At the weekend, myself and my daughter went to Bournemouth for a look around the shops before hitting the gardens to check out the 2025 Christmas lights.  I must say I have very mixed emotions about this years event as it's quite different to previous years and even my daughter agreed she preferred it before. 

Everywhere looks super Christmassy and there's few big Christmas trees offering a brief walkway in the gardens but one side didn’t have the lights on so that could just be early glitches.  We spotted some big buttons to control the tree lights but us and other families had a go and we couldn’t see any lights change so maybe we were looking in the wrong direction haha!

There’s a few other light installations further down the gardens but I definitely missed seeing the huge walk-through tree.  We saw the Christmas Tree Maze but that was £4pp (under 3's free) and the Christmas Train was also £4pp.  There’s stands to win cuddly toys, plus Festive Mini Golf and the Helter Skelter although I didn’t look to see how much they were.

Santa's Workshop looks nice and bookable activities include biscuit and bauble decorating, and storytelling with Santa.  The Ice Rink this year looks huge but the actual rink isn’t visible from the gardens (from what I could see) which is a shame because I always enjoyed watching the skaters.

If you head towards the Pier then you can go on The Big Wheel which offers great views of the town or have a round of golf at Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf as they are offering twilight putting sessions and I noticed lots of festive lights on the course.

The Market and Alpine Bar looked really lovely and festive but it was very busy so we moved through pretty quickly.  I did however spot some nice gift ideas and delicious food and treat options like hog roast, pasta, loaded fries, roast dinner in a Yorkshire pudding and churros.

We ended the day at Picnic Park Deli and my daughter chose a S'mores Hot Chocolate which was insanely good.  It's lovely and festive there and although it’s still in the gardens, it’s nice to get away from the crowds.

It’s definitely worth visiting central Bournemouth this Christmas but in my opinion it’s not as good as it has been in previous years.  Some advice, the weekends will be busy and you need to be prepared to part with money if you want to do any of the activities.

There’s lots of festive events planned there over the coming weeks which includes character walkabouts, carols and live music in The Square.

For more details about bookable activities, please visit Christmas in Bournemouth.

The Moors Valley Halloween Trail is back and if you think it’s the same as last year then I’ll let you know it’s not!  There’s just as many spooky animations and features to see but pretty much everything is different which is great for those who would like to do it again.

We started the trail at 5pm (after the clocks had changed) so the first part of the trail was already quite moody and grey but it didn’t take long before the forest became mega eerie.

Everyone on the trail was excited to see what would be coming up next and the kids all looked super cute in their fancy dress costumes, we even saw an adorable little dog in a Stitch costume with a knitted pumpkin on it’s head!

As we wandered through the trail we saw hundreds of gravestones, coffins, bats, spiders, skulls, crows and pumpkins, to name but a few.  Strange sounds can be heard deep in the forest and illuminated skeletons flicker on and off, plus there’s a giant spider tunnel and an eerily possessed pumpkin farm.

We stopped briefly to say hello to Dracula but my daughter wasn’t keen and hid behind me so we bid farewell and continued our journey through the woods.

After the half way point, we came to a seated area and here you can purchase marshmallows with melted chocolate and toppings or seasonal drinks which include boozy hot chocolates, spiced apple toddy, cold brews, soft drinks and hot drinks.

Walking on we saw a sinister Plague Doctor and then came to an area which the children loved the most. Within the trees was glow in the dark mushrooms, skeletons coming out the ground, big spider webs and smoke filled bubbles which came out of the undergrowth. They were thoroughly satisfying when popped and every child that walked past couldn’t resist.

The last part of the trail, we saw a pumpkin forest and a creepy and slightly possessed Scarecrow character who liked to jump around when new people walked by.

We spent approximately 90 mins walking round the trail but I’d say the average would be 1 hour.  We only took longer because I have a bad habit of petting cute dogs and we spent a long time popping the smoke bubbles.

I’ve deliberately not mentioned everything you’ll see because no one likes spoiler alerts! I will say though that it’s brilliant experience and thoroughly recommended by all our family.

If you’re peckish before or after then you’ll find several catering options located at the start of trail. We spotted burgers, loaded fries and carvery - there’s even a Churros and Bar Bus!

The spooky illuminated trail is open from Friday 24th October until Sunday 2nd November 2025.  For more information and to book your tickets, please visit Forestry England.

Good to know:

• The trail opens at 4pm, last entry at 9pm, with the journey through the woods getting scarier as the darkness of night sets in.

• Toilets are located near the food area however I have also been told that the visitor centre toilets will also remain open later than normal. There are no toilets on the trail so make sure you visit the facilities before starting, especially if you have little one’s with you.

• There’s plenty of undercover seating located near the food and toilets area.

• The pathway is flat and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs however it will be a little bumpy in areas.

Top Tips:

• Take your time, there’s so much to see and so many fun surprises lurking, you don’t want to miss them.

• Sturdy footwear and warm clothing is recommended.

Dorsetmums was invited to the Moors Valley Halloween Trail for the purpose of a review however all words are my own.