Cate Blanchett leads a cast of legendary star voices at Kew Wakehurst’s Glow Wild winter light trail

Kew Wakehurst Ambassador Cate Blanchett will narrate this year's Glow Wild, In Search of Nature's Gifts, guiding visitors on a magical, starry after-dark expedition through the trail. She is joined by a stellar cast of fellow legendary actors, Orlando Bloom, Priyanga Burford, Olivia Colman, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Richard E. Grant, Jude Law, Lesley Manville, Carey Mulligan, Stanley Tucci, Dame Harriet Walter and Naomi Watts, adding an exclusive new soundscape to the trail of large-scale art installations that will be featured across Wakehurst's wild botanic garden.

Now in its 13th year, the award-winning Glow Wild raises the bar once again for 2026 with an extraordinary new collection of large-scale installations created exclusively for Kew Wakehurst. Bespoke artworks and thousands of handmade lanterns transform the gardens into an immersive, enchanting experience for the whole family, inspired by Kew’s work to research, conserve and restore nature in support of a thriving planet.

The words, specially recorded by the star actors to be heard exclusively on the trail, were written by Kew Wakehurst’s Glow Wild volunteers and community groups, inspired by that same mission: to protect the natural world for the future. Voiced by the actors, these reflections – sometimes profound, sometimes funny – carry Glow Wild’s message further: nature is a gift, and one worth protecting.

Beyond the star-filled soundscape, this year's Glow Wild is the most ambitious trail yet. Visitors travel pole to pole, passing a nearly five-metre illuminated iceberg (Glow Wild's tallest lantern to date) and a colony of handmade penguins. An alpine flower carpet made from thousands of handmade petals reflects on the critical conservation work of Kew scientists to safeguard Arctic plants. The trail culminates in a bespoke projection across Wakehurst's historic Mansion, bringing Glow Wild to a close in a breathtaking finale.

In July, Blanchett took part in one of Wakehurst's Glow Wild lantern-making workshops to help create part of a bespoke installation of over 200 handcrafted lanterns made by volunteers. She was joined by young people from Peacehaven Community School, part of the 100 Mile Classroom project, a Weald to Waves initiative led by the Knepp Wildland Foundation. Weekly lantern making workshops take place throughout the year in the lead up to Glow Wild, with volunteers’ artistic contributions vital to the creation of the hundreds of handmade lanterns that bring magic to the trail.

Cate Blanchett said: "What a joy to join one of Wakehurst’s workshops and create a lantern for the magical Glow Wild this year".

"I am excited that this year visitors will get to move through the wondrous lantern lit trails, entranced and entertained by a soundscape that includes the voices of Olivia Colman, Orlando Bloom and Naomi Watts, to name just a few".

"Glow Wild is a not-to-be-missed date in our family diary – the artistry, care and energy that goes into creating this breathtaking, heartwarming experience. It’s a chance to reconnect with the glorious gift that is the natural world."

Kew Wakehurst Director Susan Raikes said: "An event of this scale is only made possible through the vision, care and passion that our artists and volunteers bring to create this spectacular winter trail. We are delighted and deeply honoured that our Ambassador Cate Blanchett is narrating Glow Wild alongside this remarkable group of legendary actors, whose voices will bring Kew Wakehurst’s conservation work to life for tens of thousands of visitors".

Kew Wakehurst is a wild botanic garden and living laboratory in Sussex, and home to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank (MSB), the world's largest store of seeds from wild plant species. In celebration of the MSB’s 25th anniversary in 2025, Cate joined His Majesty The King in conversation for Kew’s podcast, Unearthed: The Need for Seeds, to discuss the MSB’s achievements and the conservation work taking place around the world.

Glow Wild runs from 26 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. Tickets are on sale now at kew.org/glowwild.