In November 2025, we launched the Fun Palaces Maker Network:
a space for the people who make Fun Palaces to have more say in the campaign’s future.
Here’s what happened at our first meeting in Blackburn, and how to join us at the next ones this summer.
In November 2025 we had our first meeting of the Fun Palaces Maker Network. If you’ve made a Fun Palace (or are planning to): the network is yours – it really is.
After focus groups and surveys with Fun Palaces Makers, the next step was clear – to find regular ways for makers to have more say and more control over what happens in Fun Palaces and where we take the campaign next.
We’ve had two meetings so far – below is a summary of what we got up to in our first, followed by our upcoming meetings and how you can join in.
Fun Palaces Maker Network
Meeting One: Blackburn (November 2025)
What we covered:
A brief Fun Palaces History
We kicked off by bringing everyone up to speed with a bit of Fun Palaces history. Did you know that the original idea came from the 1960s? The theatre director Joan Littlewood had a vision for an actual building called a Fun Palace, that she described as ‘a laboratory of fun’ and a university of the streets. That never got built, but in 2014 (initiated by theatre-maker and author Stella Duffy) loads of us got involved and made our own versions of Fun Palaces to mark Joan’s centenary. And 12 years later, we’re still going strong! You can read about Joan Littlewood in more depth here.
What is Cultural Democracy?
Fun Palaces is a campaign for cultural democracy; the idea that everyone should have a say in what counts as culture, where it happens, who gets to make it and who gets to participate. The word culture can be a tricky word and mean different things to different people – so we spent some time talking about these words and the phrase ‘cultural democracy’ and how we have experienced it in our own lives and Fun Palace making.
Changing the world with Fun Palaces
Part of our work over the next four years is to think about how the action of Fun Palace making might lead to us making positive change in our communities and beyond.
In the afternoon, we had a session held by past Fun Palaces Maker Kathryn Welch – who got us all thinking about positive futures for our communities, and what those may look like. Kathryn captured and shared some of these following the meeting.
- A sense of permission for everyone to make positive change in their place.
- A reclaiming.
- As encompassing joy (“the sound of birdsong, bees, laughter”), and also space for sadness and grief.
- With activity and change at the right speed – not too fast and not too slow.
- Fallow times for rest and recovery.
- With the opportunity for choice – recognising that there’s no one answer that suits everyone.
- A sense of locality, seasonality, place. Listening to each other, empathy and understanding, and also space for healthy discussion and constructive disagreement.
- Space for positive silences.
- The stories we tell ourselves (and each other) – celebrating positive action and good news stories, creating spaces for hope, optimism and possibility.
We then went on to create positive news stories and headlines that would demonstrate we were on the right track with this.
This was the first session to open up conversations around how Fun Palaces might play a part in changing systems and policies that will make participating in community-led culture more accessible to more people. It’s also an exploration into how we can all have more say in shaping the future of the places in which we live.
The little magic moments (as told by Amie)
A glorious ribbon hat made with love and worn with pride, a walk around Blackburn to see the street art, a newspaper making activity that felt a bit like being back at school in a good way (I wasn’t always a fan of school), the little chats around the tea trolley in the Bureau Blackburn cafe.
Our next two meetings are taking place over the summer, and you’re invited:
Who can come?
These meetings are for you if any of the following apply:
- I have made a Fun Palace
- I was a Fun Palaces Ambassador
- I work in the culture and/or community sector
If none of these apply to you, these first few meetings aren’t for you just yet (they’re focused on the experiences of people making Fun Palaces and working in the community and culture sectors.)
What does it cost?
We want money to be no barrier to attending. There are three options:
Paid spaces (limited): If you’re a freelancer or volunteer — not attending as part of a salaried role — we have a small number of spaces where we’ll cover a day rate, travel, and accommodation. These are limited, so book early.
Unpaid spaces: If you’re able to attend as part of your salaried role, these spaces are free. We can help with some travel costs if your organisation can’t cover them.
Funded spaces (£180): If you’re in a funded culture or community sector organisation, paying £180 for your space helps support the network and fund places for those working in the grassroots.
Not sure which option fits you? Email amie@funpalaces.co.uk and we can chat by email or set up a call.