Anticipation is building for Stroud’s annual Festival of Wonder, held in St Laurence Church: a celebration designed to help recapture a sense of awe and wonder of God’s creation, bringing light, cheer and wonder to the darkness of winter.
Now in its 4th year, the festival will run from 21 to 23 November, bringing together both professional and amateur performances of music, drama, comedy, and circus. There will also be workshops, children’s activities, a creche, a reflective space, the famous Wall of Wonder, food, warmth, and community.
Almost all the events are free and suitable for all ages.
Bryan Court, chair of the Festival of Wonder operations team, said:
“The festival is a free gift to our community and the ethos behind it is to encourage a reimagining of what Church could be like, and certainly how the church building might be used to the benefit the whole community. Unfortunately, a lot of people consider church buildings as dark and fairly unfriendly spaces – somewhere you go for funerals or weddings, and often where fund raising is a predominant feature. Our hope is the festival will challenge some of these misconceptions and may just spark in some people the beginning of a journey of faith.
“So, at the Festival of Wonder, we have a high trapeze frame in the church on which the aerial artists will perform . The idea is to encourage people to come in and look up into the beautiful space of the town centre church. We’re not looking to preach to people, rather to open their hearts and their minds to the wonder of God and His creation and all that He does for us.
“The aerial show, which is really the centre piece of the circus performance, will have people performing up in the height of the church. It’s very exciting and it really does encourage people to view the church in a fresh way.”
The storyline this year is based on the parable of the Pearl of Great Price, a Bible story in which a merchant sacrifices everything he owns to buy the pearl – it symbolises the pricelessness of the Kingdom of Heaven.
One key aspect of the festival is inclusivity. There are two free Relaxed Performances, tailored specifically for people with additional needs. Bryan said:
“For these two shows, the circus performance is adjusted in a way that makes it accessible to those whose needs are special, whether it be a physical disability or a neurodiverse factor where sometimes just the sheer excitement of being in a crowded place can be overwhelming. That’s been very key to us, to try and bring the church to a group of people who would normally not find it accessible. For example, last year a parent asked if their son could sit without anybody behind him. So, we created a special seating area for him, but he was still able to see. Their level of appreciation for that degree of consideration made it all worthwhile.”
Throughout the weekend’s professional and community performances, there will be a team of chaplains and a quiet space so that people can reflect on all they have seen and experienced.
Festival of Wonder is a partner of the Diocese of Gloucester – the organisation has been part of the Diocesan 10:10 Circle, building on our partnerships within the diocese, sharing skills and expertise, and receiving support from other partners.
Kathryn Warner, Diocesan Mission and Pastoral Officer, said: “Festival of Wonder is very grateful for the funding they’ve received from the Diocesan LIFE Together Fund, to both invest in delivering this year’s event, and in developing opportunities to grow and develop over the coming years, in partnership with colleagues across the Diocese. They have also received funding from Sylvanus Lysons towards this year’s event.”
Throughout the weekend’s professional and community performances, there is a team of pastors and quiet reflective space so that people can make sense of all that they have seen and experienced.
→ Visit the Festival of Wonder website
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