I embarked on a Disney Halloween adventure (Image: Jess Phillips)
This Halloween, I was looking for something spooky to do that didn’t mean just going to the same old pumpkin patch or scare maze. In my search, I stumbled across Disney’s Nightmare Before Christmas light trail, held at Arley Hall and Gardens in Cheshire. Based on the hit Tim Burton film, released in 1993, the light trail brought together a mix of stunning projections, character busts and walkthrough attractions. Nestled in the eerie woodland of the Grade II listed building, Jack Skellington, his wife Sally and the notorious Oogie Boogie lie in wait for visitors.
In case you’re not familiar with the film, Jack is the king of Halloween Town – but when he discovers such a thing as Christmas Town exists, he decides to bring some festive cheer to the baffled citizens of the spooky realm.
And the light trail, produced by Fever, brings that story to life in 4D.
As we wound our way through the 1.2-mile trail, we were able to sneak underneath a giant pumpkin, wade through smoke and fog, and seek out photo opportunities with Jack, Sally, Sandy Claws and Oogie Boogie himself.
One of the highlights for me was seeing the nearly full moon reflected on the lake in the darkness, surrounded by eerie green Halloween lights and projections of spiders scuttling through the trees.
There’s also a particularly clever trick partway through with a mesh screen propped between two boughs, which sees monochrome projections of the famous characters play out in clever video animations. You’ll also end up with the film soundtrack going round and round in your head, as the songs are played on a loop as you wind around the trail.
The immersive light trail features plenty of special effects (Image: Jess Phillips)
This was one of the queues for a photo opportunity (Image: Jess Phillips)
Beware, though: the track did get quite muddy in places. If you struggle with mobility at all, it can be quite difficult to wade through the thick mud, especially with such little light to pick our way through.
There was also a lot of queuing. Admittedly we did attend the week of Halloween, which was also half-term for schools, but we found ourselves in long, snaking lines for various photo opportunities, and at times it was quite difficult to skirt around the edges even if we didn’t want to wait for a picture.
Exclusive merchandise is available for purchase along the light trail, including light sticks, T-shirts with a map of the trail printed on, and tote bags.
You’ll end up with the film soundtrack stuck in your head! (Image: Jess Phillips)
There are also plenty of (expensive) food and drink options, including stations to roast marshmallows on sticks, which we particularly enjoyed. Though chicken and chips will set you back approximately £16, the chips were tasty enough for me to shrug off my initial wince. There’s also a comfortable teepee to escape the chill, with children’s colouring pages and places to sit and eat.
General admission tickets start at £38 (plus booking fee) for adults, or £29 for concessions and children. Children up to three years old, and carers, go free.
Beware, as well, that you’ll have to pay for parking; it cost us £11 on the gate, but it can be booked online for £8. And bring boots – you’ll need them!
The Nightmare Before Christmas light trail runs until December 27th. Tickets are available online.
