Christmas Light Trail for Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
- Buyer
- Hampshire County Council
- Value
- £15,000,000
- Closes
- 30 October 2026
- Where
- Winchester, the South East
- Type
- Open tender
In plain English
Hampshire County Council wants a company to design, build, and run an illuminated Christmas light trail through Sir Harold Hillier Gardens for 6 weeks each winter. The successful bidder will operate this event for 10 years, handle all ticketing, staffing, marketing, and catering, and aim to attract 90,000 visitors per season.
What the buyer wants
• Design and install a high-quality outdoor illuminated light trail that showcases the Gardens in the evening and creates an immersive visitor experience • Manage all aspects of event delivery including e-ticketing, marketing, staffing, security, health and safety compliance, parking arrangements, and catering • Work collaboratively with the Gardens' team to ensure the event aligns with their charitable mission and respects the Grade II listed landscape setting • Target year-on-year growth in visitor numbers towards 90,000 annual visitors over the 10-year contract period
Likely requirements
Our reading of the notice. Always check the tender documents.
This contract is only realistic for large, well-established event management companies with significant capital, insurance, and operational experience; most small independent traders will lack the scale, systems, and financial capacity to deliver a 10-year concession managing 90,000 annual visitors across ticketing, catering, security, and marketing.
How to bid
This is an open tender: any eligible business can respond directly to the buyer by the deadline, with no framework membership needed.
How to write a tender response
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