A family-fun initiative aimed to encourage creativity is set to take place in the Isle of Man in March.

‘Window Wanderland’, which has been taking place once a year in certain parts of the UK since 2015, sees home-owners turning their windows or gardens into displays of creativity, forming a trail for the local community to explore.

The goal is to create family-friendly displays that anyone can enjoy, whether that be through a string of fairy lights, a living room concert or a ‘magical’ winter scene.

Window Wanderland is being brought to life as a pilot project from some members of the ‘Island Venue Network’, a collective of local arts and performance spaces who started to meet quarterly in 2023 to share knowledge, discuss challenges facing the community arts sector and collaborate on national projects.

The pilot of Window Wanderland has also been supported by a grant from the Isle of Man Arts Council.

Sarah Wilson-White, chair of the network and head of culture and arts, shared her enthusiasm for the project. She said: ‘The inaugural Manx Window Wanderland hopes to brighten the dark evenings and inspire everyone in the community.

‘They can get involved by making a display or having a wander through their street to celebrate the creativity of their neighbours.

‘I look forward to putting up my own window at home, taking my children to a local workshop and seeing what communities can create.’

The Centenary Centre in Peel, Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin, Kensington Arts in Douglas and the Villa Marina Arcade in Douglas will all be opening their doors for people to attend free workshops over February half-term (February 17 to February 21).

The Wanderland trail will then take place for three days across March 6, March 7 and March 8.

A spokesperson from the initiative said: ‘Imagine walking around your streets at night and seeing your neighbourhood in a whole new light?

‘This is a fun and heart-warming community project that started in Bristol in 2015, and it promises to be a celebration of imagination, creativity and community.

‘The project first took place on February 7, 2015 and more than 350 festivals have happened since then, with the number of communities taking part doubling each year, even internationally.

‘It is designed to bring people together in a way that is active, inclusive, beautiful and, above all, fun.

‘It is free, secular, requires no skills, is not age-dependent and is not limited by class or culture. Everyone who participates benefits from the festival. It spreads happiness and helps build a strong community.’

For more information about the event you can contact Lacey Cullen, marketing manager at VillaGaiety, at [email protected].

To register interest in displaying a window, you can visit https://www.windowwanderland.com/

For more information regarding the overall Window Wanderland project, you can contact their communications team directly at [email protected].