.00 (£10.90 without donation)	From £12
Christmas market	Not confirmed (end date not on the page)	Included for visits 7 November to 13 December inclusive	Not listed
Booking rule	Limited capacity with timed entry; parking chargeable and pre-booked	All tickets must be booked in advance	Timeslots; quiet hour at 4pm on some dates

The day counts are our calculation, counting the first and last dates. They assume each trail runs every date in the range. Chester Zoo’s page prints no year; its weekdays (Friday 13 November, Sunday 3 January) match 2026-27, so we read them that way.

Which weekends does each trail cover?

Chatsworth has nine weekends from its Saturday opening: 7-8, 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29 November, 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27 December, and 2-3 January. Blenheim Palace and Chester Zoo open on a Friday and cover eight of those weekends, starting on 14-15 November. The Chatsworth market is included only on the first six, up to Sunday 13 December. The November 2026 printable calendar and the December 2026 printable calendar make a handy place to mark them.

What does Blenheim Palace say about tickets and parking?

Blenheim’s Christmas page, titled “Christmas at Blenheim Palace 2026 | Illuminated Trail, Cinderella & Market”, gives “Friday 13th November 2026 - Sunday 3rd January 2027” and hours of 10.00-20.00. It describes “limited capacity with timed entry” and says parking “is chargeable and should be pre-booked,” applying to all visitors. Prices are not on that page, so check Blenheim’s booking page.

The page also says “No Blenheim Palace discounts apply to tickets.” It adds that annual pass holder discounts “do not apply on 5, 6, 12, 13, and 19 December.” We found no market end date on the page, so we do not give one.

What are Chatsworth’s Christmas prices and hours?

Chatsworth’s 2026 theme is “The 12 Days of Christmas,” with “First day: 7 November 2026” and “Last day: 3 January 2027.” The page says “All tickets must be booked in advance.”

Ticket	Price (with donation)	Without donation
Adult (17+)	£40.00	£36.36
Child (3-16)	£12.00	£10.90
Under 3s	Free	Free

Tickets for visits between 7 November and 13 December inclusive include the Christmas market; from 14 December to 3 January the market is not included. Market hours are 10am-5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 10am-6pm Friday to Sunday. Chatsworth says to arrive any time after 9am, with garden last entry 90 minutes before closing and farmyard last entry at 4.30pm.

When are Chester Zoo’s Lanterns and Light sessions?

Chester Zoo lists Lanterns & Light from “Friday 13 November - Sunday 3 January,” with sessions at “4.30pm - 8pm.” Its page says all tickets are just £12 for timeslots after 6:30pm in November, and its tickets page says tickets “start from £12.” A quiet hour runs at 4pm on 20, 21 and 26 November and 3 December.

Which other trails are not covered here?

Kew Gardens runs its own Christmas trail, and its dates and prices are on kew.org. We have not printed them because Kew’s site refused automated access and only one newsroom has reported the dates. Wakehurst’s Glow Wild and Longleat are not covered here either. We will add them once confirmed.

Which dates should you mark on the planner?

The planner lists Chatsworth’s 7 November opening, the 13 November openings at Blenheim Palace and Chester Zoo, 13 December as the last day Chatsworth tickets include the market, and 3 January 2027 as the last day for all three.

None of the three pages lists closed days, so check the booking page for your date. For other UK seasonal events, see our stories on the Manchester and Birmingham Christmas markets, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Edinburgh’s Christmas. We read all four official pages on 4 November 2026, and dates, hours and prices can change.