I’ve always loved watching the lively buzz of voices, music, and the smell of paint blend together among Barbican’s imposing concrete pillars. As soon as I learned they were opening their doors for the completely free “Play Make Do 2026” festival this weekend, from August 14 to 16, I immediately made my plan. I went through the schedule line by line to see everything happening in the foyers from Friday to Sunday, crafting a warm and packed itinerary that I’ll be following step by step.
On Friday, we kick off the festival under the theme of “Play.” I plan to start the day at 10:00 AM by tuning into the Barbican Library’s session filled with nature stories and rhymes, as well as Maryam Hashemi’s nature narratives. Afterwards, we’ll dive into the circus world with Clowns Without Borders UK and the Reallynice crew for some fun. One of the workshops I’m most curious about is Slow Sun Prints, a cyanotype printing session that transforms sunlight into art. After getting into the rhythm in the afternoon at Peut-Être Theatre’s energetic Audiomoves BoogiePod area, we will make an exuberant Friday finale at 16:00 with Golden Anaconda’s Colombian musical journey.
On Saturday, our theme is “Make”—quite literally a craft and creation day where we’ll put our hands to work. We’ll open at 10:30 AM with the Barbican Library’s cheerful “Party Time!”-themed Rhyme Time event before moving on to let our handcraft skills shine. I’ll stop by “The Art of Mas” workshop organized by the Tropical Isles team to discover the nuances of carnival art. Right after that, we’ll meet threads and traditional knitting techniques with the Black Girl Knit Club in the “Braided Traditions Common Threads” finger-knitting workshop to create our own pieces.
On Sunday, the festival reaches its peak with the “Do” day. On one side, the “Travels in History” creative writing workshop—offering a creative journey through the stage of history—awaits us, while on the other, the “Take It Slow: Making Space” area will offer a place where we can slow down and catch our breath. The real energy of Sunday, however, will truly rise through dance. We’ll warm up at 11:30 AM with the Boy Blue hip-hop workshop suitable for all ages, followed at 13:00 by a second hip-hop session specifically for ages 11+. The excitement of “Dance Around the World!” at 12:00 will be followed by the traditional “Bullerengue Circle” at 14:15, and “Rueda Libre Social Dancing” which will rock the floor at 18:00 in the late afternoon. The crowning moment of Sunday—and the entire festival—will happen at 16:30, as the Sankofa Community Carnival workshops and vibrant performance turn the foyer spaces into a full-fledged fairground. Alongside all of this, artist Päivi Raivio’s interactive public installation “Basic Forms (of Urban Life),” inviting people to sit, gather, and play, will be waiting to be explored throughout the weekend.
You don’t need to chase down tickets or pay a single penny for this entire jam-packed program; everything is completely free and operating in a relaxed flow where you can simply walk right through the doors. I’ll be in the Barbican foyers starting Friday morning—drop by so we can create and play together!
