The Halloween Lakeside Light Trail at Partridge Lakes in Warrington is back for the second year and this time it is even better than before. It will run for the whole month of October, perfect for those that love all things Halloween as well as those looking for a half term family friendly event too. Below is everything you need to know before visiting, including our review.
The Halloween Lakeside Light Trail is set up across a 70-acre site and has two sections. The first is free to enter and contains lots of seating, outdoor heaters and has music playing, with scheduled live music and singers on too so you can really relax and soak up the atmosphere. This area is surrounded by a number of vendors selling everything from halloumi fries to pumpkin spice lattes, as well as a bar selling alcohol if you prefer a beer or a spicy mulled wine. This section is open to the public with no need for a ticket so you are more then welcome to just pop down and enjoy this area without doing the trail if you want, which might be nice if you’re local and fancy something different one evening.
In this area you will also find a cosy fire pit corner where you can roast marshmallows, which was a big hit with the kids and, in my opinion, good value for money for an event like this. For 3 large marshmallows on a stick and two digestive biscuits we payed £4.50, which was enough to make delicious gooey s’mores for the kids. Even if you don’t want to stay for food and drink I would recommend grabbing some of the marshmallows and sharing them between you if you can as it really is good fun and one of the things my kids remembered from last year.
The second section is the Halloween lakeside light trail itself which you will need tickets for. If you aren’t familiar with a light trail then basically it is a woodland walk that is illuminated by lots of coloured lights, interactive light shows, music and other props, they are becoming increasingly popular at Christmas but this is the only Halloween one I’m aware of.
The Halloween Lakeside Light Trail circles the water’s edge on a winding path which makes for the most beautiful, yet mildly eerie, back drop as the lights dance off the water and illuminate the sky. The path is just under 1 mile long and relatively flat so walkable even for little ones. However, it can get very muddy so probably best to wear your wellies and only take a pushchair if you really need to.
The biggest difference from last year is that this year you queue to enter and are let in a few at a time which made a big difference going round as no attraction was ever too busy. The reason for letting you in in small groups is because this year they have introduced a back story to the trail. It now starts undercover with a short video all about Luna and Victor who once lived by the lake and it leaves the children with a little task to do on their walk, turning the whole thing into a magical journey through the mystical forest. I thought this was a fab idea, it really helped bring the whole Halloween light trail to life and gave us something to look for at the end too.
The trail itself is great and we all enjoyed it. There was loads to see from start to finish. My advice would be to take your time and really look around as you will spot skeletons out in the lake, woodland spiders up in the trees, magical witches hiding in bushes and pretty fairy lights along the path. Some of the displays are just for looking at but there are also plenty of interactive ones too as well as numerous photo opportunities. Climbing in the coffin and swinging with the skeletons were just two of our favourites.
Expect the unexpected as there are lots of surprises instore for you along the way.
Another change we noticed from last year is that there are a number of actors and actresses dotted about the trail all in character and ready to engage with the children and ask them about their evening, how they are getting on with their mission and have photos taken with them. Our little girl loved casting spells with one of the witches and again we think this is a brilliant addition to the experience.
We also preferred the end of the trail this year at it brings the story to an end as the children’s magical quest around the lake leads them to Lunas Lair where you finally get to meet the main characters from the story for more interactive fun, the magical green smoke bubbles were a big hit with all the children so be sure to stay for these.
Partridge Lakes have done a brilliant job at making sure this Halloween Lakeside Light Trail is a family friendly and not too scary immersive experience. Although, a word of warning, a couple of the displays do move and talk which caught our little one off guard and gave her a fright but she quickly recovered. The atmosphere was really good and thanks to the staggered entry it wasn’t too busy.
Overall we had a lovely time and thought it was a nice family friendly attraction that the whole family could do together which we often struggle with now due to the age gaps with our own children. It takes about 40 minutes to do the trail but you can of course stay longer and enjoy the music with a drink or bite to eat. You can book your tickets for this family friendly experience now for any day in October and you can even take your dog if you want to for a full family night out.
Prices
- Adult £20
- Child £15
- Family tickets 2 adults, 2 children and parking £69
Top Tips for the Halloween Lakeside Light Trail
- Wear wellies it’s likely to be muddy
- Pre booked car parking is cheaper at £6 compared to £8 on the gate, there is also a walk-up option but we didn’t see any on street parking nearby
- Wait till dusk falls for a better experience
- Dress up in Halloween outfits, especially the kids.
- For those that want something really scary book the Halloween Lakeside Terror Trail instead