'Christmas at Kew' twinkles with over 1 million lights this year

Record ID: 1646525

  • Title: 'Christmas at Kew' twinkles with over 1 million lights this year
  • Date: 16th November 2021
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 16, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF EVENT OPERATIONS, ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS, KEW, DAIRE BASRA, ON HOW MANY LIGHTS HAVE BEEN USED THIS YEAR, SAYING: “Nobody has actually been able to count them all. There are so many, but it’s a bigger, it’s a longer trail, it’s a longer route, and every year we strive to bri
  • Embargoed: 30th November 2021 21:54
  • Keywords: Britain's Royal Botanical Gardens in London's Kew Christmas at Kew Christmas lights
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe
  • Reuters ID: LVA00DF3UKIFT
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, southwest London were illuminated with festive light on Tuesday evening (November 16), a day ahead of welcoming the public.
    This year’s ‘Christmas at Kew’ returns for its ninth year, with both old and new installations.
    Said to be lit by over one million lights according to the press release, Head of Event Operations at Kew Gardens, Daire Basra told Reuters there could be more than this figure for this year.
    “Nobody has actually been able to count them all. There are so many, but it’s a bigger, it’s a longer trail, it’s a longer route, and every year we strive to bring something new,” she said.
    In addition to returning and popular installations such as the Fire Garden with over 150 heads of the fire and the Christmas Cathedral that is made up of a 30-metre-long promenade of LED vines, the 2021 event showcases brand new sights.
    “We have Spheric, which is a 15-metre spheric dome across the lake. It’s absolutely stunning,” said Basra.
    “We also have an installation called Aurora on Holly Walk and it replicates the Aurora Borealis,” she added.
    Extra care is taken with installing all lights, with the events team coordinating with the botanical team at all times.
    “Each individual branch, when we are hanging installations, is wrapped in hessian, so we create a soft pad because the thing with trees, their most delicate part is their cambium layer,” Head of Tree Collection at Kew Gardens, Kevin Martin told Reuters.
    “With the uplighters and spotlights, we have to ensure they are at a safe distance and not directly pointing onto the tree and in order to cause any cambium burn,” he said.
    Over 25 km of the cable has been used throughout the trail. This year’s trail is 2.5 km long and has 14 installations and three light shows. Over 100 people have been involved in putting the trail together.
    Visitors can also see Father Christmas and his elves, as well as enjoy traditional rides and festive treats.
    ‘Christmas at Kew’ runs from Wednesday (November 17) until January 9, 2022.
    (Production: Will Russell, Lisa Giles-Keddie)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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