On Thursday 11th June 2026, Crawley in West Sussex experienced a playful takeover as hundreds of local people of all ages enjoyed an extended lunch break to create an expanded, shared ‘play time’ across the town. The event marked the official launch of a National Festival of Play, set to take place in the town in 2027.
The start of something big: watch and read the Crawley Observer/Sussex Express feature here
Taking place on the United Nations International Day of Play, the town came alive with playful activities from card games and board games, to table tennis and musical celebrations, as the town that pioneered adventure-led play came together to collectively show the important role of play in communities.
Even the rain didn’t stop play, with over 270 primary school children and teachers from Broadfield Primary Academy building a giant cardboard playground, turning their school hall into a temporary landscape of imagination, creativity and adventure. Other schools, including Manor Green College, Three Bridges Primary, Seymour Primary and Our Lady Queen of Heaven Primary School also took part in a special, extra-long play-centred lunchtime. The Gatwick Gamers hosted board games in County Mall Shopping Centre along with the Jumma Group for Muslim Women whose lunch break became a sociable time for table tennis.
The National Festival of Play is being developed by HemingwayDesign (co-founded by Wayne Hemingway MBE) – in partnership with Creative Crawley, an arts charity which has been working to support, produce and present high-quality arts and cultural activity in Crawley since 2021. Together, they are responding to growing concerns about the decline of hands-on play in everyday life.
Research shows that more than one-third of children don’t play outdoors after school, and one in five don’t play outside at weekends at all*. While play is an important issue for children, the team behind the Festival also are addressing play as vital benefit for adults, at a time when people are working longer hours, moving less, feeling lonelier and spending more time on screens.
As one of Britain’s original post-war New Towns, Crawley was designed around parks, neighbourhoods and playable landscapes. In the 1950s, Lady Allen of Hurtwood and others brought the adventure playgrounds movement to Britain, and Crawley became a testing ground where modern ideas about adventure playgrounds and child-centred urban planning were embedded into civic life. Like other towns and cities around the country, recent local funding cuts have impacted the number of play spaces and play-led activities in the town.
Louise Blackwell, Creative Director of Creative Crawley, said: “Today’s launch was a reminder that play belongs to everyone. We saw school children build a giant cardboard playground and adults shut their laptops, put down their phones to play giant board games or try their hand at a musical instrument. There was a real sense of joy, curiosity and community across the town.”
Speaking on the launch day at a special pop-up play hub at County Mall Shopping Centre, Wayne Hemingway explained why play matters now more than ever – not only for children but for people of all ages and from every community.
Wayne Hemingway MBE, co-founder of HemingwayDesign, said: “At a time when children’s freedom to play outdoors is shrinking, public space is under pressure, loneliness and burnout are rising, and adults are increasingly disconnected from one another and from their communities, we’re asking a timely question: what would happen if a town genuinely put play at the heart of everyday life?
“Crawley is the perfect place to explore this – it’s a town with play written into its DNA. Now, as Crawley approaches its 80th anniversary of becoming a New Town, we have a brilliant opportunity to celebrate its history by harnessing the playful spirit of the town. Everyone’s right to play is fundamental – it’s how we learn, connect, take risks and make sense of the world. There’s something magical about the pleasure, laughter and focus of being lost in the moment that comes with play. And it’s something we’re quietly losing. Crawley’s remarkable but little-known history as a pioneer of play-led planning is a legacy that also feels extremely relevant with a new generation of New Towns recently announced, with the opportunity to rebuild social connection and wellbeing for everyone.”
Listen to Wayne Hemingway on BBC Radio Sussex here at 1.54
The team behind the programme for the National Festival of Play 2027 programme aims to bring together artists, educators, designers, planners, businesses, community groups and residents to help make this idea real; to create a town takeover that explores how play can shape healthier, more imaginative and more connected places. The festival builds on the work of Creative Crawley which has created a successful grassroots creative programme in the town, with projects including Crawley Murals, the Around the Lake Festival to the Skills Exchange Programme and the Creative Village.
Louise added: “This is a big moment to show the world what Crawley can do and we’re now looking to connect with everyone whose interest we’ve sparked, keen to get involved. We want as many people as possible to be part of it to make sure the festival reflects the wonderful creativity, energy and diversity of the town
“We want to hear from artists, organisations, businesses, schools and residents – anyone who wants to find out more, to contribute and help make the festival a huge success. Please join us!”
Find out more at www.nationalfestivalofplay.co.uk or email [email protected]
A huge thank you to the eight local businesses that provided the cardboard, Copthorne Silver band and AudioActive who helped us play in the evening and the Gatwick Gamers who played in the day in our unit in County Mall Shopping Centre.
*University of Exeter research published in ‘Wellbeing, Space & Society’ 2025.
Cardboard sculpture images by Ian Greenland. All others by Creative Crawley team or sent in by the general public.
