Salisbury holds first Window Wanderland
Unique illuminated art gallery takes place over four days
An unusual art display involving windows takes place in Salisbury over the next few days.
Window Wanderland sees businesses, groups, schools and residents showcase their imaginative designs.
Lights will be left on in the windows between 4.30pm 10 pm from today (4th November) until Sunday 7th to highlight the installations.
The project started in Bristol in 2015 and has been seen at other locations across the country.
It's been brought to Salisbury by the city vibrancy partnership, which is made up of Salisbury BID, Salisbury City Council and Wiltshire Creative with funding from HSBC UK and Wiltshire Council.
The Salisbury project coincides with two religious festivals - the Christian festival of All Saints and All Souls and the festival of Diwali, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and some Buddhists.
Designs for the windows draw on the themes of Diwali, Festival of Lights of triumph over darkness, happiness and positivity.
Over the last few months, Wiltshire Creative’s Take Part Programme has been holding workshops with local community groups and schools to produce many of the window decorations.
Follow the trail
A Window Wanderland leaflet, which includes a map of where to find the windows, can be downloaded from the Experience Salisbury website or picked up from the Salisbury Information Centre of Fish Row, Salisbury Arts Centre, HSBC in Minster Street and Salisbury Library.
Launch evening
The project launches tonight with a special evening of traditional dance and music from the Nepalese Society of Salisbury, as they also celebrate the start of Diwali.
The evening, which is being held at Salisbury’s Guildhall, aims to give a real insight into the local Nepalese community and culture.
There will be three performances on the night, at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm. You don’t need to book but spaces are on a first come first serve basis.
Sabita Sharma, Chairperson of the Nepalese Society of Salisbury said:
"This is the perfect time to celebrate Window Wanderland and Diwali. The festival is all about light triumphing over darkness, very much like our fight against Covid over the last couple of years. It’s going to give a positive message. It’s about victory over evil, lights colour and bringing families together.
“We are very excited to bring our culture and heritage to the people of Salisbury. During our evening of dance and music we are going to wear our traditional clothes so it’s going to be a good night.”