March to June is jam packed with award-winning, national performances and exhibitions alongside the work of local artists, and countless opportunities for Crawley people to get involved with participatory events, workshops and much more. From exhibitions you can play with, to Japanese sweet making, interactive dance shows, pop up venues and a community fashion show, we hope there’s something for everyone and it’s all completely free.
Browse the full programme here and book ahead as places are limited.
You can also pick up our flyers around town, or download a copy to print off here.
Here are some highlights to ignite your curiosity…
Surprising Shows
Acclaimed choreographers and performance makers Requardt & Rosenberg, who combine the spectacle of large-scale dance with the intimacy of binaural sound, bring their show Super Normal Extra Natural to County Mall Shopping Centre (Friday 28-Sunday 30 March). Singers, dancers and Crawley locals will take over the shopping centre in a unique, intimate and surprising dance spectacle using headphones. The duo return to Crawley after the success of Future Cargo in Memorial Gardens (2022).
Join us for a special edition of Woodzy & Friends in a one night only performance of Talking About The Fire by seven-time Fringe First winner Chris Thorpe and Abbey Theatre’s Claire O’Reilly, which invites audiences to join Chris in a conversation about the gravely constant threat posed by nuclear weapons (★★★★★ – Time Out).
Crawley local residents will also make their mark with a Fashion Show for Crawley. Produced by Creative Crawley and curated by Crawley born and bred designers Beth Williams and Sophie Merriner, this is a fashion show by and for the community, showcasing the work of local, professional fashion designers and created in consultation with, and in response to, the desires of local residents. We encourage anyone who would like to be involved to get in touch.
Playful Exhibitions
Play Interact Explore from Leap then Look will take place in our pop-up space in County Mall from Saturday 29 March to Sunday 6 April. The exhibition adapts to the places it travels and, for Crawley, its artwork has been developed from ongoing creative engagement with Dimensions Outreach 3 Way, who support adults with learning disabilities.
In June, award-winning national artists Sarah Maple – who is a Crawley resident and works internationally – and Meg Mosley will present Breakfast Scene, a feminist reimagining of Morecambe and Wise’s iconic 1976 breakfast sketch, documented through film and photography.
Image: Play Interact Explore by Leap Then LookCreative Workshops
Returning due to popular demand is Foraging with Izzy in West Green. As summer begins, join Izzy from Rights For Weeds to learn all about recipes, plant history, bushcraft and more.
Specialists Noriko Jazayeri and Chie Kutsuwada will be running workshops on Japanese sweet making and creating your own manga characters, against the backdrop of an anime movie marathon in JAPAN! Anime, Manga & Sweets.
Further workshops are being offered as part of The Creative Village’s Skills Exchange Programme, giving you the opportunity to develop skills related to the creative industries, including access and inclusivity in the arts, budgeting, the creative use of archives with Clod Ensemble, and evaluation.
Image: Space Boy by Chie KutsuwadaNew Spaces
We’re busy preparing two new temporary pop-up creative spaces for Crawley, ready to launch in March and test new ideas until the end of June.
In West Green we’ll be testing out a hub for professional creatives and young people, in partnership with Theatre Centre, and the second test space is a flexible event and hang out space in County Mall, in partnership with AudioActive and Pop Up Culture Crawley. See you there.
Find out more about our new spaces
The Sticky Dance and Super Normal Extra Natural are part of DaM Fest, Crawley’s Festival of Dance and Movement 2025 running across March and April 2025, powered by our friends at DanceHub CIC.
The Creative Village is a partnership between Creative Crawley, Theatre Centre and AudioActive to develop and support creative industries and infrastructure in Crawley, West Sussex and Surrey. Funded by Arts Council England, Crawley Borough Council, Sussex Community Foundation and London Gatwick.
Creative Playground is a Creative People & Places programme funded by Arts Council England.
Special thanks to:
