Fun Palaces

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Fun Palaces is an annual, free, nationwide celebration of culture at the heart of community, using arts, science, craft, tech, digital, heritage and sports activities as a catalyst for community engagement. This takes place over the first weekend in October every year. Fun Palaces are community events, created by and for local people. They are held in a variety of locations, ranging from libraries, shopping centres, schools, parks, village squares, community halls, swimming pools, etc. The original (never built) Fun Palace was the brainchild of celebrated theatre director Joan Littlewood and architect Cedric Price.^[1] Their never-realised vision was re-interpreted for the 21st century with the Fun Palaces campaign for cultural democracy, with community-led events in many locations. The first weekend of action took place in 2014, with 138 Fun Palaces taking place across the UK and internationally and in 2015 the number rose to 142, 292 Fun Palaces in 2016, and 362 in 2017.^[2]

History[]

Joan Littlewood and the architect Cedric Price came up with the idea of the Fun Palace as one building in 1961. It was their dream to build a space where people in the community could come together to celebrate arts, science and culture.^[3] Their original blueprint said:^[3]

Choose what you want to do – or watch someone else doing it. Learn how to handle tools, paint, babies, machinery, or just listen to your favourite tune. Dance, talk or be lifted up to where you can see how other people make things work. Sit out over space with a drink and tune in to what's happening elsewhere in the city. Try starting a riot or beginning a painting – or just lie back and stare at the sky.

Inspiration for the idea came from traditional pleasure gardens and working men's institutes, which were very much for the community as a whole. They wanted to build a radical venue which was to be a "laboratory of fun" or a "university of the streets", where visitors could go along and enjoy performances, participate in arts and craft activities or just meet up and have fun. As a result, allowing culture, science and education to be available to people from all backgrounds.^[4]

The palace was never built. Councils would not give the land, the permissions and the money just did not materialise. As such the Fun Palace became an unrealised dream. All this changed in 2013 when the first call for venues and organisation to create their own Fun Palaces locally was suggested by Stella Duffy, co-founder (with ) of the Fun Palaces organisation. On the 4 and 5 October, hundreds of Fun Palaces, supported by the Fun Palaces organisation, appeared across the UK and beyond. Instead of building new buildings, temporary 'pop-up' fun palaces, appeared in various venues and locations.^[5]

During the first weekend, 138 venues and companies enlisted along with independent artists, scientists and community events organisers. Since then there have been annual weekends of action on the first weekend of October every year.

Manifesto[]

The Fun Palaces Manifesto is:^[2]

We believe in the genius in everyone, in everyone an artist and everyone a scientist, and that creativity in community can change the world for the better. We believe we can do this together, locally, with radical fun – and that anyone, anywhere, can make a Fun Palace.

References[]

External links[]

• Official website