Cardiff’s Christmas at Bute Park brand new map and installations revealed ahead of opening
Cardiff’s annual light trail Christmas at Bute Park has released its 2024 map ahead of the official opening date on November 22nd. Visitors can now plan their festive journey through 13 breathtaking illuminations.
With a re-imagined route of brand-new installations, created by a selection of world-class artists and designers, visitors will be treated to a spectacular display at the fourth award-winning event.
Leading the new sights, Mycelium Network is a mesmerising fibre-optic network of festive fungi. Visitors will walk through a colour-changing carpet of different sized glowing mushrooms. The piece is created by the UK’s leading fibre-optics artist, Stevie Thompson.
‘End of the Rainbow’ brings life to two enormous 400-year-old trees at Bute Park. They are carefully adorned with over 3,000 dazzling, computer-programmed lights, which are set to dance to originally composed music. It’s designed by Ithaca Studios, internationally leading light artists who work with Blenheim Palace, Kew Gardens, Glastonbury and the renowned band Coldplay.
Rivers of Light’ will be an amazing reimagining of ‘Sea of Light’ by Ithaca Studios. In the shadow of Cardiff Castle, a dozen rivers of light will flow across the ground in an epic, immersive display.
Another gorgeous installation is ‘Portal’ – a host of dazzling and glowing crystal pipes and 12 infinity mirror light displays placed along the path, each creating the illusion of infinite lights. These are created by Ignite Cymru, a project run by Christmas at Bute Park with support from Welsh Government to help develop skills among local creatives.
The team behind the trail has provided opportunities for creatives to get involved with the 2024 event, through its work with schools, visual artists, young people and undergraduates based at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD).
There is also a brilliant new addition to the Christmas village – the Bute Park Tavern – a brand-new cosy heated Alpine wooded cabin where you can enjoy a hot or festive drink while you take in the twinkling surroundings and listen to some Christmas tunes, also new for 2024.
Roxy Robinson, Creative Director at from the Fields, the team behind Christmas at Bute Park, said, “We can’t wait for visitors to experience all the brand new and exciting installations at Christmas at Bute Park. We have shaken things up this year to include more eye-catching special effects and light display installations for guests to enjoy.
She added, “One of the new installations for the fourth year of our lovely annual event in Cardiff includes Mycelium Network, a spectacular display of colour and light using thousands of thin fibre optic strands to represent the huge network of mycelium often growing right below our feet.
“We’re also excited about the all-new End of the Rainbow, which encompasses two massive trees covered in small orbs, as well as our Christmas village, which has loads of lovely local street traders, new festive music and a cosy Alpine lodge to keep guests out of the cold. The trail has so much to offer all ages and we can’t wait to open.”
Christmas at Bute Park is open from November 22nd through to December 31st 2024. For more information or to book tickets visit www.christmasatbutepark.com.