Fancy being teleported? Maybe making cocoa postcards or swimming with mermaids are more your kind of activities? Or perhaps guerrilla knitting? Not to worry: they might just be about to happen at a location near you. This weekend, Fun Palaces will take place at venues across the UK and beyond – Toronto, Berlin and Iceland, for instance – and pop up in unexpected places.
This epic festival was inspired by Joan Littlewood’s idea of a place where the arts would be put at the very heart of communities. With the tagline “Everyone an artist, everyone a scientist”, her vision will finally come to life – what a lovely way to celebrate her centenary. Almost 130 fun palaces have already been organised – do check the programme for what’s going on and where, and look out for events in which you can take part digitally – or even create your own.
Some of you have already shared your thoughts on Andrew Dickson’s feature about the project. Carefree said: “one thing that impressed me about the Fun Palace being organised in our area is the effort to bring together groups who have sat side by side but not necessarily collaborated before – a couple of local charities involved with young disadvantaged and learning disabled people, a botanical institution and local cafes.” There will be a lot of buzz on social media – the organisers are asking everyone to tag their posts with the hashtag #FunPalaces on Twitter or Instagram.
Are you going to any of the events? Whatever you’re doing, we’d like to hear from you. Tell us about your Fun Palaces weekend in the comment thread below and share your photos via GuardianWitness.
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