‘Culture’ is one of those words that can feel heavy or confusing. It sounds like something that happens in grand theatres, hushed galleries, or prestigious museums. But at Fun Palaces, we believe culture is much closer to home. It’s on your doorstep, in your library, across garden fences, right there on your balcony or in your home.
Our new campaign, Culture: It’s What We Make, is an invitation to redefine the word entirely – in true Fun Palaces style. Because culture isn’t just something we attend or consume: it’s how we live, and how we choose to gather. It’s about how we experience the world, and how we live and belong in it.
Culture lives in our actions and our memories. In the food we cook, the music we listen to, the games we play, the traditions we pass on, the way we protest. And culture is always evolving because it’s shaped by the people and communities who live it.
We all make culture: it’s made in the everyday moments we share, random or organised, and Fun Palaces is all about cultural democracy. So we’re spotlighting your stories as Makers.
What is Cultural Democracy?
If cultural democracy sounds like a mouthful, think of it this way: it’s the idea that EVERYONE gets to decide what counts as culture.
It’s not a ‘top-down’ delivery where experts tell you what is art and culture. Instead, it’s a ‘bottom-up’ celebration where you decide what matters. It’s about who makes it, where it happens, and who gets to experience it. Culture definitely doesn’t have to be perfect – often it’s better when it’s not. And when we choose connection over perfection, we aren’t just making, we are participating in democracy, community and culture.
The Genius in Everyone
This isn’t a new idea. It started in the 1960s with theatre director Joan Littlewood and architect Cedric Price. They imagined a Fun Palace as a building with no fixed programme but a space shaped entirely by whoever walked through the door.
The original design said:
The building was never built, but the idea proved unstoppable. Today, thousands of small (or big), temporary, and often wonderfully messy Fun Palaces pop up across the UK and beyond. As Joan Littlewood said: “I do really believe in the community. I really do believe in the genius in every person. And I’ve heard that greatness come out of them, that great thing which is in people.”To help bring everyone’s genius to the forefront, over the years, Fun Palaces has been built around three radical ideas:
1. Secret Skills
Everyone has a secret skill. Your ‘Secret Skill’ isn’t your job. It’s the thing you love doing, and maybe the thing people call you for advice on. Whether it’s singing karaoke, leading a local walk, or carving sculptures out of vegetables, The Fun Palaces weekend is an opportunity to share it. Sharing a skill is an act of generosity that weaves a community together.
As Fun Palaces’ Producer Rachel Attfield states in her blog on ‘Communities – How Culture Connects Us: “Coming together through creative and cultural events has demonstrated time and time again that one of the most valuable ways to connect is sharing what we love with others.”
Margate ARK Fun Palace 2025
2. Radical Fun
Can fun change the world? Of course! Radical Fun is the belief that when we come together to create joy, we strengthen our bonds. If a community can organise a Fun Palace together, they can also campaign for the other things they need. Fun is the foundation of collective power.
In a Fun Palace, play is never trivial. It is a rehearsal for a better way of being together. It’s a low-risk space to experiment with your voice, to lead for the first time, or to listen to someone you’d usually walk past.
As I’ve explored in a blog about Fun Becoming a Force for Social Change: “The simplicity of ‘fun’ becomes a gateway to healing, empowerment, and belonging by helping people feel more connected, make friends, and get to know their local area better.”
3. Creative Riots
Protest doesn’t always have to look one way. Creative Riots is our strand of work that invites people to find imaginative ways to speak up and stand out. It’s about using our creativity to challenge the status quo, whether as a one-off activity or as part of a larger celebration.
From mini cardboard placards to embroidered protest fabrics, messages on stones to community blankets, and protest songs to stained glass solidarity, and more, we’ve explored lots of creative ways to use your voice.
We’ve also analysed what communities are crying out for: “Over the past few years, we’ve gathered hundreds of these mini-banners, each a snapshot of what matters most in local lives.” You can read more about this here.
Create Culture
Fun Palaces is all about community and culture, and when communities come together and create cultural opportunities, this can break down barriers and help create change further down the line.
“When someone who doesn’t see themselves as ‘creative’ teaches a neighbour how to repair a bike, sew a button, or write a poem, something shifts. Confidence grows and power moves. That is inherently political.” You can read more about this in Fun Palaces’ Executive Producer, Orla’s blog on ‘The Politics of Play in Everyday Life’.
So, get involved! Every year, during the Fun Palaces Weekend (2 – 4 October 2026), we see the “ripples” of these moments last for weeks, months, and years.
Culture: It’s What We Make aims to spotlight the stories of Fun Palaces’ Makers: people just like you. Because culture doesn’t belong to the institutions; it belongs to all of us.
Are you a Maker? Whether you’re a knitter, a bike-fixer, a community-starter or skilled in other ways, we want to hear from you.
Email Ria on ria@funpalaces.co.uk, and let’s talk about how we can share your Maker Story.