Wicked and Willy Wonka inspire 2025 World Book Day costumes

Wicked and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory were among the inspirations for some of this year’s World Book Day costumes.

The international event, now in its 28th year, celebrates reading and books.

Children across the UK swapped their school uniforms on Thursday to dress up as their favourite book character.

Siblings Belle Glaze, aged seven, and Eddie Glaze, aged three, from Dorset, in south-west England, dressed as Glinda, the good witch from the musical Wicked, and Blippi, a character from an educational YouTube channel.

Belle said she felt “amazing” in her costume and very “Glindafied”, while Eddie said he loved dressing up in his character’s favourite colours blue and orange.

Grace Carroll, aged six, from Wigan in Greater Manchester, dressed as Willie Wonka from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

Grace said she spent three days creating a book in a box display for school based on the Roald Dahl novel.

World Book Day was created by Unesco in 1995, and it is celebrated across more than 100 countries worldwide. The first World Book Day in the UK and Ireland took place in 1997.

World Book Day is always held on the first Thursday in March.