Change On Our Streets

Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th February 2026, Cambridge

TICKETS SOLD OUT!

Getting Ready for the Conference

Read our blog to help you get ready for the conference! Includes practical advice about what to bring and how to navigate the event.

Programme
Access
Sector Strategy
Corn Exchange Captions

The OutdoorArtsUK National Conference 2026 will give sector colleagues the space to come together and reflect on the ever-shifting cultural landscape.

By bringing creativity directly into the heart of communities, our artists, producers, and festival-makers work on the frontline of where art meets the public. We are continually navigating through the needs and aspirations of diverse communities to create work of meaning and resonance.

As devolution gathers pace, political, policy, and funding landscapes are changing, potentially fuelling the social tensions already playing out on our streets. What role can Outdoor Arts play within these complex social dynamics? What leadership can we show in uncovering common ground in this evolving world?

Delivered through the generous support of Cambridge City Council and Arts Council England

Conference Programme

Spirit of the Conference

We would like all delegates to feel comfortable. We encourage you to come and go from all of our events as and when you feel the need. Navigate the conference in the way that will allow you to make the most of your time in Cambridge. There are two quiet spaces, one located in each venue, with wellbeing facilitators and prayer rooms nearby. Ambulant Seating Area will be available for Day 2 of the conference, which will give enough space around you to move and stand up when you need to. The spaces we are using are wheelchair accessible apart from the prayer room in the Corn Exchange. Find out more about Access here. We hope you have a productive, invigorating, and inspiring time at the National Conference 2026: Change On Our Streets.

Tuesday 3rd February

Newcomers Induction

12.45pm – 1.30pm, Corn Exchange

This session is designed to be a soft landing for newcomers before the conference gets into full swing. It’s intended for those who may be attending our Conference for the first time, on their own, or find meeting new people challenging. We’ll give you the chance to spend time with like-minded individuals, receive an introduction to the sector, and some tips on how best to navigate what can be a busy and full-on experience. You’ll also meet the OAUK team and board members who can look out for you throughout your time in Cambridge.

The Newcomers Induction is only open to delegates who have specifically booked for this event.

Those who have booked for this event should come straight to the Corn Exchange to receive their induction, and we will direct you to the conference registration afterwards.

Doors open for arrivals at Guildhall, 1pm – 6pm

Pick your activities from the options below

Marketplace

1pm – 6pm, Guildhall Small & Large Hall

Self Guided Networking Game

1.30pm, 2.15pm & 3pm, Guildhall Small Hall Foyer

Silent Disco Tour with Red Herring
(SOLD OUT)

2pm, 3pm & 4pm, Guildhall Small Hall Foyer

Artist Pitching

2pm – 5pm, Corn Exchange Foyer

Marketplace Info
Networking Game Info
Silent Disco Info
Artist Pitching Info

Welcome Speech

5pm, Guildhall

OutdoorArtsUK, and Dinah Pounds, Mayor of Cambridge, welcome you to the conference. Speeches are expected to start around ten past five in the Large Hall to give some time for people to settle in.

Break, 6pm – 8.30pm

Networking Drinks

8.30pm – 11pm, Corn Exchange

Join us at the Corn Exchange in the evening to make new connections and catch up with sector colleagues. The Foyer Bar will be serving drinks, and we’ll have a DJ in the main auditorium. There will be limited seating in the Foyer Bar and more in the Main Auditorium. The Quiet Space is available upstairs in the St Johns Bar (please note that the bar will not be operating in the Quiet Space).

Wednesday 4th February

Doors Open for Arrivals at Corn Exchange, 9.30am

Morning Session
Corn Exchange, 10.30am – 1pm

10.30am – 10.40am: Welcome from OutdoorArtsUK

10.40am – 11am: Keynote Speech

Clare Farrell, convener for The Humanity Project and co-founder of the climate movement Extinction Rebellion, will deliver this year’s keynote speech to set the context for our conference. Her address will help us explore what positive social action might look like in periods of division and uncertainty. What role can art play in shifting perspectives and bringing people together?

11am – 11.30am: Launch of Sector Strategy

Wherever You Are, Whoever You Are, The Arts Are Yours: A Strategy for Joy and Belonging for the Outdoor Arts Sector

Developed with and for the sector, the strategy sets out a shared vision, objectives, and practical pathways to secure a stronger, more visible, and more resilient future for outdoor arts. The conference marks the starting point for exploring collective stewardship and coordinated action to take this strategy forward.

Sector Strategy

11.30am – 12.30pm: Morning Panel Discussion


‘Outdoor Arts: The Frontier of Where Art Meets Public Life’

Our panel will discuss some of the core issues identified in the Sector Strategy, namely: how are today’s complex social dynamics affecting the outdoor arts sector? They will share approaches for navigating this shifting landscape and explore a key question: What leadership role can the sector play in shaping the future of the Arts and Creative Industries?

Chair: Amanda Parker – Arts Consultant and Columnist for The Stage

Panel Speakers:

  • Adriana Marques – Assistant Director of Cultural Programming and Strategy at Peabody Trust
  • Chenine Bhathena MBE FRSA – Former Director of Culture and Environment at Brighton & Hove City Council (moving to Royal Borough of Greenwich in January 2026)
  • Joe Mackintosh – Artistic Director and CEO of Out There Arts
  • Parmjit Sagoo – Executive Producer and Creative Lead of Inspirate

12.30pm: Closing Remarks for Morning Session

Pick Your Activities, 1pm – 4.15pm

This is also your chance to sit down with your packed lunch. The market outside the Guildhall also has several food stalls, and a range of supermarkets and other lunch places are also available nearby.

Marketplace

1pm – 4.15pm, Guildhall Small & Large Hall

Self Guided Networking Game

2pm & 3pm, Guildhall Small Hall Foyer

Open Forum

1.30pm – 4.15pm, Corn Exchange

Networking Cafe

1pm – 4pm, Corn Exchange Auditorium

Marketplace Info
Networking Game Info
Open Forum Info
Networking Cafe Info

Afternoon Session, 4.30pm – 6pm
Corn Exchange

4.30pm: Welcome back warm up with Red Herring

4.35pm – 5.45pm: Afternoon Panel Discussion
‘Positioning Outdoor Arts in Local Cultural Strategies and Ecologies’ ​

Our panel will explore ways to create bolder programmes by combining a spectrum of needs of diverse communities. Can outdoor arts secure a stronger position in place-based strategies by deepening its ties to local ecologies?

Chair: Cllr Antoinette Nestor – Cabinet Member for Culture, Economy and Skills of Cambridge City Council

Panel Speakers:

  • Ali Pretty – Artistic Director of Kinetika and Beach of Dreams
  • Aretha George – Head of Culture at Hounslow Council and Chair of 18 Hours
  • Professor Flora Samuel – Head of Architecture Department of Cambridge University and Co-Leader of Public Map Platform
  • LaToyah McAllister-Jones – Co-founder of Citizens For Culture and former Executive Director of St. Pauls Carnival

5.45pm: Closing Remarks for Afternoon Session

Closing Drinks, 6pm – 7pm
Corn Exchange

The Corn Exchange will be open until 7pm for final bit of networking. The Foyer Bar will be serving drinks.

Conference WhatsApp Community

Stay up to date while at the conference with the Conference WhatsApp Community. We’ll be sharing any live announcements on the conference WhatsApp group.

Join the WhatsApp Community

Delegate List

Digital Brochure

We’ve updated our Digital Brochure and it now features over 300 bookable shows from our talented members! Designed with programmers in mind, the brochure is a go-to resource for curating bold, diverse, and inspiring outdoor events.

Watch the 2025 Highlights Video

The OutdoorArtsUK National Conference 2025 took place in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday 6 February 2025. “Equity in Action: The Power of Diverse Narratives” explored how Outdoor Arts leads the way in delivering high-quality arts experiences to hard-to-reach communities.

Access

Find out more about access at the Conference. OutdoorArtsUK is committed to providing access to our 2026 conference. You can let us know your access requirements at the ticket checkout. Please give us good notice so that we can make the appropriate arrangements.

We understand that not all delegates are able to sit for the entirety of a panel discussion or keynote speech. When you arrive in the Corn Exchange Auditorium, please look out for signs to the Ambulant Seating area. This will be a seat with space around you to move and stand up.  

Captioning & BSL will be provided during the welcome speech on Tuesday 3rd February and during the morning & afternoon Corn Exchange auditorium sessions. For elsewhere in the conference, they can be made available for other sessions on request. Please let us know your access needs by contacting David@outdoorartsuk.org.

 

BSL – All events with this icon will have British Sign Language.

 

 

Captions – All events with this icon will have live captioning.

The spaces we are using are wheelchair accessible apart from the prayer room in the Corn Exchange. Access to the prayer room in Guildhall is step free. Watch our Virtual Access Tour here.

Cambridge Corn Exchange

More information about Cambridge Corn Exchange’s accessibility can be found here. 

Guildhall

If you require step free access to the Guildhall, you’ll need the Peas Hill entrance for the Guildhall. The What 3 Words are “float.remedy.move”.

Following the successful introduction of Wellbeing Coordinator in our last conference, OAUK are pleased to make these support available to delegates with relevant access needs. We have quiet spaces available in both the Guildhall, on the third floor, and the Corn Exchange, in the St John’s Bar. We also have a prayer room available in both venues close to our quiet spaces, which is accessible throughout our conference.

We intend our conference to be a relaxed environment. We would like all delegates to feel comfortable and encourage you to come and go from all of our events as and when you feel the need.

Quiet Space Opening Times

Tuesday 3rd February, Third Floor of Guildhall: 1pm-6pm

Tuesday 3rd February, St John’s Bar of Corn Exchange: 8:30pm-11pm

Wednesday 4th February, Third Floor of Guildhall: 1pm-4:30pm

Wednesday 4th February, St John’s Bar of Corn Exchange: 9.30am-7pm

Please speak with staff members of OAUK or Cambridge Council if you would like directions to our quiet spaces.


Noisy/Busy– All events with this icon are expected to be noisy and/or busy.

If you’d like to speak with the OAUK team about access support, please contact General Manager David by email: David@outdoorartsuk.org 

Watch the Virtual Access Tour

Sustainability

The climate crisis greatly impacts the outdoor sector and threatens the livelihood of its existence.

We understand our responsibility in minimising the negative environmental impact of the organisation’s activities, alongside the requirement to help create and communicate the resources, guidance, and best practice required to upskill our members, and the wider outdoor arts sector, to reduce the impact of their events.

We are delivering the conference in line with our environmental policy and our green code of conduct. You can find our policy here and our code of conduct here. Below is a list of things we’d like to make you aware of so that you can help us minimise the environmental impact of the conference.

We’ve continued to use our conference as a case study on how to use the OAUK DATE toolkit, you can find out more here.  

The OAUK DATE toolkit was developed by Andrew Lansley to provide businesses and organisations with a quick and effective way to profile their accessibility and sustainability practices against nationally recognised standards frameworks. Find out more here.  

As part of our sustainability measures taken for Conference 2026, there won’t be any physical print for delegates attending unless specifically requested for access purposes. If you do need physical print copies of any of the conference information, please contact General Manager David, click here to email David. 

Please bring your reusable water bottles as there will be refill points at the Corn Exchange and Guildhall for you to use. 

Please bring your reusable hot drink cups, as we will not be supplying them or supplying one use hot drinks cups. 

OAUK will provide name badges and lanyards at the conference, and we will ask you to return them at the end of the event so that we can reuse them. Delegates are welcome to bring their own lanyards to the conference from previous events.

To get a better understanding of the carbon impact our conference creates, we will be circulating a travel survey before and after the event, asking how delegates have travelled/will be travelling to the conference. 

If you’re planning on driving to the OAUK Conference, why not car share? You can offer a lift or have a look to see who else is driving via our car share spreadsheet here.  

This year, we’re asking delegates to bring their food with them or explore the various catering options that central Cambridge has to offer. 

FAQs

Corn Exchange

The Corn Exchange is on Wheeler Street, which is located in the centre of Cambridge, directly behind the Guildhall which is in the Market Square. For the nearest parking, follow signs to Grand Arcade car park.

The Corn Exchange is accessible by turning either from Hills Road or Trumpington Street into Lensfield Road then into Tennis Court Road, right into Downing Street and left into Corn Exchange Street.

By Bicycle

The Grand Arcade cycle park has covered space for over 200 cycles. It closes every night at 11.30pm. Cyclists can access the cycle park from Corn Exchange Street – when travelling from Downing Street, the entrance is on the right after the car park entrance – and pedestrians can enter from Grand Arcade or Fisher Square.

By Train

The Corn Exchange is approximately a 20 minute walk from the train station. Upon leaving the station go straight down Station Road and turn right onto Hills Road. Walk down Hills Road which leads on to Regent Street. Turn left into Downing Street, and then turn right after The City Centre Hotel onto Corn Exchange Street. The Corn Exchange is at the bottom of this street.

For further enquiries call the National Rail Enquiries (24 hours) on 08457 48 49 50.

Park and Ride

The county council provide timetable information about the Park & Ride service.

Parking

Visit the car parking map on the Cambridge City Council website.

Grand Arcade Car Park

This car park is just a couple of minutes away, across the road from the Corn Exchange.

Information about the Grand Arcade car park

Queen Anne Car Park (Gonville Place)

This car park is slightly further away, but is no more than a 10 minute walk from Cambridge Corn Exchange.

Directions: Head out of the car park and down Regent’s Terrace (runs alongside the big green park called Parker’s Piece) into Regent Street, turn left into Downing Street and right into Corn Exchange Street.

Guildhall

The Guildhall is in the Market Square, at the heart of Cambridge city centre. It is directly opposite the Cambridge Market and within walking distance of the Grand Arcade shopping centre.

For the nearest parking, follow signs to Grand Arcade car park.

The Guildhall is accessible by turning either from Hills Road or Trumpington Street into Lensfield Road, then into Tennis Court Road, right into Downing Street, and continuing straight into the Market Square area.

By Bicycle

The Grand Arcade cycle park has covered space for over 200 cycles. It closes every night at 11.30pm. Cyclists can access the cycle park from Corn Exchange Street – when travelling from Downing Street, the entrance is on the right after the car park entrance – and pedestrians can enter from Grand Arcade or Fisher Square.

By Train

The Guildhalls are approximately a 20-minute walk from the train station. Upon leaving the station, go straight down Station Road and turn right onto Hills Road. Walk down Hills Road, which leads onto Regent Street. Continue along Regent Street, then turn left into Downing Street. Walk straight until you reach the Market Square, where the Guildhall is located directly opposite the Cambridge Market.

For further enquiries call the National Rail Enquiries (24 hours) on 08457 48 49 50.

Park and Ride

The county council provide timetable information about the Park & Ride service.

Parking

Visit the car parking map on the Cambridge City Council website.

Grand Arcade Car Park

This car park is just a couple of minutes away, across the road from the Corn Exchange.

Information about the Grand Arcade car park

Queen Anne Car Park (Gonville Place)

This car park is slightly further away, but is no more than a 10 minute walk from Cambridge Corn Exchange.

Directions: Head out of the car park and down Regent’s Terrace (runs alongside the big green park called Parker’s Piece) into Regent Street, turn left into Downing Street and right into Corn Exchange Street.

We will be providing a cloakroom space. Please note this will not be attended by a staff member and any items left are left at your digression. 

Become A Member

Join OutdoorArtsUK for discounted conference tickets! Become part of the Outdoor Arts community with regular news updates, access to friendly support and resources, opportunities to develop skills and invitations to contribute to sector advocacy.

Join Now

Sign Up to the Outdoor Arts Newsletter

Sign Up Now >

Image Credits:

Main Image – Rave New World by Revoluton,Tangled Feet & Pirates of the Carabina, Outside Marsh House Community Centre Luton, 2025, photo: Greta Zabulyte

Newcomers Induction: Zee and the City by Puppets with Guts at Bradford 2025, photo: Scott Salt, Big Blue Whale

Marketplace: Roots to Rise by Nandita Shankardass at Stockton International Festival 2025, photo: Stockton Council

Self Guided Networking Game: TRUTH! by Hijinx and Ramshacklicious at The Big Feast 2024, produced by Appetite, Stoke-on-Trent , photo: Jenny Harper

Silent Disco Tour: Red Herring’s Silent Disco, photo: Dawn McNamara for Stockton Borough Council, SIRF 2024

Artist Pitching: Rave New World by Revoluton,Tangled Feet & Pirates of the Carabina, Outside Marsh House Community Centre Luton, 2025, photo: Greta Zabulyte

Open Forum: PoliNations Trees by Trigger at Shangri-La Glastonbury 2025, photo: Giulia Spadafora

Networking Drinks, Networking Cafe & Welcome Speech: OutdoorArtsUk National Conference 2025