Every October we throw open to the doors to our buildings for our annual Fun Palaces event, filling our spaces with a huge family-friendly programme of free activities, tours, workshops and more, for everyone to enjoy.

Since making our first Fun Palace in 2014, we’ve welcomed thousands of people of all ages and from all corners of the city, to discover, create, make and play together.

Fun Palaces is so much more than a one-day event. It’s an ongoing international campaign for cultural democracy that celebrates art, culture and community, and anyone can join in. The weekend of action uses the combination of arts, craft, science, tech, digital, heritage and sports activities, led by local people for local people, sharing their own passions and skills, as a catalyst for community-led transformation, with active participation for all ages.

In 2018 there were 13 Fun Palaces in Sheffield, and 433 in total across 9 nations!

We’ve been involved from the start, now hosting a Fun Palaces Ambassador, who works directly with communities to:

• Develop local networks
• Build and enable links between individuals and organisations
• Encourage large venues to co-create with local people
• Support small groups to shout about their value as grassroots community activists

The next Fun Palaces Action Weekend is Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October. We’ll be announcing the programme on this website nearer the time, so keep an eye out for updates.