Tony Kelly, managing director of Port Lympne, says: "We were thrilled to see our first-ever light trail come to life and to watch guests experiencing the park in a completely new way.
"The response has been extraordinary, with families and returning visitors all telling us how magical it feels to wander through the illuminations with the Safari as its backdrop.
"Launching a nighttime experience of this scale within a working safari park is no small undertaking.
"We are incredibly proud of how successfully it has been delivered, with our conservation mission at the heart of every decision."
Designed for animal welfare
The trail development needed to respect Port Lympne's wildlife environment, which is one of the most sensitive in the UK and home to numerous endangered species, including rhinos, gorillas, and tigers.
Rob Paul, design director at LCI Productions, says: "This kind of light trail required careful planning. The aim was to build something completely original, including new characters, new IP, and design it in a way that worked alongside the animals and the landscape.
"The trail needed to evoke a sense of seasonal magic, while also ensuring the safety of the animals who call the park home.
"In a setting like Port Lympne, that’s non-negotiable. Every lighting element and every audio cue had to be carefully integrated so as not to disturb the animals, while still delivering moments of wonder for the guests."
LCI collaborated closely with animal handlers throughout the development of the trail to ensure installations were sensitively positioned and calibrated, considering all elements from light intensity and colour temperature to spatial audio placement and timing.
The park's existing routes, lighting, architecture, and facilities offered significant advantages in planning and helped make the integration of the trail seamless.
"The park already had established pathways that naturally guided the route," says Paul. "There were clear areas for food and beverage, refreshment points along the trail, and the layout made the experience highly accessible for wheelchair users and families with prams."
Wildlife, magic & grandeur
The completed 1.4 km trail offered a story-led journey that guided visitors through a series of unique environments. LCI delivered the entire creative and technical scope, including character design, media content, audio composition, lighting installations, and immersive theming across 22 zones.
Highlights included:
- Fairy Flight. Introducing visitors to the illuminated world, this installation included a pathway lined with dancing fairy holograms, created using 12 x 65 cm holofans. The fairies appeared between the trees, drawing visitors deeper into the trail.
- Enchanted Trees. Light engines and fibre optics wrapped around trees, forming glowing, root-like structures that responded visually to visitors' movement through the space.
- Cathedral Tunnel. A 30-metre structure with a rising roofline that created a cathedral-like sense of scale.
- Fairy Disco. Strategically located near the main F&B area, the Fairy Disco starred original character DJ Pixie Light, who appeared as a holographic illusion in a 15-minute animated sequence with a full lighting and effects package, including moving lights, mirror balls, LED bars, haze effects, and a JBL audio array.
- Aurora Fields. 3,000 illuminated spheres and moving lights filled the undulating landscape with waves, swirls, and geometric patterns, and were synchronised to festive musical sequences.
- Ice Tiger Forest. A carefully camouflaged 4 metre x 2 metre outdoor LED screen displayed a digital tiger that momentarily emerged from the shadows, accompanied by authentic tiger roars.
- Winter Fantasy Walkthrough. A Victorian-era-inspired street scene featuring period lampposts and falling-snow effects that transported visitors into a festive storybook moment.
- Grand Finale Show. This 10-minute water spectacular combined dancing fountains, moving lights, and an original musical score.
Early feedback found that 94% of visitors rated the trail as good to excellent. This response underscores the success of the inaugural season and illustrates how immersive seasonal attractions can create new revenue streams, even within one of the UK’s most sensitive wildlife environments.
Plans for a 2026 trail are already underway.
Last year, LCI Productions collaborated once again with Windsor Great Park Illuminated, adding bold AV, inventive storytelling, and character-led surprises to deliver the most extensive collection of new installations and interactive experiences in the seasonal light trail's history.
