What to expect from this year's Enchanted Forest Luminara show

What doesn’t change are the towering trees, many Scots pine - the sharp, clean smell of the needles in the air - and the wildlife in the water and woods around the crowds that visit every October and November. Years gone by have seen the visitors transported to the wonders of space, looked deep into the ocean and turned the woods into a mystical folklore universe.

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This year’s Lumiara theme is staying closer to home and focusing on the connectedness of nature and its living network, and includes the event’s first ever fully immersive panoramic moment. The Pulse of Luminara is a choreographed, synchronised light and sound spectacle that sweeps across the entire forest and every installation, uniting thousands of visitors in a shared experience.

There’s a clear link from nature to technology, with many of the light displays showing these literally intertwining, with ethereal fibre optic lights draped and hanging in the trees. This year’s installations are more immersive than previous years, with visitors able to wave at larger than life flowers to open them up; tap whisky barrels to hear and see how they’re connected to trees and change the colour of brightly lit orbs.

The path follows the fading living network with visitors encouraged to play their part in rekindling its light through these immersive installations, soundscapes and storytelling. It’s a stunning visual representation of our need to reconnect with nature, and how we, and technology, can thrive together with our natural world.

The first big installation on the route is Nexus, a creation by Dan Sutherland, associate dean of Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. It is a floating network of illuminated fibres and orbs suspended high between the trees. Combining cutting-edge design with immersive 360 degree audio to create a gravity-defying spectacle that draws you directly into the show’s story, visitors are invited to enter the network and look up through a pulsing structure of light and sound.

The well known Faskally Wood landmark, The Boathouse, has been reimagined as a digital beehive, Nectaropolis, buzzing with honeycomb lights and huge chicken wire bees. Reignite, a large, floating digital bonfire, is one of the last installations on the walk with towering bursts of light in gold, blue and orange erupting like flames.

Nela Popovic, CEO of The Enchanted Forest Community Trust, said: “Luminara is more than a show, it’s a celebration of connection, between people, between technology and nature, and between this event and the community it calls home.

“Every year we set out to be bolder in our creativity and this year we’re bringing an experience to Scotland that has never been seen before, and which is as technically challenging as it is stunning. The forest-wide spectacle is a unifying heartbeat of sound and light that will leave audiences in awe; it is not to be missed. The Enchanted Forest is not just about a magical time in the forest; it’s also about legacy.

“Every ticket sold helps us to reinvest back into Highland Perthshire, and over the last decade we’ve channelled more than half a million pounds into charities operating in Highland Perthshire and local projects. This makes Luminara, the giver of light, both a meaningful and creative event, one which is firmly rooted in supporting the essence of our world: community.”

We wandered a bit slower this year, really taking it all in - including the huge trees that every year provide the backdrop for this magical, serene space that comes alive with lights and sound. Luminara is an immersive reminder to enjoy them, no matter what the time of year.

This year’s show will run until 2 November and tickets, while selling quickly, are still available. To find out more information, or to book, please visit the Enchanted Forest website.