A decade since founding-‘Fun Palaces’ reveal culturally rich communities

Fun Palaces 2024 (4-6 October) saw over 2,300 people organise more than 140 events across the UK with over 58,000 individuals getting involved. From knitting a giant football scarf to Jane Austen-themed dancing, stage combat skills and exploding paint bomb-making, events took place in libraries and community spaces in Lancashire from Whitworth to Lancaster, Barnoldswick to Ormskirk.

Held in the heart of local neighbourhoods, with some events spreading abroad, the year-round ‘Fun Palaces’ campaign culminated in an annual weekend of free fun. With the aim of encouraging communities to come together and be creative, to try something new and enjoy different cultural activities, around 900,000 people have taken part in more than 2,700 Fun Palaces since 2014, underlining a thirst for creativity in local communities.

Fun Palaces current Director, Amie Taylor, says: “Over the past 10 years Fun Palaces have seen incredible things happen, when local communities have come together time and time again to put on their own free, cultural events for their community, taking over venues including allotments, museums, libraries and community centres, showcasing the extraordinary talents of those already living and working locally. As the new Government points towards the arts being put back on not just the agenda but the curriculum; we also want to see communities continue to lead in terms of culture and creativity; acknowledging that everyone has something to contribute, that culture belongs to us all and commemorating all we have to offer each other now, and for the decades to come.” 

Fun Palaces were created in recognition of the influential theatre maker, Joan Littlewood, who, in the 1960s, along with architect Cedric Price, originated the idea of ‘Fun Palaces’ as somewhere open to everyone where people could celebrate the arts and sciences. Established to mark Littlewood’s centenary in 2014, the current iteration of Fun Palaces continues to support the growth of cultural democracy – ensuring that arts and sciences are widely accessible. Founder and original co-director of Fun Palaces Stella Duffy outlined at the start how Palaces should be ‘genuinely led and made by, for and with every community’.

Research shows that arts and culture have long had a fundamental value in enhancing wellbeing, developing life skills and are even credited for bringing investment and life back to local communities. Fun Palaces have made a tangible impact on communities over the last decade. In the last three years 76% of Fun Palaces Makers agreed that their event opened up new partnerships, opportunities and/or resources for their local community while 75% agreed that their Fun Palaces are helping the local area to be a better place to live.

For example:

• Lancaster Fun Palace has popped up every year since 2014 at the Lancaster Central Library. The event has been a lightning rod for local people involved with the library to connect – from volunteers, staff, the friends of Lancaster library group to others in the community. The Fun Palace events have been an opportunity for local people to share their interests and gain in confidence. For example, in 2019 the Syrian Cafe, a group of Local Syrian families, cooked a range of meat and vegetarian dishes and desserts and served them to their neighbours to share their culture.
• In Blackburn, their annual Fun Palace event is the only way for all the people using The Bureau Arts Centre at different times to meet, connect and collaborate together. In previous years, The Bureau also offered small amounts of funding for local people to join in. This encouraged new people to get involved and share their interests in a new way.

All photos: Lancashire Archives Fun Palace 2024, credit Zaberjad Iftikhar