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'History brought to life in lights'
Castle of Light: Hidden Treasures, the iconic landmark’s 2021 light show offering, opened tonight (November 18), returning after last year’s Covid imposed absence, with a fun romp through the history with a focus on author Walter Scott’s rediscovery of the Honours of Scotland under some dirty rags in a forgotten chest.
If you have a small fact-fiend, as I do, they’ll love the first big display, a run-through the historical times of the Castle and some of its more interesting characters. The light show is really effective here, from digging a well to hiding the treasures, and there are lots of fascinating tales – we had to sit through it several times until we’d all memorised the Sri Lankan elephants, Moorish lassies and dragon’s teeth bits.
There’s a rather beautiful, more arty, show down by the National War Museum, a circle of life dragon on the wall as you climb up towards St Margaret’s Chapel, with the disco-dancing unicorns and a rather smoky surprise, before you reach the chapel, illuminated in an ever-changing display.
We didn’t bother with the HUGE queue for the lighted tunnel and kaleidoscope and instead carried on to the main courtyard for a hidden treasures show, complete with a giant Walter Scott, again with extraordinarily creative use of the building as a backdrop. Although for most smaller people, trying to catch the lights on the ground instead was much more fun.
My two were the perfect age for the history bits but there is much to enjoy for younger ones who wouldn’t be as interested in the facts, not least just being at the Castle in the dark and putting hands or whole bodies into the light displays – and waving around multi-coloured flashing light sabres (be warned, the gift shop is open!)
The show recommends 90 minutes to get around and we were bang on that; my daughter said she felt it was a bit short and would have liked more but actually I think the timing was perfect – much more and small people would have been getting tired and tiresome.
The Castle is steep and cobbled but absolutely fine for buggies – and we saw several wheelchairs as well. As it’s all outside (except the toilets and the café) it’s all quite accessible and as you’re not going into all the buildings, there isn’t as much walking as there would be on a day time visit. Tickets are on time slots and while it was busy, there is plenty of space to distance.
There are food stalls outside on the Esplanade; a mac cheese one, a haggis one and a churros/smores/hot chocolate one on the night we were there but we chose to have cheese burgers at a stall outside the Redcoat café within the Castle (£8.95 each) – hot dogs also on offer and a stall selling mulled wine and the like.
Tickets are £20 for an adult and £12 for 5 to 15-year-olds, compared to £15.50 for adults and £9.30 for kids the same age for an ordinary day time visit which I think compares very well – yes, you don’t get into St Margaret’s Chapel, see the Honours or any of the indoor bits with Castle of Light but they are probably the less interesting bits for small people and they are replaced with history brought to life in lights, plus optional night-time outdoor disco-dancing!
*Castle of Light: Hidden Treasures runs on selected dates until January 9 2022, 4.30pm to 10pm (last entry 8.30pm). Tickets: adults £20; child (5-15) £12; family tickets £40-£68. For more information see here.