Light Trail Experience
The project
The LCI team were tasked with transforming Port Lympne Safari Park into a mesmerising night-time spectacle to launch the festive season. The experience needed a cohesive theme to guide guests seamlessly through multiple zones, delivering wonder at every turn. As the park’s first-ever light trail, it was essential that the installation left a powerful and lasting impression on visitors.
The challenge
Create a completely new festive light trail built around original IPs, characters and immersive AV, while designing every element to coexist harmoniously within a working safari park. The trail needed to evoke a sense of discovery and seasonal magic, without disturbing the animals who call the park home.
The solution
LCI delivered the full creative and technical suite for the experience, including original character design, media content, audio composition, lighting installations, soundscapes and immersive theming across all 22 zones.
Animal welfare remained the highest priority. The team collaborated closely with the park’s animal handlers to ensure that each installation, lighting effect and audio cue was sensitively positioned to avoid disruption to animals within the park.
The safari park setting also provided unique benefits: established pathways, architectural features, ambient lighting and an existing facilities infrastructure all helped shape a rich, story-driven journey.
LCI created a visually stunning 1.4km trail guided by an unfolding narrative brought to life through light, sound and responsive environments.
Key Installations included:
Fairy Flight
A shimmering pathway lined with dancing fairy holograms created using 12 x 65cm holofans. These characters appear to flit between the trees, gilding guests deeper into the illuminated world.
Enchanted Trees
An interconnected living installation powered by light engines and fibre-optics wraps around the trees. These growing “root systems’ create an other-wordly- like ecosystem that responds visually as guests move through the space.
Cathedral Tunnel
A 30m tunnel with a rising roof that creates a cathedral-like experience with fairy lights. The fairy lights feature a gentle twinkle to enhance the experience.
Fairy Disco
Located at the mid-point of the trail and strategically paired with the main food and beverage area. The fairy disco is hosted by DJ PIxie Light, an original character, the DJ appears on a carefully concealed LED screen to create a holographic illusion.
The 15 minute animated DJ sequence is accompanied by a full lighting and effects package including: 6 moving lights , 4 mirror balls, 6 LED bars , 4 haze machines, 4 haze bubble machines, JBL audio array
Aurora Fields
A sweeping landscape filled with 3,000 illuminated spheres and size moving lights, all synchronised to festive musical sequences. The installation cascades across undulating terrain, forming waves, swirls and geometric patterns of light.
Ice Tiger Forest
A 4m x 2m outdoor LED screen (3.9mm pixel pitch) disguised within natural foliage creates a convincing hologram effect. The digital tiger emerges from the shadows , accompanied by authentic tiger roars, before disappearing into the undergrowth.
Winter Fantasy Walk-through
A charming Victorian-inspired snowy street scene featuring two snow machines and twelve period lampposts, transporting guests into a festive storybook moment.
Grand Finale Show
The experience concludes with a ten-minute water spectacular featuring dancing fountains, moving lights and an original music score. The show combines:
• 10 straight jets
• 22 underwater lights
• 2 spinning jets
• 24 x 250W floods
• 6 moving lights
The impact
The 2025 trail brought festive magic to the Safari Park, drawing visitors of all ages into an immersive story experience for the very first time. The feedback of the trail has been outstanding with the park confirming a trail for 2026.
What they said
“We are thrilled to see our first-ever light trail come to life and to watch guests experiencing the park in a completely new way after dark. The response so far has been extraordinary, with families, couples and returning visitors all telling us how magical it feels to explore these landscapes illuminated by storytelling, colour and sound.
“Launching a nighttime experience of this scale within a working safari park is no small undertaking, and we are incredibly proud of how sensitively and successfully it has been delivered. Every decision has been made with our conservation mission at its core, ensuring the animals in our care remain undisturbed and that the trail enhances rather than disrupts their environment.
“LCI’s expertise has been instrumental in achieving this. Their creative vision, technical mastery and respect for the site have made them the perfect partners. Together, we have created an experience that is not only visually spectacular but also environmentally responsible, offering something truly special for the people of Kent and beyond during the winter months.”
~ Tony Kelly, Managing Director at Port Lympne
