ANIMAL lovers will be in their element at Longleat’s third Festival of Light, which has a theme of Beatrix Potter characters, and will open to the public tomorrow.

Giant illuminated versions of Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and Squirrel Nutkin are among thousands of Chinese lanterns being lit up at Longleat.

The much-loved children’s characters will feature in a series of scenes recreating famous episodes from Beatrix Potter’s favourite stories to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.

The figures have been handmade by a team of artists from Zigong in China’s Sichuan province.

Among the highlights are tableaux of Peter Rabbit’s close encounter with Mr McGregor, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle putting out her washing and Jemima Puddle-Duck looking after her ducklings.

Jeremy Fisher’s lucky escape from a gigantic trout has been recreated on Longleat lake with Squirrel Nutkin’s ill-fated rowing trip to collect acorns on Old Brown’s Owl Island.

The displays will also feature the star of her newly-discovered story, The Tale of Kitty in Boots.

There is also a trio of huge porcelain elephants created from tens of thousands of Chinese plates, bowls, cups and spoons.

Other highlights include a 20-metre-tall birthday cake to celebrate 50 years of Longleat and a group of its infamous monkeys dismantling a car.

The event will feature more than 25,000 individual lights, 20km of silk, more than 30,000 bulbs and over 4km of LED lighting.

The Festival of Light will run alongside the traditional Christmas celebrations which include Santa trains, a new enchanted animated musical Christmas tree and Arctic Corner-themed play zone for children, where they can slide down icebergs like penguins and step inside a life-sized snow globe, plus a special exhibition featuring costumes from the 1971 Royal Opera House ballet production of The Tales of Beatrix Potter.

The Festival of Light opens Fridays to Sundays from November 11 to November 27 and then daily from December 1 to January 2 (excluding Christmas Day).