This winter, experience an enchanting illuminated journey through the historic gardens and castle at Margam Country Park.
Returning with stunning new designs and installations for 2025, the renowned light trail - which has already welcomed over one million visitors nationwide - invites you to wander a mile-long, music-synchronised route brimming with interactive lighting and festive magic.
A spellbinding walk along dazzling light displays and playful interactive moments for all ages.
Music-synchronised lighting for an immersive festive atmosphere.
Friendly stewards on hand throughout the route to guide and assist.
Typical trail time: 60 to 90 minutes depending on your pace.
The trail will take approximately 60 - 90 minutes.
Tickets must be pre-booked online in advance.
Limited tickets are available for each timeslot, with many slots selling out.
In order to ensure that Luminate can be enjoyed by everyone to the upmost, it has been designed as a continuous experience, with strictly fixed entry time slots, starting from 4.30pm onwards, which must be pre-booked in advance.
To ensure the enjoyment and safety of all our visitors, we allocate a set number of tickets per timeslot and would ask that all visitors adhere to their booked timeslot. Our entry time slots are every fifteen minutes from 4.30-4.45pm through to 8.00pm – 8.15pm. At certain sites, we offer later slots on popular nights (Please check the site ticketing page for more info).
Address: Margam Country Park, Margam Neath Port Talbot SA13 2TJ
Margam is 14 miles east (20 mins drive down the A483 and M4) from Swansea and 30 miles west from Cardiff (35 mins drive down the M4)
By public transport: From Cardiff or Swansea take the train to Port Talbot, then the X4 Bridgend bus for 15 mins, getting off at the Crematorium, and it's a 5 min walk from there. Or it's a 10 min Taxi from Port Talbot station.
By road: off the M4 at Junction 38, 1/2 a mile down the A48.
Tickets must be pre-booked online in advance.
Limited tickets are available for each timeslot, with many slots selling out.
😊 When you arrive, just head past the entrance kiosk to park in the Orangery Car Park. You can also use the car park right in front of the kiosk. (It may look like grass, but there's a sturdy trackway underneath!) Just follow the signs and listen to our friendly parking stewards once you're on site. Safe travels!
Parking is £5 per car. Remember to add this to your booking when getting those tickets to avoid any awkward "Oops, I forgot!" moments.
We’ve put a lot into our car parks, like lighting, staffing, and trackways, to make sure everyone parks safely and easily. On busy nights, parking is in high demand, so by reducing the number of cars, more folks can enjoy Luminate on their favourite dates! We're also big on reducing our environmental footprint, so we hope this charge encourages car-sharing. Plus, sharing the ride means sharing the excitement too! 🎉
Our event will have scrumptious hot food and drinks up for grabs—more details coming soon! For those craving a cosy vibe, head over to the fire pit for hot chocolate, tea, coffee, mulled wine, and marshmallows. Feel free to bring your own marshmallows, but don't forget the skewers! 😜
And on a serious note, bringing your own alcohol is a no-go. Anyone caught sneaking in their own booze will be shown the exit—no refunds, no exceptions! 🚫🍾
Read our most common frequently asked questions.
Cue the magical soundtrack, and let your feet do the walking through Margam Country Park and Castle! 🌟
As you wander, the gardens and castle exterior come alive with dazzling lights and playful displays. This year's trail is like last years, but bigger, bolder, and with an extra sprinkle of pixie dust! Stretching about a mile, it’s the perfect excuse to stretch your legs and maybe your patience (depending on how often you stop for selfies). Expect to spend 60-90 magical minutes on this journey.
Need a break? Swing by our fire pit for some marshmallow-toasting action (grab some on-site or BYOM – bring your own marshmallows, don’t forget the skewers). And when hunger strikes, we've got you covered with our Courtyard café and a lineup of street food vendors serving up delicious bites until about 9pm. Don’t forget to swing by our drinks and mulled wine huts for a bit of liquid cheer! 🍷
At Luminate Wales, there are unfenced water areas off the trail. Keep an extra eye on the little ones and vulnerable adults!
Our team will be checking trail conditions continuously, but remember, it's an outdoor event in winter after dark, so a bit of caution goes a long way. Supervision of children and vulnerable adults is key!
Enjoy our interactive light installations—they're a lot of fun! Just look for the ones marked for interaction, with stewards nearby to help out. Please avoid touching any other lights or electrical setups, and keep supervising your group to ensure everyone's safe.
🐾 Hey there, fellow dog lovers! For everyone's safety and fun, we kindly ask that you leave your furry friends at home when visiting Luminate, except for guide and assistance dogs. But guess what? We've got some pawsome news! 🐶
🌟 BACK FOR 2025 🌟
We've added more dog days! Dogs will be welcome to join their two legged friends on 17th, 24th and 27th November, 1st, 4th, 8th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 22nd, 26th and 29th December 2025. Only on these days, you and your pups can enjoy the magical trails together. Just look for the dog symbol on our calendar. Remember, apart from these days, dogs aren't allowed at Luminate. We can't wait to see you and your canine companions! 🐕✨
Our furry friends are welcome on these nights, provided at all times their owners follow the rules below:
All dogs must be accompanied by a responsible adult and remain under the supervision and control of the responsible adult at all times.
2 dogs per adult max
As with all two legged guests, dogs must remain on the clearly marked footpath at all times.
Dogs must be kept on a short lead at all times - no extendable leads please.
Dogs must not be left unattended at any time.
Any dogs behaving aggressively (including towards other dogs) will not be allowed to enter the trail or will be asked to leave. Luminate reserves the right to refuse entry or to remove any dogs we feel are dangerous/a safety risk to other dogs and visitors or any which are causing a disturbance and disrupting the event for other visitors.
Please be a responsible dog owner - clean up after your pet and use the bins provided.
Thank you in advance for co-operating with these rules to ensure everyone’s safety and enjoyment. Failure to comply with any of the above rules will result in your dog being denied entry/removed from the trail.
*** XL BULLY DOGS** We do not allow XL Bully Dogs and/or banned/dangerous breed dogs at Luminate. Entry will be denied to any person attempting to bring those breeds on site.
You know your dog best, Luminate is a fun filled magical element, with flashing lights, smoke effects, loud music and lots of people. If your dog is likely to be unsettled/distressed /aggressive because of any of this, please do not bring them.
