Arts & Culture
Get ready for Devizes Festival Fortnight!

Taking place from Sunday August 20 - Saturday 2 September,  the two-week celebration is an array of fantastic outdoor events.

Kicking things off at Hillworth Park on Sunday 20 August, the Picnic In The Park will be a chance to relax outside with great music, chilled out family entertainment and copious refreshments.

There will also be a chance to take part in a workshop designed to get you in the mood for the Carnival.

Dee Moxon will be returning after the success of Paisley the Cow and the Carnival Development workshops held earlier in the year to help people make a Peacock headdress out of a collage of canvas, print and sequins. And Rachel Merritt will also be decorating the famous DOCA elephant head - come along and give her a hand!

The Devizes International Street Festival on 27-28 August welcomes some of the best street performers, contemporary circus acts, dancers, musicians and walkabout shows from Europe and the UK.

There will also be a Festival Market, where visitors can find an array of delicious food and drinks, licensed bars, and crafts available from festival stalls.

The Confetti Battle takes place on Wednesday 30 August.

This traditional event dates back to 1955 when it was started by Jim Jennings.

Expect to get ‘attacked’ by complete strangers throwing paper! As the confetti runs out and dusk falls, a firework display rounds off the evening. There’s also a Jennings fairground in the Market Place.

Also on Wednesday 30 August, volunteers can take part in the Annual Colour Run.

Come along and get pelted with paint. Runners start at the Green Lane NHS Treatment Centre, through Drew’s Pond and Hillworth Park, finally finishing at the Market Place for the big Confetti Battle!

All entrants are asked for a £15 donation which will help DOCA continue producing high-quality and fun events such as the Street Festival, the Carnival, and hopefully, bring the Colour rush back in 2018. As part of this donation all runners will get a souvenir T-shirt to run in and a bottle of water awaiting you at the finish.

At the end of the fortnight, Devizes comes alive with a carnival. Leaving The Green at 6pm, the Devizes carnival procession features vibrant walking groups and thousands of people lining the streets. This year the Carnival will be joined by the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band and the Wessex Military Band.

Carnival is the culmination of masses of hard work on the part of the participants. This year, it will take on the theme of India to celebrate 70 years of independence.

DOCA works with people in Devizes and across Wiltshire to present professional outdoor arts experiences in the streets, towns, villages and landscapes of the county.