| Fun Palaces | |
| Status: | active |
| Genre: | festival |
| Venue: | United Kingdom |
| Location: | National |
| Founders: | --> |
| Last: | October 2016 |
| Or Sponsors: | --> |
Fun Palaces is an annual festival of culture that takes place annually over the first weekend of October. The events take place in council-owned community spaces such as libraries, shopping centers, parks and schools. Theater director Joan Littlewood and architect Cedric Price put the idea forward.[1]
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.[2] Their original blueprint said:
The idea was inspired by pleasure gardens and working men's club's. They wanted make culture, science and education available to a broader cross section of society by creating a venue where visitors could watch performances and participate in arts and craft activities.[3]
Councils would not donate land or give permission and they were unable to gain funding for their idea. However, in 2013 Stella Duffy and co-founder Sarah-Jane Rawlings suggested that venues and organisations in the United Kingdom create Fun Palaces of their own. The event has become an annual event that takes place every October in pop-up venues.[4]