Trees arch overhead in vibrant shades of red and blue; branches of others stretch silvery blue across the night sky and patterns swirl underfoot.

We've already been plunged from darkness into a whirl of colour and sound and now everywhere we turn throws up some sparkling glimpse of what lies in wait as we make our way around Northern Lights in Leazes Park. This is the much-talked-about new festive light trail - a first for Newcastle - which has now opened for a run lasting until January 1, with tickets selling fast.

And, in a nutshell, it's a stunner. The trail starts at the city park's Barrack Road entrance and the first thing we see is a Christmas Village with a range of street food outlets, a big bar with seating and fairground rides where families are milling around.

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It's here that the trail both sets off and ends following a mile-long, fully accessible route which weaves its way throughout the park, taking in 14 illuminations with stop-offs available along the way for the likes of hot drinks and marshmallow-toasting. There are various time slots to book and on my Friday night visit it was busy and buzzing.

Phones were at the ready to capture images of the illuminations ahead, which have lovely names like Christmas Twist - a tunnel of lights you walk through as colours change all around - and Will O The Wisps which rise from the ground like ethereal blue entities. Those brilliantly bright trees make up Electric Avenue and we also pass Luminary Lane with its projections of beautiful images which have been designed by youngsters from the Royal Victoria Infirmary's children's ward.

But photographs can't really do justice to what is an immersive experience. It's dark between the illuminations which makes each one seem to spring up suddenly, which adds to the atmosphere.

I was keeping a lookout for Aurora Rising, the centrepiece illumination - and the biggest - which I'd heard was made up of hundreds of coloured balls floating on the lake. And I find the lake at night totally transformed.

You can't see the water and it could just as easily be a sheet of black that is holding up the mass of orbs - whose shapes look different as they merge with their reflections - and it's quite mesmerising as their colours change, synchronised to music. But it's The Laser Garden to come that leaves the biggest impression.

Flashing laser lights won't be for everyone and there's an alternative 'escape' route you can take if you want to miss this one out but it turns out to be my favourite of all and it totally encompasses you as you walk through and amongst it.

I was transfixed by the bright green lasers which keep switching directions and some look so substantial you find yourself subconsciously moving aside or lifting a foot to step over one. It's totally disorientating but I loved it.

Just as lovely are the lights among them - like snowflakes or stars - that fall from the trees around us. My second favourite find comes just before the end of a trail where two trees dazzle in rainbow colours. I hear the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow as I approach - and, yes, it turns out this is called End of the Rainbow and it is indeed an absolute treasure, where the scene soon shifts to other patterns covering the tree trunks followed by silvery tips to the branches that light up their ends like suspended stars.

If you're looking for a real Christmas treat to enjoy in Newcastle then this immersive experience ticks the box. There's sound all around - original pieces of music to accompany the changing attractions, from hanging lanterns to giant illuminated letters that spell out the words 'we're all made of stardust'. And as a backdrop to it all is St James' Park which I used a few times to help me get my bearings.

It ends where it began and my advice for anyone going along would be to take your time along the route. The rough time estimate given is 90 minutes but it's easy to be swept along with others or to pick up pace - especially if it's cold - to see what comes next.

There are plenty of places to pause, take those photos and grab a coffee and it is all one way so it might not be easy to double back if you think you wanted a last look at something. It's all beautifully done and makes our well-known park suddenly unfamiliar, creating areas you don't recognise and plenty of surprises so you never know what's coming next.

See more images of Northern Lights here and find booking information here.