Author: riapatel

People around a table covered in printed photos, sorting through them during a workshop, with a laptop and cups of tea nearby.

Make a very last minute Fun Palace

If your local area isn’t currently making a Fun Palace, it’s not too late to get something going this weekend. In fact just yesterday evening someone added a 15 minute, online Fun Palace to the…

Read post
Two people leaning over an outdoor table on the grass, looking at a sheet of paper, with a vase of flowers beside them.

1000 Tiny Revolutions of Connection: Fun Palaces Weekend 2026

Success is so often measured by being the biggest, the loudest, the most well attended. A world that demands constant growth, things being bigger and better all the time and pushes the idea that we…

Read post
A smiling, diverse group of adults in colourful costumes and headwraps stand together under a Fun Palace gazebo with a welcome sign.

Top Tips on Accessible Fun Palaces

At this point in the year you may well be starting to add more information about your Fun Palace to your Fun Palaces page on the map, or your own personal website. The Fun Palaces…

Read post
Four smiling women standing together in a community room decorated with pink bunting.

50 Reasons to Make a Fun Palace

A couple of weeks ago I (Amie) started a list of reasons to make a Fun Palace. I was involved in the Brockwell Lido Fun Palace from 2014-2016 and then initiated a Fun Palace in…

Read post
People sitting at tables on a busy high street outside shops, chatting over drinks.

Culture – Why the Words Matter

Last month Fun Palaces Producer and craft artist Rachel Attfield ran an online workshop as part of the Fun Palaces Summer School, exploring cultural democracy and everyday culture. Here she reflects on the workshop and…

Read post
Three smiling people in sailor hats, two wearing 'Radical Fun Advisor' T-shirts, standing together in a museum gallery.

Making a Fun Palace with 5 weeks to go

You’ve decided to make a Fun Palace. You have FIVE WEEKS to do it – here’s how: 1. Find someone/a group of people to do it with you.Start with who you already know. Friends, neighbours,…

Read post
Two smiling women holding a bunch of red, white and blue balloons outside a building.

A Collective Shout: Culture is already happening here

Fun Palaces producer Rachel on why coming together for the Fun Palaces Weekend in October matters. People sometimes ask: if we are already creative, sharing skills and doing things together, why do we need to…

Read post
The alley behind 12 Claremont in Hastings, with a 'Gotham Alley' street sign on the wall.

People Shape Place: Everyday Culture and the Commons

Fun Palaces producer Rachel spent a day with Hastings Commons – here’s what she brought back about everyday culture, shared spaces and who gets to shape a place. Recently I attended Hosting the Commons, a…

Read post
A smiling woman with curly blonde hair standing on a pew in a chapel set up for a Fun Palace.

Everyone has something: how Fun Palaces changed what I thought I had to offer

Ellie Allen was the Fun Palaces Ambassador, hosted by FEAST in Redruth from 2022-2025 and has also made her own Fun Palaces, which have included a Grease sing-a-long in a church, to the ‘Getting ready…

Read post
Picture of people hula hooping, with text that reads culture: it's what we make it, and join our movement 2-4 October 2026

Culture: It’s What We Make (And Why That Matters)

‘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…

Read post
People sitting around tables in a community room decorated with banners reading 'You are not alone' and 'You are seen, you are loved'.

Fun Palaces Maker Network

In November 2025, we launched the Fun Palaces Maker Network: a space for the people who make Fun Palaces to come together, support one another, share how they make Fun Palaces and have more say…

Read post
Two dancers in bright saris performing classical Indian dance in a library.

The Politics of Play in Everyday Life

This post was written for the Imagine! Belfast festival of Ideas and Politics exploring how everyday creativity in community spaces becomes political practice, building participation habits that shape our shared future. When we talk about…

Read post
A woman in purple sitting on the floor doing a jigsaw puzzle surrounded by colourful toys and balls.

Everyday Culture, Measured

Read all about a decade of Fun Palaces in the new Impact Report. Over ten years, Fun Palaces has evolved from a bold idea to a quietly radical national (and international) network.

Read post
People stick dancing in pairs in a hall while others watch from chairs around the edge.

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. Fun Palaces are all about this, generating hubs of curiosity and creativity, where everyone’s invited to come together

Read post
People talking around a table of leaflets and craft materials at a stand in a shopping centre.

Five Ways to Wellbeing

It’s Fun Palaces weekend!!! I’m writing this on a train to Rotherham, where I’ll be visiting Riverside Library Fun Palace. Then onto Blackburn, Preston and Lancaster to visit Fun Palaces and their Makers. This weekend,…

Read post
Children and adults sitting around tables doing crafts together in a busy school hall.

Bringing Communities Together

This weekend thousands of people will come together in their communities across the UK to make Fun Palaces, and it’s not too late for you to either. The Fun Palaces Weekend is a great excuse to…

Read post
A table laid out with craft materials, paints, leaves and paper for a Fun Palace activity.

Tiny is mighty… It’s not too late to make a Fun Palace!

The Fun Palaces Weekend of Celebration is almost here and yes, you can absolutely still join in. Whether it’s a handful of neighbours round a kitchen table or a quick online skill-share through Whatsapp, tiny…

Read post
Picture of a map with red pins on it indicating Fun Palaces. At the top are two buttons reading Make a Fun Palace and Find a Fun Palace. There's a red arrow pointing from text reading 3-5 October 2025 go the button reading 'make a fun palace'. At the bottom is the Fun Palaces logo in a red triangle.

One month to go – Join in on Fun Palaces Weekend

What are you doing on Friday the 3rd October? Or Saturday 4th or Sunday 5th?   A month from now, we will be welcoming in the 12th annual weekend of Fun Palaces action. A free, nationwide…

Read post
Photo of people gathering in a large room, wither sitting on sofas or standing. There's a person at the microphone. In the room is a chandelier, fairy lights, and love and care are written on the walls.

Convention on the Fate of Britain

Some Fun Palaces Makers, along with some of Fun Palaces Support Hub Team will attend the Fate of Britain Convention in London, which follows a successful first Fête of Britain gathering in Manchester in 2024.…

Read post
Picture of Tamasin making an umbrella with arts materials in the foreground

Hosting a Climate-Friendly Fun Palace in Your Community

At its heart, a Fun Palace is a celebration of creativity, community, and culture, made by the people, for the people. This grassroots movement empowers everyone to share their skills, passions, and local knowledge in…

Read post