Light Up Cheltenham

We were invited to attend the Light Up Cheltenham Launch Evening by Visit Cheltenham, back for its third year this free event will see some of Cheltenham’s most famous buildings lit up in spectacular fashion.

Disclosure – We received complementary food and drink at Bar Padron, a cocktail at the imperial gardens bar, a ride on the observation wheel and a guided walking tour in exchange for this blog post and social media coverage, however all of our opinions are our own.

Our Light up Cheltenham day started off with a short bus journey from Gloucester to Cheltenham dropping us off at the promenade. We were told to head for Bar Padron a tapas restaurant in Regents street to meet the Visit Cheltenham team. This is the first time we’ve been asked to help promote a local event, and we must admit we were feeling a tad nervous but Lisa from the marketing Cheltenham team immediately put our minds at ease with a wonderfully warm welcome.

Lisa introduced us to the visit Cheltenham team and told us to help ourselves to a drink and the tapas that was being served which we have to say was so delicious, we will definitely be back to Bar Padron for a meal that’s for sure. It’s strange that we travel all over the world but rarely go to events that are on our doorstep so this year we intend for that to change.

It was then time to make our way to the Brewery Quarter for the start of the Light Up Cheltenham parade.

There was a massive turn out for Spark! a five piece band that specialise in drumming and spectacular colour, they really were amazing and interacted with the audience as well as any thing we have previously seen. Sadly this is the only time they will be performing at the event but judging by the crowds reaction we are sure they will be back.

After a short performance Spark! then lead the crowd through the streets of Cheltenham to the Imperial gardens where the 35 metre high observation wheel was situated. This also gave us the first opportunity to see the Queens Hotel lit up and it looked superb!

We were then treated to a to special cocktail that had been invented for the event at the Imperial Gardens Bar and it was delicious, and pretty strong too!

The saying goes you’re never too old to learn something new, so when we were given the opportunity to go on a walking tour around Cheltenham we jumped at it. The tour was conducted by Sean from Offbeat Cotswolds and it was both entertaining and educational. Who knew that the famous composer Gustav Holst of the Planets fame was born in Cheltenham, or that the fountain in front of the municipal building is copied from a part of the Trevi fountain in Rome, we certainly didn’t.

With our brains now bursting with new information that we couldn’t wait to share with anybody that would listen, the time had finally come for Carole to face her fears. It was time for the observation wheel.

Carole’s fear of heights stretches back to about 15 years ago when we were half way up a giant water slide and panic just set in, she then had to descend the stairs backwards on her hands and knees. There have been other episodes over the years so for her to even contemplate going on the observation wheel really was a big deal. However, she did it and it was the perfect end to a great day out. Make sure you watch the video below!

With great views across the Cheltenham skyline, the observational wheel is definitely worth a go. Prices are £6 for adults and £5 for children under 1.4 metres. family tickets are also available but make sure you wrap up warm as it can be very cold at the top.

This is an excellent free event for all the family and we would highly recommend it. The event will be on until the 23rd February and the Observation Wheel will be open every day.

We had a great evening in Cheltenham and if you want to see a very nervous Carole 35 metres high then we recommend you watch our video here too!

For more information about Cheltenham check out our restaurant reviews here and our Reasons to visit Cheltenham Videos –

Marinades Caribbean Restaurant

Turtle Bay Restaurant

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