Light Up Cheltenham offers the chance to reveal fascinating hidden stories

From Regency spas to little-known boarding houses, Light Up Cheltenham’s specially curated guided tour is set to reveal the hidden stories of a fascinating town.

Light Up Cheltenham, which is run by Cheltenham BID, will return on Saturday 1 February and will see 30+ landmark buildings dramatically lit up, including Grade II listed Queens Hotel and The Ivy Brasserie.

For the first time during this event, visitors will be able to join a professionally-led guided tour to find out more about these and many more buildings, giving the opportunity to learn who passed through the many recognisable buildings throughout history.

With tours running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Light Up Cheltenham’s launch on 1 February until Sunday 23 February, there will be plenty of opportunity to soak up the history of Cheltenham whilst enjoying the spectacle of the town’s dramatic lights. 

The tour, which will take an hour and a half, will begin at the Queens Hotel and will take visitors through Cheltenham stopping at well-known spots including Neptune’s Fountain on the Promenade and The Brewery Quarter. The tour will also tell the interesting history of some surprising locations including the buildings currently occupied by White Stuff and Pizza Express.

The tours, which will be operated by local Blue Badge tourist guides in association with Marketing Cheltenham, will be £12 per person with under 5’s going for free. Tickets can be purchased from the Tourist Information Centre or online here.  

This year’s Light Up Cheltenham will also see the return of the ever popular observation wheel, giving visitors the opportunity to see the lights from another angle. For full details including prices and times click here - Light Up Cheltenham observation wheel. 

As well as the wheel, the event will have a self-guided tour map available at numerous town centre shops and restaurants and available below to download. 

Follow the self guided tour: Click on the images below to download the PDF of the self guided tour.

With the event running throughout February half term, this gives families the perfect opportunity to soak up the atmosphere, delight in the lights and find out a little more about the buildings, all for free.

The launch event on 1 February, will witness the return of the incredible street-entertainment group, Spark! who proved a huge success in the previous year. With the town expecting thousands of spectators, the launch is something not to be missed. It will begin at The Brewery Quarter at 5.15pm and will eventually lead crowds to the observation wheel in Imperial Gardens where the group will finish at 6.15pm.

For full details click here - Light Up Cheltenham.