Hundreds of traditional Chinese lanterns are lighting up the sprawling gardens of London's Chiswick House and Gardens to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year.

The Magical Lantern Festival opened on Thursday and runs through Feb 26. It focuses on the Silk Road, a network of trade routes connecting China with the West that expanded on Wednesday with the arrival in London of the first China-to-Britain freight train.

Around 1,500 lanterns replicate the journey along the ancient Silk Road, with illuminated models of Rome's Colosseum, the Egyptian pyramids and a Tang Dynasty (618-907) palace.

The decorations, using 60,000 light bulbs, also incorporate figures associated with the Middle East, including camels and the characters Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie from the Disney film Aladdin.

The festival of light and color uses traditional lanterns as well as modern technology, including virtual reality.

London's official Lunar New Year celebrations will take place in Trafalgar Square on Jan 29, when tens of thousands of people are expected to fill the iconic landmark.

This year will be the Year of the Rooster, one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.