On a chilly trip to Crystal Palace Park last Saturday evening, I tagged along with the family to witness Lightopia: an immersive, family-friendly light show which has just opened in South London. The experience involved us trekking through the park in sub-zero temperatures to watch a number of unique light installations with a few over-crowded pop-up eateries selling mulled wine and hot dogs along the way.

Lightopia is described by their corporate website as ‘a culturally rich, highly entertaining and immersive experience to everyone.’ From our hour-long experience, however, it felt more like an expedition to the Arctic Circle but with some pretty and colourful illuminations along the way.

In hindsight, maybe choosing to visit the show at eight o’clock on one of the coldest nights of the year wasn’t the best decision. Thankfully, my family and I were quick walkers and able to find welcome respite in a café off the beaten track where we all warmed up over a much-needed hot chocolate.

The lights were installed in a vast area of the park; I enjoyed the historical film about the old exhibition centre, which burnt down in the 1936, and the way that the multi-coloured lights would reflect eerily off the trees and the clouds. I was less of a fan of the strange almost random assortment of glowing cartoon characters, mythical creatures and Victorian dinosaurs that were scattered throughout the park which seemed to be at odds with the classy Christmas image presented on their website. By far my favourite part of the experience was a flower garden where all the plants are oversized and emit bright vibrant colours. All in all, I enjoyed my trip to Lightopia, I would recommend it to any family with young children looking for an evening of Christmas fun. But please take my advice and bring a thick coat and some gloves!