Oswestry comes alive for Love Oswestry Week 2025

The six day long event brought together people of all ages for a vibrant week of arts, culture, and local pride. Running from 17th to 22nd February, this year’s festival was the biggest and best yet, with over 30 free workshops and events leading up to a spectacular finale on Saturday evening.

From drama and puppetry to music, crafting, and storytelling, the activities provided a rich programme of activities. The Oswestry Memorial Hall became a welcoming hub as the Love Oswestry Lounge, while Designs in Mind delivered free lantern-making workshops where local children created an incredible 160 lanterns to illuminate the town in style at Saturday night’s parade.

During the Saturday night finale, crowds were dazzled by the Bubble Fairies, the elegant Snow Queen, the mesmeric Owl and firebreather performances.

Oswestry’s Town Crier and Mayor Mike Isherwood joined the celebrations, with the Mayor expressing his gratitude to all who brought the festival to life:

“It was fantastic to be there on Saturday for the fourth Love Oswestry Festival— a day (and a week) full of opportunities to make, create, and so much more. I'm incredibly grateful to the Oswestry Cultural Connections group for organising everything, and to all the artists, makers, crafters, and musicians who brought it to life.

It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the day, discovering new ways to celebrate our lovely town. The highlight for me was seeing the joy on the children’s faces during the spectacular lantern parade. Let’s look forward to more special events like this, where we can truly show how much we Love Oswestry”

The success of Love Oswestry Week was made possible by the dedication of various individuals and organisations such as The Villages Project, led by Joseph Schneider and a talented group of artists, as well as musicians such as Porthywaen Silver Band who produced a memorable performance. Special thanks also go to Paul Newman from Oswestry Memorial Hall, Ruth Mills from Designs in Mind, Pam Johnson from Stage Five Theatre Group, the teams from Oswestry Library, Oswestry Borderland Tourism, Oswestry Town Council and One Oswestry, plus all the other venues and artists who hosted workshops.

Neil Peterson, Chair of Oswestry Cultural Connections, praised the event’s impact:

"A huge thanks to everyone who helped create another wonderful Love Oswestry Festival. This year was our biggest and best yet, with people singing, drumming, crafting, sharing stories and food, and so much more. It was fantastic to see the town buzzing with activity and to hear how much both participants and artists enjoyed being part of it. Oswestry truly showed how much it loves its community."

With another successful Love Oswestry week wrapped up, the organisers are looking forward to bringing future events to the town.