Could you support the festival and help Crawley lead the way in play?
Crawley is championing children’s and adult’s right to play through the National Festival of Play, a multi-arts and sports festival reimagining the town as a place where play shapes how we live, learn, work, and connect. The festival will build on Crawley’s legacy as a pioneer in adventure play (watch the great archive footage below) and celebrate its diverse, globally connected identity.
Crawley is one of the places where modern ideas about play were built – both physically and in planning policy. In the 1950s, as Lady Allen of Hurtwood and others brought the adventure playgrounds movement to Britain, Crawley became a testing ground – a New Town where playable landscapes and one of the early adventure playgrounds were woven into the urban plan itself.
Crawley is a New Town built with play in its DNA. It has global connections through Gatwick and one of the most diverse populations in the Southeast, creating the perfect foundation for a festival that will showcase playful traditions from around the world. It is already experimenting with play-led culture through Creative Playground. The National Festival of Play builds on that foundation – using Crawley to ask a simple question:
Creative Crawley and HemingwayDesign are co-curating (with local residents) a multi-arts celebration of the New Town that helped shape modern ideas of play — and now invites you to rethink how play belongs in everyday life. You can find out more about the launch event in June 2026 here. We’re looking for partners to work with us on the first ever National Festival of Play, taking place in Crawley in June 2027.
When: Tues 22nd Sept, 8.45am – 10am
Where: Unit 79/80 County Mall Shoppping Centre (first floor opposite Primark)
Who: Community leaders in Crawley and Sussex who want to take part in the festival, put play at the heart of their work and want to work with us to make the festival fly.
How to book: This is an invite only event. If you’re a local community business and would like to join, please email [email protected]
Watch this short (under 2 mins) Pathe film that has been one of the inspirations for the festival.
