An Evening at Glow Marwell

Disclosure: We were invited on this day out for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.

Last weekend we were invited to the opening of Glow Marwell, Marwell Zoo’s magical Christmas light experience. We last went to Glow Marwell in 2023. It was a fantastic evening and a great festive event and we were looking forward to returning.

Glow Marwell

Glow Marwell runs from 5pm until 8pm and tickets include free access to the zoo on the day of your visit between 10am and 4pm. After that the animals relax, ready for the Glow Marwell experience to start.

We arrived purely for the evening when the zoo was in full Glow mode. We walked from the car park up to the start of Glow Marwell, and it couldn’t have felt more festive! We walked through a bauble archway and found ourselves immediately immersed in a Christmas market which was lovely, and really set the scene for the evening. 

At the start of the Glow Marwell trail we walked along the path with animal shapes lit up either side of us, all the way to a tunnel that reminded me of computer circuitry. It was really cool, and swiftly followed by a tunnel of hearts. A lovely start to the experience. 

Throughout the trail, everywhere was adorned with lights. Coloured lights in the trees, hedges covered with nets of twinkling lights and light projections were on the floor. Everywhere we looked there were lights to see and discover. 

Our walk took us through the forest, with glitter balls dangling from the trees, animal sculptures lit up for the festivities and with so much to look at. The light installations were all so different. No two were the same and it felt like the evening just kept giving. There was something new around every corner.

We loved the beautiful lit up tree just before we for to Marwell Hall and how festive this whole area looked, with light up spiral trees and twinkly lights in the hedges.

Marwell Hall also looked wonderful for the evening – complete with light up seesaws outside and a choir singing carols. It was lovely. This is a real hub of the light trail, with lots of food and drink stalls and a great place for a pitstop and it couldn’t have been more festive.

The last part of the trail was dedicated to the 12 days of Christmas, followed by light up insects and then a big laser and smoke area which added something completely different to the evening. 

Father Christmas at Glow Marwell

Alongside Glow Marwell, you can also enjoy a Santa’s Grotto Experience in Marwell Hall. This is a magical 45 minute grotto experience in Marwell Hall that starts with storytelling from one of Santa’s elves, before heading into the workshop to make a Christmas decoration craft. You also get to write a letter to Santa and take a selfie in his sleigh, before meeting the man himself! All children will receive a gift from Santa. Find out more here.

VR at Glow Marwell

Also on offer this year, experience winter in Virtual Reality at Marwell! Meet polar bears, reindeer and arctic foxes up close, asther state-of-the-art Virtual Reality headset transports you to winter landscapes in a 13 minute show. Discover how different animals have adapted to intense cold, and explore how climate change is impacting their survival. The Virtual Reality Experience will take place in the Wild Explorers Picnic Hut and you can find out more here.

Food and drink at Glow Marwell

All around the Glow Marwell trail there are food options. Cafe Graze is open, serving hot food, drinks and snacks plus there are stalls selling traditional festive market style food – we saw loaded fries, mac n cheese, crumble, pretzels, pizza and more!

There are also fire pits to toast marshmallows which are really well managed. You can buy marshmallows to toast or s’mores kits to enjoy which are the perfect sweet treat for a festive evening like this.

Toilets at Glow Marwell

You’ll be pleased to know that there are toilets all around the Marwell site – not just the typical zoo toilets but extra temporary blocks of toilets added for Glow Marwell. These include accessible toilets too.

We had a great time at Glow Marwell and know we’ll be visiting again in the future. If you’re looking for something to do over the festive season definitely book Glow Marwell. You will not regret it. It’s wonderful to see Marwell at Christmas. 

You can book Marwell Glow tickets over on the Marwell website and see the Glow Marwell map here. For reference, the address is: Thompson’s Ln, Colden Common, Winchester SO21 1JH