Organiser FAQs

Most information you need to sign up is on our Organise page. But there is an enquiry form there should you want to send it in, we will give you a ring!

Of course you can, we are glad we inspired you to brighten your neighbourhood, but please don’t use our name, films or images due to trademarks and copyrights.

Our goal is to give our resources for free, and since 2015 we have consistently applied for funding to do just that. However we have not been successful so we have no choice but to minimally charge to stay afloat. Consequently we are a tiny social enterprise and all of our time is dedicated to supporting the areas that have joined the Wanderland family.

If you have any questions about your own version of this festival you could ask one of the Wanderland organisers for advice, they are experts after all, either find them on social media or they can be contacted directly on their own pages here.

Can we respectfully request that you do not ask us directly for ideas or advice – we hate being rude but we simply don’t have capacity to answer.

We have several different Toolkit packages. Our Deluxe and Essential Toolkits give you unlimited access to images and videos. Our Listing only package means you get access to a limited number of images with our logos embedded.

The festival is for your community and it’s up to you.  If your neighbourhood would find it easier to feel safe around a theme, then it could be a good idea. We strongly recommend that you find a time that is not in competition with existing festivals, this is due to people being busy/having expectations around the artistic skill needed to make displays.

Some communities already have Christmas festivals in their areas, and create a Wanderland alongside. Some communities have chosen to hold Remembrance Day Wanderlands and tie-in with other special national festivals and holidays.

On registration (Stage 1) we will give you tips on how to gauge interest through social media, local groups and community centres, before you make the commitment to go ahead.

Potential Display makers can also register their interest on our website, which should give you an indication of interest.

Absolutely and we offer fundraising support and advice in our Toolkits.

Traditionally Wanderlands have been organised in the Winter months, but Spring and Summer trails also work really well, showing off gardens and daytime displays.

Our main message to ensure success is to give plenty (months) of engagement time and concentrate on one local walkable area.

This is up to you, but in our experience we strongly suggest a few days, at specific times in those days, over one weekend.

It depends on the type of community you live in and how you want to create the festival. We recommend you give yourself at least three months to give people time to sign-up as window makers. We provide tips on timings when you complete Stage 1 Registration.

Window Wanderland CIC is a non-profit organisation, and we need to charge a small fee for the resources we have produced. This enables us to continue our work dedicated to bringing communities together and reducing isolation.

We know being part of the wider Window Wanderland community is worth it. Our cost effective toolkits take the pain out of the tricky bits and save you having to make your own website: planning, dates, funding, making flyers, maps, signing up Windowmakers, promotion and much more.

Our GDPR compliant customisable toolkits and webpages are easy to use and have different options for different communities, so you only need to buy the most suitable one for your area.
If you create your own website you can link it to our site for free!

Our toolkit explains how to raise money through sponsorship to applying for community grants.

We also offer expert fundraising and grant application advice, so if you are a voluntary or community organisation we can help – please fill in our enquiry form

Ideas also include:

• Asking for a small donation from each window maker.
• Selling hot chocolate/cakes during the festival.
• Selling the route maps.
• Having donation buckets available on the night.

Each area and Wanderland is very different so it’s very hard to say, but in the deluxe toolkit there is a budget outline that allows you to input your local costs to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

We ask you to register as an Organiser first. This is a one-off payment that has to be made and enables you to organise as many Wanderlands as you like in future years in your registered area (subject to buying a toolkit for each festival). The registration also means that no-one else can register that area and ensures you have time to get your team and relevant funding in place.

For this you will get your area’s exclusive webpage and it will appear on our map so you can get local people interested.

Our initial planning kit will give you comprehensive advice and tips on team structure, timings and raising money to take you through to the next stages of planning your Wanderland. We’ll also give you a shout on our social media welcoming you to the Wanderland Community.

Register now

This is a non-refundable fee, but it is a one-off payment no matter how many Wanderlands you organise in the future. If you decide to postpone your Wanderland you will not have to pay again.

If you know for sure that you do not want to publish a festival let us know at support@windowwanderland.com and we will remove the area page until further notice. You can return to us for free the following year if you want.

You can do it all on the same day, just remember you need to complete the two stage processes described. If you know the date of your festival, you can even publish that on the same day as well!

We can raise an invoice but don’t do this as standard. If you need an invoice we need to make an administrative charge of £15 which will be added to your invoice. Please contact us and we can make these arrangements.

We offer three options: Deluxe toolkit, Essential toolkit and free Listing only. You can compare and contrast these options on the Organise page and choose the one that’s best for your local festival.

Wanderlands are designed to be walking trails, for a neighbourhood. If the area can’t be clearly printed on an A4 page at home, then it’s probably too big for a Wanderland and people would not get round it all. This festival is a local event, it is at it’s best when it is focused on one community.

If you want to make your Wanderland a larger festival, or split it into smaller areas across one festival, we can support this with some bespoke IT resources. If you’d like to discuss this and the costs involved please fill in our enquiry form.

Yes, we offer bespoke options including:

• Workshops-in-a-box through the post to hand out to your residents
• Online workshops
• Bespoke window displays
• Writing fundraising applications
• Over the phone advice
• Inspirational talks/local workshops for residents (out of Lockdown)

To find out more about the services available please contact us.

Wanderlands are a great opportunity for businesses and the community to work together and encourage people to enjoy their local high street. If you want to discuss how to put on specific commercial Wanderlands please fill in our enquiry form.

Contact us on support@windowwanderland.com

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