Creative Crawley is calling on residents aged 16 and over to help shape the town’s arts and cultural programme at a free community meeting at County Mall on 6 August 2026. The Playmaker Meeting runs from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in Unit 79/80 of the shopping centre, and includes a meal alongside networking opportunities.
Attendees will contribute ideas for the National Festival of Play, a major event set to land in Crawley during 2027. The organisers say the gathering ensures local voices remain at the heart of the town’s creative life. Booking is free via Eventbrite and open to anyone with an interest in trying new things.
The meeting is part of Creative Playground, a £1 million programme funded by Arts Council England and managed by Creative Crawley. Crawley is one of ten Arts Council Priority Places in the southeast, with the funding covering the first three years of a ten-year vision. A consortium led by Manor Royal Business Improvement District secured the grant, and partners include Crawley LGBT+, The Hawth, Diverse Crawley, and Crawley Town Community Foundation.
On 11 June, the United Nations International Day of Play, Creative Crawley and design studio HemingwayDesign officially launched the festival. More than 270 pupils from Broadfield Primary Academy built a giant cardboard playground, while adults across town joined in with board games and musical instruments. Manor Green College, Three Bridges Primary, Seymour Primary, and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Primary School also took part, with Gatwick Gamers and the Jumma Group for Muslim Women hosting activities inside County Mall.
Since 2021, Creative Crawley has delivered several grassroots projects in the area, including the Crawley Murals, Around the Lake Festival, and a Skills Exchange Programme. The National Festival of Play is being developed in partnership with HemingwayDesign, co-founded by Wayne Hemingway MBE.
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