MORE than 38,000 people witnessed an incredible festive lantern festival across 12 nights.

Wakehurst’s annual Glow Wild event ended on Sunday with record attendance figures.

Various light shows and lanterns were placed around the ground.

Pictured is Russell Croft, senior arborist at Wakehurst.

He was tasked with keeping the hundreds of candles alight in the so-called River of Fire.

Russell topped up the candles with vegetable wax up to three times each evening to keep them burning brightly.

He said: “I did have soggy feet every night. It’s funny how every pair of boots I put on were a little bit too short.”

Guests also got to enjoy the tallest living Christmas tree in England, which stands at 37 metres and is decorated with 1,800 LED lights.

The house was lit up with a special projection which shows the roots of trees running up the sides of the walls.

For more details visit kew.org/wakehurst.