Wonderlights: A sneak-peek at Fota House's Christmas wonderland
Mairead Sheehy and Shauna Murray at Wonderlights Cork at Fota. Picture Dan Linehan
Once upon a time, an Irish Christmas was years old tinsel strewn across a decades old artificial tree. There was a department store visit to Santy, if you were lucky.
Today the Irish festive experience is unrecognisable. We are home to Europe's Christmas capital, courtesy of Waterford's Winterval which sees the city transformed into a festive wonderland.
In Cork alone, visits to Santa are now interactive afternoon-long experiences - from the polar express at West Cork Model Railway, elf school at Cuskinny, and Santa's Nordic Tipi at Douglas Village.
Even ice skating has had a 2.0 revamp - this year Páirc Uí Chaoimh has been reimagined as Winterlee.
So you don't just get to experience the ice rink - there are also Christmas markets complete with falling artificial snow.
And as if that wasn't enough, this year there's a new festive experience to tick off the bucketlist.
Opening today, Wonderlights, already a festive stalwart in Dublin, comes to Cork.
This Fota house takeover is a southern taste of Dublin's zoo's now iconic Wild Lights - and we secured exclusive access earlier this week to see what visitors can expect.
Billed as Ireland's "largest and most mesmerising immersive light show experience”, the lightshow, organised by Followfox events, has garnered fierce attention since its inception in Dublin’s Malahide Castle in 2019, and for good reason.
The attention to detail and intricacy of the installations clearly indicate that this is not their first rodeo.
With multiple variations of light shows and clever use of water displays, the team have left no stone unturned in ensuring Cork’s first light display is one of the very best.
Wonderlights incorporates a different theme each year for every location, with organisers carefully selecting the theme of the ‘Magic of Winter’ to kick start their Cork debut.
This idea was carried out to perfection, with large illuminated sculptures of arctic animals, meadows of glowing winter flowers, and an enchanting frozen forest dotted along the 1.4km trail.
The first stop, of course, has to be the winter village, with various festive huts offering food and drink options from mulled wine and crepes to hot chocolates and even a marshmallow toasting station.
Clearly, the team has thought of something to suit everyone’s taste.
Once you have your festive treat, it's straight to the Arctic forest, with illuminated polar bears and wolves aplenty.
The dazzling lights really made the creatures come to life, creating a feast for the eye that is sure to please all ages.
Crossing to the other side of the display, we were met with water-based animals from the Arctic, with creatures including whales, seals and penguins.
Managing director of Follow Fox events and founder of Wonderlights Alan McGuirk said this exhibit aims to “highlight the magic of winter” and encourage people to come out and go for a walk during the winter months, by creating a positive experience.
“Winter is actually a place of great life, great magic and great interest. You just have to go out into it and taste it and see it and experience it,” he said. And, share that experience on your socials.
“A lot of these installations are just pure, unadulterated photo opportunities,” Mr McGuirk acknowledges.
Sales and marketing executive at FollowFox events, Alannah McGuirk, said it is the venue that makes it truly special and Fota House and Gardens is a testament to this; “You simply can't recreate what Fota has to offer anywhere else."
Various types of light installations can be spotted throughout the walk, but a projection on the back of Fota House, depicting a storyline of a building in the 18th century celebrating Christmas, is particularly special.
The feature, which lasts almost 3 minutes, offers attendees the chance to sit back and enjoy the artistic display.
The historical element of this feature will not be lost on the public, with intense efforts made to educate and inform attendees about the location.
“Everything we’re doing is trying to be complementary to the venues that we work in. We want to show them at their best and inform people as well,” Mr McGuirk said.
As the trail comes to a close, there is one last photo opportunity, with a large photo wall designed to create special memories.
The picture, which can be manipulated to place the year alongside, was created with the view of making a “postcard moment” for all the family.
- With doors opening to the public on Saturday, November 16, the event is already sold out for the debut weekend.
- Tickets are on sale now, with prices starting at €15 for preview tickets and €19.50 for standard tickets. Infants under two years of age and carers accompanying visitors with special needs may attend free of charge.
- Wonderlights in Fota House and Gardens takes place from November 16 until January 4.
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