Photos from 175 quirky World Book Day outfits highlight 'Go All In' push ahead of March 5
Organizers and schools have been sharing a wide-ranging set of images and memories as world book day approaches on March 5, prompting a look back at 175 costume photographs of pupils and staff. The gallery, which spans recent and archival photos from multiple primary schools, matters now because the event’s theme and perks are being used to promote reading in the run-up to the March 5 date.
World Book Day theme 'Go All In' and March 5 set date
The event for this year is set for Thursday, March 5 and carries the theme 'Go All In', presented as a bid to promote the importance of reading “in a modern and fun way. ” The campaign also includes a practical incentive: youngsters will benefit from a book token to spend at participating stores. That combination — a visible celebratory theme and a redeemable token — is intended to encourage participation and book-buying ahead of the March 5 activity.
Victory Primary School images and photographer Alex Shute
Among the recent contributions are a series of photos from Victory Primary School in Portsmouth showing staff, pupils and even Buddy the dog dressed up for World Book Day 2025. The images were credited to Alex Shute. Costumes captured at Victory joined a wider regional set that featured classic characters such as Where’s Wally, Harry Potter and Dear Zoo.
Cheshire children named for creative 2025 outfits
Schools across Cheshire supplied a list of notable 2025 costumes, naming individual pupils and their characters: Kenzie Lowndes from Weaverham as Mr Bump; eight-year-old Keffran McGrath-McElhoney as Hattie Peck; eleven-year-old Louie Whittaker as Violet Beauregarde; siblings Swayze, Kismet and Kasteel Lumsden as Willy Wonka, an Oompa Loompa and Charlie Bucket; two-year-old Leo Woodward as Postman Pat; five-year-old Ava Rose Leigh as Elsa from Barnton Primary School; Darnhall Primary School student Freddie Burke, seven, as Elmer the elephant; a ten-week-old Joseph Lambert as Where’s Wally; and the Smeds and the Smoos — Daisy Smith and Freddie Lee, six, who attend Wincham Primary School.
Warrington-area archival photographs from 2005–2015
Local archives supplied historical images that stretch back more than a decade. The record includes St Pauls in Burtonwood and St Peters, Woolston; Penketh Primary photos from 2012 show pupils Kiera Gerrard, Adam Glover, Jake Parker, Taya Currie, Gabrielle Andrus, Ayesha Williams, Ryan Williams and Charlotte Downes. Woolston Community Primary School material dates to 2008. St Bridgets School in 2011 shows eight-year-old Lily Harrison and nine-year-old Daryl Richardson in a skeleton costume. Penketh Primary’s 2014 entry also captured a mad hatter tea party with Olivia Tran as Alice and Tilly Unsworth as the White Rabbit. Other entries include Statham Primary School, St Monica’s Primary School with named pupils Ryan Jervis, Emilia Manfredi, Sam Harrison, Georgia Povey, Fabienne Fisher, Raphael Tabiner, Millie Haselden, Harry Smithers and Ben Warburton, Stockton Heath Primary School, St Vincent’s Primary, Bruche Community Primary School and Ravenbank Primary in Lymm. Earlier photos from 2005 show Sean Whitehead, aged 8, at Locking Stumps Community Primary School as Captain Hook; Jade Sweeney, aged 9, at Bradshaw Primary School as Shrek; and at Newchurch Primary School pupils Amy Will, 7, Eleanor Dunston, 6, Oliver Weight, 7, and Richard Scholes, 7.
Digital subscription offer and a reminder of broader mentions
A digital subscription tied to the photo gallery is described as offering unlimited access to the website, including premium content, fewer ads, loyalty rewards and additional benefits. What makes this notable is the way the subscription pitch sits beside the community storytelling: the archive functions both as a public record and as content that drives higher engagement with the publisher’s digital services.
Kyle Pitts, Conforto and other sporting mentions
Mixed into the broader roundup were a set of sporting items unrelated to World Book Day costumes: a five-time LPGA Tour winner retired from professional golf in 2023; Conforto is said to be seeking a revival of his MLB career after declining the past five seasons; the Atlanta Falcons are planning to apply the franchise tag to tight end Kyle Pitts; the Cowboys face significant decisions before the league year begins; and the top two teams in last week’s poll both lost on Saturday, an outcome that had not happened in more than a year. These items were included alongside the costume coverage in the assembled material.
Organizers, schools and parents will now turn attention to March 5 with a large pool of costume ideas and archival images to draw on, and with the book token and 'Go All In' theme offered as incentives to keep reading at the centre of the celebration.
