A 20ft shipping container filled with games, making activities and invitations to spontaneous play will visit two Cambridge green spaces in September. The free Cambridge Playlaws Phase 2 Playbox events run at Coldham’s Common on 12 and 13 September, followed by Thorpe Way recreation ground on 19 and 20 September. Activities begin at 9am on the first Saturday and at 11am on the remaining dates.

Most sessions are open to all ages, while Sunday evening at Coldham’s Common is reserved for a Twilight Teen Takeover. Cambridge City Council says no booking is required.

Four free sessions across two Cambridge neighbourhoods

The Playbox will provide a temporary base for games, conversations and creative activities in the surrounding public space. Residents can choose from the following sessions:

Location and date	Opening times
Coldham’s Common, Saturday 12 September	9am–3pm, all ages
Coldham’s Common, Sunday 13 September	11am–3pm, all ages; 5pm–7pm, Twilight Teen Takeover
Thorpe Way recreation ground, Saturday 19 September	11am–3pm, all ages
Thorpe Way recreation ground, Sunday 20 September	11am–3pm, all ages

The programme does not prescribe a single way to take part. Activities will emerge from the Playbox into the park, giving visitors opportunities to play, make things, talk and contribute ideas at their own pace.

Playbox ideas will shape six permanent Playlaws

The September events are part of the second phase of Cambridge Playlaws, a public art project exploring how people interact with streets, parks and neighbourhoods. Social enterprise Playful Anywhere and artists Pippa Hale and Hilary Cox Condron are working with residents in the Abbey and Petersfield wards.

Their aim is to co-create six new Playlaws reflecting the character, memories and aspirations of the two neighbourhoods. Ideas gathered during the Playbox sessions will inform the final works, which are due to be installed permanently around Abbey and Petersfield.

Cambridge Playbox offers free play over two weekends

The project follows an earlier phase developed in 2023–24. That work placed bright yellow aluminium Playlaw plaques around Cambridge, using local memories and imagined possibilities to prompt playful actions, kindness and different ways of experiencing familiar surroundings.

Local conversations are already feeding into the project

The artists spent the summer gathering playful memories through individual conversations with local organisations, including Cambridge United Foundation and Abbey People. Almost 100 contributions were collected from children, young people, adults, older residents, councillors and the Mayor of Cambridge during Abbey’s Big Lunch on 14 June.

Councillor Antoinette Nestor, the council’s Cabinet Member for Inclusive Economy and Skills, said projects such as Cambridge Playlaws can help people of all ages discover places to play, meet others in their community and interact with their surroundings from a different perspective.

What to check before setting out

Entry is free and no advance booking is required. The council notice does not provide specific transport, accessibility, food or stall information, so visitors needing those details should check the organiser’s latest event information before travelling.

After the September sessions, the project team will turn the ideas gathered at Coldham’s Common and Thorpe Way recreation ground into six permanent Playlaws for locations across Abbey and Petersfield.

Source: Cambridge City Council News

Context & actions About this article

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Dates, opening times, locations, entry arrangements and the project’s next stage were matched to the published Cambridge City Council information.

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