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Illuminate returns to Guildford Castle this winter with an all-new light trail route

By Surrey ExtraThursday 27 August 2026Guildford Castle

Guildford Castle keep lit in blue, purple and red floodlight at night during the Illuminate light trail — The castle keep under floodlight on the Illuminate trail. Photo: Illuminate Guildford — from a previous year’s trail

Guildford Castle will be lit up again this winter, and this time the trail runs the other way round.

Illuminate Guildford returns to the castle grounds for a third year on Saturday 14 November, with what the organisers describe as a completely redesigned route, reversed from the 2024 and 2025 trails, and a set of light installations built for this year.

What it is

Illuminate is a walk-through winter light trail that takes 30 to 40 minutes, winding through the historic grounds in the middle of Guildford town centre. It is a timed-entry, walk-at-your-own-pace event rather than a show with a start time.

Running it the opposite way round is a bigger change than it sounds for anyone who went in 2024 or 2025 — the castle keep, which the trail is built around, arrives at a different point and from a different angle.

Hundreds of coloured lights laid out in rows across the castle lawn in front of the floodlit keep — Rows of colour across the castle grounds. Photo: Illuminate Guildford — from a previous year’s trail

Food, drink and marshmallows

The bandstand near the entrance is set up as a bar, serving hot chocolate and mulled wine to carry round the trail with you, and the marshmallow toasting pits that proved popular in previous years are back.

Two visitors toast marshmallows on long forks over an open fire pit at Illuminate Guildford — The marshmallow toasting pits return for 2026. Photo: Illuminate Guildford — from a previous year’s trail

Tickets and prices

Tickets are sold in timed sessions and, according to the organisers, there is a limited number available per session. Prices for 2026 are:

Adult — £12.95
Child, aged 3 to 16 — £9.95
Infant, aged 0 to 2 — free

Booking is through FIXR. Illuminate has not yet published a closing date for this year’s trail, so the dates on sale on the ticket page are the ones to go by.

Illuminated wire-frame reindeer and glowing light balls on the grass below the castle walls — Light installations in the castle grounds. Photo: Illuminate Guildford — from a previous year’s trail

Getting there

The entrance is at Guildford Castle, Castle Street, GU1 3SX, a short walk from the top of the High Street.

By train — Guildford station is about an 11 minute walk away.
By bus — the Friary bus station is the closest stop.
By car — the town centre car parks around the castle are the option, and Illuminate lists the closest ones on its own site.

Being in the middle of town, the trail also has the pubs, bars and restaurants of the High Street on its doorstep, which makes it easy to build an evening around. The event is supported by Experience Guildford and Guildford Borough Council.

The photographs above were supplied by the organisers and were taken at previous Illuminate Guildford trails, so they show installations from 2024 and 2025 rather than this year’s new route.

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