Husband and wife duo move from LA to Northamptonshire to launch never-seen-before light trail
A husband and wife duo have moved from Los Angeles to Northamptonshire to launch a never-seen-before nighttime light trail on the grounds of a well-renowned country house.
Emma and Mason Vidaurri run Figment Creative Works, which they launched when they arrived in the county at the start of 2025, and they are the two-person team behind Forest of Secrets.
The pair moved from America, where Emma worked in the film industry and Mason worked in theme park entertainment. Over the past year, they have combined those backgrounds to design and build Forest of Secrets.
The experience brings an enchanted woodland to life through spectacular lighting, sound, animatronics and interactive moments, all created by hand.
It has been designed for families, friends and visitors of all ages to escape the everyday, experience the extraordinary and leave with happy memories.
The trail will run at Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens from October 31 until January 2, with themed seasonal food, drinks and treats from the award-winning Portfolio Events catering available to enjoy.
Emma, originally from Northamptonshire, moved to America when she was 18 years old and fresh out of school. She met Mason, from California, while she was over there and they now reside in Earls Barton, which is the first time Mason has lived in England.
“We felt we had something to offer this community with our trail,” Emma told the Chronicle & Echo. “We’ve worked on so many creative projects but they’ve always been someone else’s vision, and this was the natural place to bring our vision. This county has amazing seasons, heritage sites and I missed home.
“We’ve been collecting tech and lights for the past couple of years after we started talking about the project in Covid and shipped it all over. We’ve always wanted to do our own thing and have the freedom to pour into our own art with the money we’ve saved.”
Emma described Figment Creative Works as a business that creates immersive experiences and artwork all year round, with varying aspects to it including animatronics and lighting installations.
“This is the first big project just the two of us and the beginning of it,” Emma continued. “We’ll have great offerings with light trails and seasonal entertainment, which combine story, visual wonder and interaction. It won’t just be lights, there will be animatronic characters and installations to engage with. We want to bring the magic.”
When asked how Forest of Secrets came about as a concept, Emma said: “We went on long walks in Covid when there was nothing to do and I got more and more creative.
“I made fairy houses from recycled materials and said to Mason about how cool it would be to have these on a trail. We kept building and adapting, and started reaching out to local heritage sites with woodland at the start of this year.”
Forest of Secrets will be open at Kelmarsh Hall & Gardens from Thursdays to Sundays from 4pm until 9pm, and it will be open more throughout the week during the Christmas school holidays.
Tickets are split across off-peak, standard and peak days, with adult tickets starting at £21.50, children aged four-to-16 starting at £14.50 and concessions starting at £20.50. A family ticket for two adults and two children starts at £57.50 and carers enter for free. There is also 15 percent off for group bookings of 15 or more people.
“We want to keep creating amazing projects, bring magic into ordinary lives and bring people together,” Emma concluded.