Magical Debut Swindon Winter Fest. Wet weather did not deter thousands of visitors from turning out for Swindon Winter Fest on Saturday 22nd November. The positive feedback on the inaugural event has overwhelmed the organisers, amongst widespread calls for the new festival to return next week.
A range of creative activities
Families particularly enjoyed the range of free creative activities on offer. They ranged from festive gingerbread decorating, to learning poi performance, to contributing lines to a collaborative poem.
Another highlight was the transformation of a vacant former Argos store at 19 Canal Walk. It became a dazzling display of soft, glowing lanterns, all handmade by local people.
Involved in creating the enchanting collaborative display were:
- Local artists
- Swindon school children
- Care home residents
- Community groups and families
They all got busy making lanterns in the form of toadstools, pine trees and stars. All of which transformed the vacant unit at the Brunel on Canal Walk into magical lantern event.
Hundreds of visitors crafted their own paper-bag luminaries. They then added them to the display, helping the lantern forest shine brighter throughout the day.
By popular request, organisers have announced that the Magical Lantern Forest will also open to visitors on:
- Saturday 29th and
- Sunday 30th November from 10am-4pm.
Swindon Culture Collective
Louise Halliday, from Swindon Culture Collective, said:
‘It’s been wonderful to see local artists and the people of Swindon come together to make something so special. It’s such a joyful antidote to the pressures that people can feel at this time of year. We’ve learned a lot from the event. We’re looking forward to working with the community to build on its successes for next year. In the meantime, we can’t wait to welcome more people this weekend for a last chance to see the Magical Lantern Forest!’
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, added: ‘The town centre buzzed with people and activities last weekend. It was a pleasure to see people respond to the magical lantern trail and the beautiful creations of local artists.
A massive thanks to the Swindon Culture Collective and our other partners for putting on this wonderful event. I can’t wait to see what other brilliant stuff happens in 2026.
‘There are still plenty of things happening across Swindon in December so be sure to keep an eye out on social media to see what’s coming up.’
Families can also continue to join in with the panto-inspired Muddles’ gingerbread trail. Collect a free trail map from Swindon Hub before the 22 December and hunt out decorated characters hidden in local business windows.
Supported by Art’s Council England’s National Lottery Place Partnership fund, Winter Fest is a partnership between:
- Swindon Culture Collective
- Swindon Borough Council
- Wyvern Theatre
- Artsite
- Gel Studios, and Prime Theatre, along with artists drawn from across the town.
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