The Festival of Light Build

From hand-painted silk to metal structures, these photographs show the intricate work behind The Festival of Light lantern display.

This year’s theme is British Icons with Wallace & Gromit and friends and the new images and video, shows how our flagship festive event is fabricated, painted and positioned, with insights from Longleat’s design and project lead, Daisy Mercedes, and Aardman co-founder, Peter Lord.

“There is so much time, work and incredible energy and effort that goes into creating The Festival of Light. We have been working on this design for over a year now, from the illustrations, the drawing and structural review to the fabrication.” said Daisy.

Scott Ashman, Head of Operations at Longleat, said “We’ve had this event here since 2014, and this year is particularly exciting for us as we’re bringing together two national treasures – Longleat and Aardman. To be able to show characters such as Wallace and Gromit, Feathers McGraw and many more, in lantern form for the first time, and to do that alongside British Icons such as street scenes of London, is something we’re very proud of being able to showcase.”

Photographs and video show the hand painting and artistry which goes into creating each lantern, from minute details to the complete creation of Wallace & Gromit’s rocket in a Grand Day Out. The rocket itself took four weeks to create, excluding design time, demonstrating the intricacy of the build process.

Daisy said “Every year brings its challenges, and that’s not only weather, but also being able to represent what we’re trying to create in the best form possible. When working with Aardman, it’s been all about capturing those characters and expressions, and being able to ensure what you see in animation, you can recognise and understand it in lantern form whilst it’s static.”

Once lanterns are designed and drawings are agreed, the lanterns are structurally formed from metal before silk is applied. Any silk which hasn’t been printed, is meticulously hand painted.

Peter Lord, co-founder of Aardman and creator of Morph, said “Before our visits, I’d seen photographs, but to see the lanterns in reality is absolutely amazing.  I’m incredibly impressed by the people, the work that has been done, the artists and craftspeople that made these extraordinary lanterns.”

Day Tickets and Non-Safari Day Tickets are still available, which give guests the opportunity to explore the Park throughout the day and into the evening as the lantern trail comes to life. Tickets can be bought here – longleat.co.uk and are available on selected dates until 11 January 2026