Curiouser and curiouser: Rugby yarn bombers celebrate 160th anniversary of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland

Rugby Yarn bombers launch their first extravaganza of displays by celebrating the 160th anniversary of the first publication of Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.

Visitors can enjoy more than 30 scenes from the Alice stories as they appear in shop windows and public spaces in the town.

Expect a mad tea party, a croquet ground with grinning cat and flamingos, roses painted red, a White Rabbit or two, and even an interpretation of a lost chapter from the Through the Looking-Glass sequel.

Nearly 100 bollards will blossom with handmade roses, 40 giant playing cards will be scattered around the town, over 50 trees will don colourful coats crafted by local groups, and curious characters will peek out from unexpected places.

The quirky and charming installations invite visitors to look closer, smile more, and maybe even lose track of time. just like Alice.

Behind the scenes is a quietly humming force of some 200 local makers, brought together under the banner of Rugby Yarn Bombers.

Formed by the local natural and eco-products shop Wild and Free, the yarn bomb community was founded not for profit or publicity. Its purpose is to bring people together in a post-pandemic world that can often feel isolating.

It also aims to show how things can be shared and re-used to create something magical.

Ceri Line, the event’s lead organiser and co-owner of Wild and Free, said: “It’s about joy, really.

"Joy in making, joy in community, and joy in turning heads when someone rounds a corner and sees a nonsense sign or colourful character .”

No public money has been spent. Every metre of yarn, every pin and needle, every space for working and storage, from spare shop space to the local library, has been freely given. No one paid to take part, and no one was charged.

It’s a case study in what a town can do when ego, branding, and budgets are put to one side.

Preview exhibits will be on display in Art at the Alex in James Street as part of the Warwickshire Open Studios Summer Art Weeks, and trail maps will be

available from Wild and Free on Bank Street, from July 12.

The Rugby Yarn Bombers have other plans up their woolly sleeves with smaller events planned around Halloween, Christmas and Easter, all leading up to a much bigger event in 2027.

Follow the trail, find the characters, and share your favourite scenes with #RugbyWonderland2025, from July 12 – August 9, across Rugby town centre.