Brief
In July 2026, We Are Placemaking partnered with Crystal Palace Park Trust to deliver the opening weekend of Crystal Palace Park Celebrates, a two-day programme bringing colour, creativity and spectacle to one of London’s most iconic parks.
The weekend marked an important milestone in the park’s regeneration, celebrating the opening of a new Visitor Centre and dinosaur playground, alongside the conservation of the iconic Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, which have since been removed from the Heritage at Risk Register.
Working closely with the Trust, we developed a programme of live performances, creative workshops and interactive activities that complemented existing attractions, including the weekly Sunday Market.
At the heart of our creative placemaking approach was a simple idea: give people reasons to explore. Rather than concentrating activities in one location, performances and playful interventions were spread throughout the park, encouraging visitors to discover different spaces.
Delivery
Creative concept and programming, developing a programme of roaming entertainment, performances, interactive workshops and family-friendly activities.
Full event production and management, overseeing planning, build, live delivery and break, alongside site coordination and scheduling.
Supplier and artist management, sourcing and coordinating performers, workshop facilitators and specialist suppliers, including FullTilt for the dinosaur illuminations.
Budget and safety management, overseeing budgets, supplier contracts, risk assessments and health and safety compliance.
Stakeholder coordination, integrating existing park activities and ensuring the programme complemented the park’s regeneration and heritage offering.
Results
Record visitor activity: Crystal Palace Park Trust reported that the opening weekend was the busiest they had seen in that area of the park.
Increased dwell time: Visitors stayed considerably longer than anticipated, exploring different areas and engaging with multiple activities.
Strong audience engagement: More than 100 people were estimated to have participated in creative workshops, while lawn games and roaming performances attracted audiences of all ages.
Celebrating heritage: The illuminated dinosaurs became a standout attraction, helping showcase the park’s restored heritage assets and newly completed regeneration projects.
Positive community response: External coverage described the park as “buzzing all weekend”, with local residents and visitors from further afield enjoying the celebrations.
