FAQs

Northern Lights is Yorkshire’s newest festive attraction. Following the sellout success of its Newcastle event, Northern Lights is now launching in Leeds with its unique brand of Christmas trail. Northern Lights is set to transform the grounds of Temple Newsam into a jaw-dropping enchanted wonderland. Suitable for all ages, it will include a spectrum of illuminations including art installations, interactive elements and special effects. It is a ticketed event.

Temple Newsam, off Selby Road, Leeds

EVENT POSTCODE: LS15 0AE

EVENT What3Words: chef.juices.natively

The event is at Temple Newsam in Leeds (LS15 0AE). Four miles east of Leeds City Centre, Temple Newsam grounds are set in the grand shadow of the Grade 1, Tudor-Jacobean building, in landscapes curated by Capability Brown. It is one of the cities most popular parks, which we will gladly illuminate during the darkest months of the year. 

Please follow the road signs to Temple Newsam and use the provided park carparks.

All parking must be booked in advance and paid for, whether you need a normal parking space or disabled parking space. If you have not already booked your parking, please do so here.

Please select the date and time of your visit, then click through to the “Car Parking” tab and book the number of car parking spaces you need for your visit. 

There will be onsite parking with accessible spaces. Disabled parking spots are on a first come, first serve basis, we have a traffic management team that will help you park in the most suitable bay we can, should you need to park closer to the event entrance. Please bear in mind this will be at least a 5 minute walk from the start of the trail, with a slight incline and descent on the path leading from the main car park to the Christmas Village and trail entrance.

Yes, we provide free tickets for children under the age of 3, they are free of charge but must hold a valid ticket. When booking please select Child (aged 0-2) tickets.

Please keep your children with you at all times. The grounds of Temple Newsam are large and contain waterways etc. It is essential to keep your children near and ensure that they do not wander into unlit areas. Please keep to the designated pathways as trip hazards my be present in other areas.

There will be baby changing facilities at the Christmas Village toilets and the toilets near the Marshmallow Toasting area. 

The trail is pram and buggy friendly, but we ask that you do not bring children’s scooters or bikes/trikes to the trail. This trail is hilly and potentially muddy.

There will be a number of stalls selling children’s sized portions available in the Christmas Village. 

Yes, there are a large variety of local street food vendors and bars to choose from on your visit. Check out Christmas Village for further information!

It wouldn’t be winter in Leeds without a bit of adverse weather. Please ensure you dress appropriately for the weather – wear waterproof, warm clothing and appropriate footwear for paths that may become muddy. 

If you struggle in low lighting you may bring a torch, as some parts between installations may be slightly darker. 

There is no need to bring food or drink, as we have a fantastic Christmas Village full of yummy treats. 

We advise all customers to buy tickets in advance, these can be purchased from our ticket website here: https://northernlightsleeds.seetickets.com/timeslot/northern-lights-leeds

We will only have tickets available to buy on the door if the session is not already sold out.

We will only have tickets available to buy on the door if the session is not already sold out.

We advise all customers to buy tickets in advance, these can be purchased from our ticket website here: https://northernlightsleeds.seetickets.com/timeslot/northern-lights-leeds

We are an entirely cashless event, accepting all major debit and credit cards alongside contactless payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

There will be onsite parking with accessible spaces. Disabled parking spots are on a first come, first serve basis, we have a traffic management team that will help you park in the most suitable bay we can, should you need to park closer to the event entrance. Please bear in mind this will be at least a 5 minute walk from the start of the trail, with a slight incline and descent on the path leading from the main car park to the Christmas Village and trail entrance. All parking must be booked in advance and paid for, whether you need a normal parking space or disabled parking space.

Well-behaved dogs with responsible owners are welcome. Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times and be comfortable with large crowds, loud noises and fire. 

Temple Newsam Park can be accessed between 7am and 3pm as normal, during the full event period. After this time, access to the park will be restricted. 

Signs will be posted at entrances to the park to inform park users of the event dates, with details of any temporary changes to access that may affect them.

The walk from Selby Road towards Temple Newsam House takes around 25-30 minutes. We ask that you take care on this route as there are not established pavements for the majority of this route. 

PLEASE USE POSTCODE: LS15 0AE

Just 15 minutes drive from Leeds City Centre, Temple Newsam is ideally located just 5 minutes away from Junction 46 of the M1 motorway.

Car Parking MUST be booked in advance of your visit. Parking costs £4.50 per vehicle.

From Leeds City Centre the number 19 and 40 buses stop the closest to Temple Newsam, on Selby Road but both have a half an hour walk from the bus stop to the trail entrance. 

The nearest train station to us is Cross Gates Station which is approximately a 35-40 minute walk away from the trail. Trains from Leeds Station are about twice an hour.

Here are some local taxi numbers, should you need a lift to and from Temple Newsam:

• RoadRunners – 0113 217 1717
• Central Cars – 0113 270 0700
• Zoyp Leeds – 0113 234 5345 

With our event being an outdoor event, in winter, in Yorkshire, it is expected that we will see some rough weather at some point in the duration of our event. We ask that you factor this into your travel time when attending the event, it may take slightly longer to get to us than initially expected. 

Tickets are non-refundable, so please ensure you choose the correct ticket type before booking. If you would like to exchange your ticket to a different date then please log into the SEE Tickets Portal using your reference number and postcode / email address.

When purchasing your tickets, you will see that different days have different ticket types and prices.

Standard tickets are our standard entry, standard price tickets. 
Peak tickets are for our most popular days which see the most demand. 

Northern Lights will contain 10-12 installations with accompanying music, specially composed for the event. Our compositions will be ambient, and played through speaker systems positioned to limit disturbance to our neighbours. 

While the audio is an essential part of the trail experience, we will make every effort to minimize nuisance and will ensure all trail audio is switched off between 9.30-10pm each night. 

Northern Lights will comply with all UK legislation and operate within the terms set out in its licence. 

If you are a resident with concerns regarding trail audio, please contact us at hello@northernlightsleeds.com. 

Job applications are not yet open for this year. Please check back later in the year when we will advertise how to get in touch.

The trail route follows existing paths through the site, some of which are hard tarmaced paths, others are softer ground. The trail is just over 1 mile long, it loops from the Christmas Village next to Temple Newsam House, down and around the ponds, up through the wooded area, and then there is a long, uphill path to return to the Christmas Village. 

There are a number of inclines and descents along the route, some of which may prove hard for some wheelchair users to navigate. In dry conditions electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters should be capable of handling the trail. We will have stewards along the route, available to help, particularly in spots that may be slightly more difficult to traverse.

Yes, you can change your ticket to a different date up to 24 hours prior to attending. To change your booking log into See Tickets using your reference number and postcode / email address and select the slot that suits you best. 

You will receive an email from SeeTickets upon purchase containing a PDF of your tickets, you can either bring these on your phone or print off your tickets at home. 

If you cannot immediately see your tickets in your inbox then please check your junk mail. 

If you have still not received your tickets then please visit the SeeTickets Customer Service Portal.

An adult aged 16 or older? Then you will need an Adult Ticket. 

A child aged 3-15? They you will need a Child Ticket. 

A child aged 2 and under? Then you will need an Infant Ticket – these are free but you will still need a ticket.

Have a few children and adults in your party? We offer discounted Family tickets, these are for a maximum of 2 adults. You can use this ticket type for 2 adults and 2 children, OR 1 adult and 3 children. 

We don’t offer Blue Light/NHS discount at our event. In order to give back to the community we have partnered with a number of local charities, giving them tickets and helping raise funds. More information can be found about our charity partnerships here.

On rare occasions, we may have to cancel an event if weather conditions are so severe that they cause a threat to safety. In such cases, we will let customers know in advance of the closure. If there is extreme weather on the day of your booking, please check your emails for updates.  

Last entry into the trail is 15 minutes after the last advertised trail time. After this, ticket holders will not be permitted to enter. 

For as long as you like! Please bear in mind that the Trail and associated catering outlets will close no later than 90 minutes after the final advertised trail time on any given event night.

We are pleased to provide an additional ticket/s for Personal Assistants of disabled people who are unable to attend the event without the assistance of an essential companion. A disabled person purchasing a ticket can obtain 1 free Personal Assistant ticket (all tickets must be pre-booked through our ticketing site). 

To add a Personal Assistant ticket onto your booking, please select your required date and time, select your paying tickets and 1x Personal Assistant ticket. Upon payment of your tickets, you will be asked to provide proof of this on the payment page of the booking, please have a screenshot or photograph of the documentation to hand when booking as to ensure you are able to upload proof easily. 

You are able to choose one free companion ticket, when you purchase a paid adult or child ticket for the disabled person. If you require more than one carer ticket – please contact hello@northernlightsleeds.com for further information.

To help us ensure that these tickets are made available to those with genuine needs, when purchasing tickets, please upload a photo of your ID of ONE of the following forms of documentation to validate the free carer pass, or alternatively bring your ID with you the light trail.

1. Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 or DLA/Personal
2. Independent Payments (PIP), either in the form of a letter stating that the benefit has been awarded, or the actual Allowance book
3. Attendance Allowance or Carer’s Allowance letter of award
4. Incapacity Benefit books, or a letter notifying the recipient that the benefit has been awarded Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
5. In the case of visual impairment, a registration card known as the BD8 or a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI)
6. A local authority registration document which is local to the attraction where it is being submitted 
7. A recognised Assistance Dog ID Card
8. Credibility’s Access Card (plus 1 icon)
9. Hynt card and/or Access card 

The trail includes pulsing, flashing, and moving lighting effects that may affect people with photosensitive epilepsy.

There may be flashing lights but absolutely no where near the flash rate of a strobe. 

There are two evenings with a reduced audience capacity and reduced audio volume, which may be a preferable experience to people with neurodivergent conditions. These will take place on Wednesday 4th and Wednesday 11th December from 4:15pm – 5:15pm. The trail will have a lower level of noise and the capacity will be reduced by 60%.

We are pleased to provide an additional ticket/s for Personal Assistants of disabled people who are unable to attend the event without the assistance of an essential companion. A disabled person purchasing a ticket can obtain 1 free Personal Assistant ticket (all tickets must be pre-booked through our ticketing site). 

To add a Personal Assistant ticket onto your booking, please select your required date and time, select your paying tickets and 1x Personal Assistant ticket. Upon payment of your tickets, you will be asked to provide proof of this on the payment page of the booking, please have a screenshot or photograph of the documentation to hand when booking as to ensure you are able to upload proof easily. 

You are able to choose one free companion ticket, when you purchase a paid adult or child ticket for the disabled person. If you require more than one carer ticket – please contact hello@christmasatbutepark.com for further information.

To help us ensure that these tickets are made available to those with genuine needs, when purchasing tickets, please upload a photo of your ID of ONE of the following forms of documentation to validate the free carer pass, or alternatively bring your ID with you the light trail.

1. Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 or DLA/Personal
2. Independent Payments (PIP), either in the form of a letter stating that the benefit has been awarded, or the actual Allowance book
3. Attendance Allowance or Carer’s Allowance letter of award
4. Incapacity Benefit books, or a letter notifying the recipient that the benefit has been awarded Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
5. In the case of visual impairment, a registration card known as the BD8 or a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI)
6. A local authority registration document which is local to the attraction where it is being submitted 
7. A recognised Assistance Dog ID Card
8. Credibility’s Access Card (plus 1 icon)
9. Hynt card and/or Access card 

We will have accessible toilets on the route. If you need any assistance during the trail, please ask one of our stewards who will be more than happy to help.

We welcome assistance dogs onto the site. We ask all dog owners to keep their dog on a lead at all times, and also to pick up after themselves.

Assistance dogs are legally allowed to assist under the Equality Act. The Equality and Human Rights Commission states an expectation that Assistance Dogs will:

• Be highly trained
• Not wander freely around the premises
• Most are instantly recognisable by the harness or identifying dog jacket that wear they wear

(https://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/the-law/)

The ground conditions at Northern Lights Leeds are suitable for wheelchair users. The route is mostly on even ground, with a small number of ramped areas. There is a mixture of hard paths and temporary matting used. Please keep in mind however, that due to the event taking place in winter, in Yorkshire, that the paths may contain puddles and muddy patches which may take a bit longer to get through.

There are a few ways you can make contact with us:

• Follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter)
• Subscribe to our mailing list here
• For any general queries please email hello@northernlightsleeds.com– we aim to respond within 48 hours 

Northern Lights is designed to be as sensitive as possible to its parkland setting. The trail utilises existing paths and infrastructure where possible, in order to minimise effects on local ecology and wildlife.

Northern Lights is also committed to:

• reducing waste
• recycling wherever possible – we will implement a robust recycling operation
• ensure that all serve-ware is compostable, reusable or recyclable, as a part of our no single use plastics policy.
• reducing carbon emissions – use energy efficient lighting across the trail (LED)

99% of the bulbs are LED with the remaining 1% being high efficiency low-energy lighting. The lights are turned on at approximately 2pm. This allows maintenance and repair, plus daily operational and safety checks to be carried out before the trail opens to the public at 4pm. The lights are then turned off after the trail is closed around 22:00 – 23:00.