Christmas Light Trail for Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
The procurement contact named on the official notice.
This is a large award for Business Services — above three-quarters of comparable contracts. Based on 57,319 valued Business Services tenders in our corpus.
Hampshire County Council publishes Business Services work continuously — 45 notices, roughly one every 67 days. This is a stream to watch, not a cycle to wait for.
75% of Hampshire County Council’s awards go to a supplier it has used before.
Which is the argument for getting on the list rather than winning this one. The incumbent is rarely the last winner — it is the roster. See the retention odds by category →
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens (SHHG) is a nationally significant arboretum located near Romsey, Hampshire, comprising approximately 180 acres and housing one of the most comprehensive collections of hardy trees and shrubs in the UK.
The Gardens are operated as a registered charitable trust, with Hampshire County Council acting as trustee and retaining responsibility for strategic oversight and governance.
Since 2021, SHHG has hosted an annual outdoor illuminated light trail with the aim of reaching a wider audience to support its charitable aims and sustained growth.
The event has been successful over the past four years, with year-on-year growth in both visitor numbers and light trail ticket sales.
The existing contract for delivery of the light trail expires on 15 January 2027.
Given the success of the light trail, SHHG is seeking a provider to continue delivering an annual high-quality outdoor illuminated light trail for public sale that shall be ticketed for the duration of 6 weeks, between the end of November and the beginning of January.
The appointed provider will be expected to design and deliver an exciting and immersive visitor experience that showcases the Gardens during evening hours, supports continued growth in visitor numbers towards a target of 90,000 visitors, and aligns with the Gardens’ charitable aims.
The Council intends to enter into a contract for a total duration of 10 years.
The service must be delivered in a manner that respects the sensitivities of a Grade II listed landscape and ensures a safe, accessible, and inclusive visitor experience.
The provider will be responsible for all aspects of event delivery, including light trail design, lighting installation, e-ticketing, marketing, and event management.
Management of the event will include provision of all required staffing and logistics necessary to deliver the trail, sourcing additional car parking if required, stewarding, security, and health and safety compliance.
The provider will also be expected to provide catering facilities at the outset of the contract.
A collaborative partnership approach will be required, with the successful provider working closely with SHHG to ensure the event aligns with the Gardens’ identity, charitable objectives and its position as part of Hampshire County Council.
The Council will charge the provider a fee of £125,000.00 per annum for use of the Council’s premises for performance of the Services, payable in instalments.
In addition, there will be an additional fee payable against all income generating ticket sales above 75,000 visitors, calculated on the basis of the per-ticket rate proposed by the provider in its tender submission.
What the notice asks for
Since 2021, SHHG has hosted an annual
Since 2021, SHHG has hosted an annual outdoor illuminated light trail with the aim of reaching a wider audience to support its charitable aims and sustained growth.
The appointed provider will be expected
The appointed provider will be expected to design and deliver an exciting and immersive visitor experience that showcases the Gardens during evening hours, supports continued growth in visitor numbers towards a target of 90,000 visitors, and aligns with the Gardens’ charitable aims.
The service must be delivered in
The service must be delivered in a manner that respects the sensitivities of a Grade II listed landscape and ensures a safe, accessible, and inclusive visitor experience.
The provider will be responsible for all
The provider will be responsible for all aspects of event delivery, including light trail design, lighting installation, e-ticketing, marketing, and event management.
Management of the event will include provision
Management of the event will include provision of all required staffing and logistics necessary to deliver the trail, sourcing additional car parking if required, stewarding, security, and health and safety compliance.
Sentences from the notice that state an obligation, surfaced automatically and shown in the order they appear. Not an exhaustive list — always confirm against the tender documents.
Make the case to bid
Reveal who to approach at Hampshire County Council, and generate a go-to-market strategy from their news, accounts and people.
Free to start. Named contacts come from published notices; the strategy is generated from the buyer’s news, accounts and people.
The full intelligence dossier
Our agent reads Hampshire County Council’s accounts, hunts live signals, finds the people who decide — and hands you a bid strategy plus a go-to-market influence plan, including what your team should post this week. You approve every paid step.
Five included while we’re in beta, and the agent asks before it spends on any paid step.
- OCID
- ocds-h6vhtk-06dc24
- Stage
- planning · Planning
- Source
- Find a Tender
- Buyer ref
- 074084-2026
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source data © Crown copyright.
Who wins this kind of work
The suppliers and buyers around this opportunity — drawn from official award data. Drag to orbit; click a node to explore.
Top suppliers & buyers in Business Services
Hampshire County Council’s tender network