The city of Cambridge was lit up with artistic energy this winter as the Cambridge Arts Festival returned for a second year— a 10-day celebration of creativity, collaboration, and community spirit. From independent workshops to gallery openings and immersive experiences, the festival united 1,000’s attendees, welcomed 17 local businesses and venues to get involved, and brought a colourful buzz to the city centre.
A Festival for the Whole City
Running across multiple locations and formats, the Cambridge Arts Festival was designed to bring people together around shared cultural experiences bespoke to the city. With over 624 tickets sold for bookable and private events—including the opening night at MODO and a special partners event at Kettle’s Yard—and hundreds more participating in walk-in exhibitions and workshops, the festival’s reach was impressive. In total, more than 1,000 people engaged directly with festival activities.
Participating venues and businesses included Grand Arcade, Byard Art, Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, FORA, the Old Ticket Office, Permit Rooms, and Cambridge Contemporary Art—among others—highlighting the power of local collaboration in making the festival a success.
Positive Community Impact
The response from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. Of the 40 participants who filled in our post-event survey:
100% agreed with the statement: "Positive about having this festival in my community"
92.5% felt welcomed and comfortable at the venue
92.31% said they would attend a similar event in the future
100% are likely or very likely to return next year
Some of the feedback received included:
“The Cambridge Arts Festival is a fantastic initiative. It really helps brighten the cold winter months, and all the arts activities are wonderful.”
“Participating in the festival was an inspiring and enriching experience... The diversity of styles and perspectives motivated me to explore new forms of expression and push my artistic boundaries.”
Spreading the Word: Promotional Impact
Despite a short promotional window, the festival achieved remarkable digital reach thanks to strong campaign efforts:
Social media engagement: Over 1,000 interactions
Reach: Approx. 34,000 people on Instagram and Facebook
Love Cambridge website festival page Over 11,000 views
Visit Cambridge website festival page Over 1,000 views (over a 2.5-weeks advertising period)
Over 67.5% of survey respondents said they discovered the festival via Love Cambridge’s channels, while 27.5% heard through word-of-mouth—showcasing growing brand awareness and community buzz.
Room to Grow
While the festival was widely celebrated, feedback also offered constructive insights:
A demand for more evening events, accessible after work
Suggestions to introduce small booking fees to reduce no-shows
Ideas for greater physical marketing visibility around the city (e.g. posters and signage)
These ideas will shape the next phase of planning as we look ahead to future editions of the festival.
Thank You to Our Supporters
A huge thank you to our sponsor Mills & Reeve, Graduate Hotel by Hilton and MODO: The Origin of Modern, all the participating businesses, artists and facilitators, and everyone who joined us for this extended celebration. Your support helped create something truly special.
Final Thoughts
The Cambridge Arts Festival demonstrated the value of a culturally rich, city-wide initiative. With strong participation, economic potential, and overwhelming support from the community, it’s clear that there’s growing appetite for creative events that bring people together.
The success of this hybrid model—mixing free, walk-in and bookable experiences—shows we can provide inclusive, high-quality arts programming while supporting the local economy and businesses.
Here’s to building on this momentum next year! If you’re interested in taking part in the next edition of Cambridge Arts Festival in 2026 please fill in our form here.
