Dates: 9–18 February 2026
Delivered by: Cambridge BID
Sponsors: Mills & Reeve, Clarendon Fine Art
Executive Summary
Cambridge Arts Festival 2026 was delivered by Cambridge BID to celebrate the City’s rich creative and cultural landscape, while actively engaging City centre businesses in a programme designed to increase footfall, dwell time and visibility across key locations.
The Festival aimed to:
Engage businesses across the BID area by encouraging participation through hosting events, exhibitions and activations that enhanced their premises and surrounding locations.
Bring the arts to the forefront of the City centre, positioning Cambridge not only as a place of heritage and academia, but as a vibrant, contemporary cultural destination.
Deliver an accessible and inclusive programme, offering a carefully curated mix of free and paid experiences, bookable workshops and drop-in activities to ensure wide community participation.
Increase City centre animation, particularly during the February period.
Strengthen partnerships between local galleries, creatives, venues, sponsors and stakeholders to build long-term cultural collaboration.
Across the 10-day programme, the Festival delivered:
25 events and activations
28 participating businesses and venues
A blend of exhibitions, public art installations, workshops, talks, family activities and cultural experiences
Strong engagement across Love Cambridge digital channels.
The 2026 programme successfully showcased Cambridge as a City where creativity is visible, accessible and embedded within the everyday City centre experience. By combining commercial engagement with cultural celebration, the Festival reinforced Cambridge BID’s commitment to creating a vibrant, welcoming and economically resilient City centre.
Programme Highlights
The 2026 Cambridge Arts Festival delivered a diverse and City-wide programme spanning exhibitions, workshops, public art, family activities and live experiences. The Festival successfully combined established cultural institutions with independent creatives and City centre businesses, creating a cohesive and accessible celebration of the arts.
Opening & Signature Moments
The Festival launched with a well-attended opening evening at Clarendon Fine Art, setting the tone for the week and bringing together partners, businesses and invited guests. The event provided an opportunity to highlight the Festival’s ambition and showcase one of the City’s leading gallery spaces.
The Gallery Crawl became a standout moment of the programme, encouraging visitors to explore multiple venues across the City centre in one evening. This format supported footfall across different locations and strengthened collaboration between galleries and creative spaces.
Public Art
A strong core of exhibitions formed the backbone of the Festival. Participating galleries and creative venues curated special displays and artist showcases, reinforcing Cambridge’s position as a City with both historic and contemporary artistic depth.
Public art installations played a significant role in animating the City centre and creating visible, lasting markers of the Festival.
The King Street mural delivered a transformative intervention within one of the City’s characterful cultural quarters. This was a 45meter design. Designed to enhance the streetscape and celebrate creativity in the everyday urban environment, the mural provided both a focal point and a long-term legacy piece. By embedding art directly into the public realm, the installation encouraged pause and engagement within the street, increased visual vibrancy and contributed to the ongoing regeneration narrative of the area.
Located within a key hospitality corridor, the mural supported surrounding businesses by:
Enhancing the overall atmosphere and identity of King Street
Creating a destination point that encouraged movement into the area
Increasing dwell time and social sharing through photo engagement
Strengthening the perception of the street as a creative and cultural hub
The mural extends beyond the Festival period, acting as a permanent cultural asset that continues to benefit businesses and visitors alike.
Jack Hathway-Neville, General Manager of d’Aarry’s "We're really happy at d'Arry's that the mural went ahead and are over the moon with the outcome! King street has always been off the beaten track a little bit but has a huge amount of road traffic, so we're really hopeful that this will guide some of those users to stop and appreciate what amazing things King street has to offer the centre of Cambridge"
Kathryn Smart, Domestic Bursar at Sidney Sussex College - “The King Street Mural project has been a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with Cambridge BID on an initiative that celebrates the character and creativity of the area. Cambridge BID presented a clear and compelling case for how the mural would benefit King Street, and we were pleased to respond positively to that vision. As a college rooted in this part of the city, we’re always keen to support projects that enhance the environment we share. It was a pleasure to meet the artists, and we know our students and staff have enjoyed seeing the mural take shape”.
In addition, In Bloom at the Station transformed the gateway into Cambridge with a vibrant floral and artistic installation. In Bloom was made possible thanks to sponsorship secured from Cambridge offices - Mishcon de Reya, Charles Stanley and Preim / Encore.
Positioned at one of the City’s highest footfall entry points, the activation created an immediate sense of arrival and celebration for visitors and commuters. This installation extended the Festival footprint beyond the traditional retail core and reinforced the BID’s placemaking approach — ensuring the arts were visible from the moment people entered the City.
Together, these public art elements:
Enhanced key gateway and thoroughfare locations
Distributed cultural activity beyond core retail areas
Encouraged dwell time and repeat visits
Strengthened the Festival’s visual identity across the City
Delivered both short-term activation and long-term legacy impact
Workshops & Participatory Events
A key objective of the Festival was accessibility and participation. The programme successfully delivered a balanced mix of:
Bookable, ticketed workshops
Free drop-in sessions
Family-friendly creative activities
Specialist masterclasses and demonstrations
Several workshops reached capacity in advance, demonstrating strong demand for hands-on creative experiences. Free activities ensured inclusivity and helped attract new audiences into the City centre.
Performance & Cultural Experiences
Live cultural programming, including music, comedy and film screenings, broadened the Festival’s appeal and encouraged evening engagement. These events supported hospitality venues and extended dwell time beyond traditional daytime footfall patterns.
Collaborations with cultural organisations and creative collectives strengthened cross-sector relationships and diversified the Festival offer.
Business Engagement & City Animation
A core aim of the Festival was to integrate arts activity directly into the commercial environment. Businesses across the BID area hosted exhibitions, workshops and activations within their premises, increasing visibility and creating reasons for visitors to move between locations.
This approach:
Distributed footfall across multiple streets
Encouraged exploration beyond primary retail routes
Enhanced the atmosphere and vibrancy of the City centre
Created new partnerships between creatives and businesses
Artist & Business Feedback
A total of 46 responses were received from participating artists and venue partners across the Festival programme, representing a strong cross-section of events and venues.
Overall Experience
Feedback highlighted the value of the Festival in fostering connection across Cambridge’s creative community. Participants frequently referenced:
Feeling part of a wider city-wide arts activation
Exposure to new audiences
Opportunities to collaborate with other artists and venues
A positive atmosphere and strong visitor engagement
Many respondents described the Festival as well organised, supportive and professionally delivered.
Business & Creative Impact
When asked about benefits to their business or initiative
65% reported increased brand awareness
53% received positive customer feedback
44% experienced increased footfall
37% generated revenue
33% valued the opportunity to try something new
While commercial outcomes varied depending on event type, most participants reported reputational and visibility benefits.
Communication & Support
Support from the Cambridge BID team was rated highly.
67% rated communication as Excellent
28% rated it as Good
Feedback frequently praised clear communication and on-the-day support, with only minor suggestions around logistics clarity and pre-event information.
Future Improvements
Suggestions for future development focused on:
Increased external marketing and street-level signage
Clearer printed materials and wayfinding
Expanded programming and potential inclusion of additional cultural institutions
Operational refinements within some venues
Overall, the feedback demonstrates strong confidence in the Festival model, with 87% stating they would recommend partnering with Cambridge BID
The results confirm that Cambridge Arts Festival continues to provide meaningful value for participating artists and businesses, while offering clear opportunities for continued growth and refinement.
Audience & Engagement
Festival Engagement Overview
Cambridge Arts Festival 2026 welcomed over 2800 guests across the full programme of events, demonstrating strong appetite for arts and cultural activity within the City centre.
Through a carefully curated mix of bookable workshops, drop-in sessions, exhibitions and evening activations, the Festival successfully attracted a broad audience of residents, visitors and City centre workers. The programme balanced accessibility with specialist creative experiences, reinforcing the Festival’s objective to bring arts into the heart of Cambridge’s commercial core.
Opening Night
The Festival launched with a well-attended Opening Night at Clarendon Fine Art who sponsored Cambridge Art Festival, welcoming 45 invited guests and partners.
The event brought together businesses, cultural organisations, creatives and stakeholders, generating early momentum and raising awareness for the wider programme. The evening strengthened collaborative relationships and positioned the Festival as a key cultural moment within the BID calendar.
Phoebe Rouse, Gallery Manager at Clarendon Fine Art Cambridge- “It has been a fantastic opportunity to work with Cambridge BID as part of this year’s arts festival. We were proud to host the opening night of Cambridge Arts Festival, welcoming many key businesses and members of the city community. The Gallery Crawl was also a huge success, with around 80 people visiting our gallery alone, and it provided a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with fellow galleries. It was especially rewarding to see so many new faces discovering the gallery as part of the event.”
Art Makers Fair
Supported by Cambridge City Council
The Art Makers Fair was one of the strongest performing events within the programme, attracting over 700 visitors throughout the day.
Hosted in the Guildhall, the Fair showcased independent artists and makers while generating significant City centre activity. The scale of attendance highlights the demand for accessible, family-friendly arts programming and reinforces the value of partnership delivery.
The Fair acted as a central anchor event, drawing visitors into the City and encouraging onward movement to surrounding streets and businesses.
Gallery Crawl
The Gallery Crawl provided a coordinated evening activation across multiple venues, encouraging visitors to explore a curated trail of exhibitions and creative spaces. On average gallery saw approx. 454 guests across all galleries with an average 56 guest per venue.
The format successfully promoted cross-City movement, supported independent and national galleries and extended engagement into the early evening economy. By encouraging audiences to visit multiple locations in one experience, the Crawl strengthened the visibility of Cambridge’s gallery network and reinforced the Festival’s collaborative ethos.
Toby Hoten, Gallery Supervisor at Byard Art- “Byard are delighted to join the Cambridge Arts Festival and are particularly proud to have taken part in the Gallery Crawl. We are deeply invested in the creative and arts cultures of Cambridge, and jump at the opportunity, provided by the Arts Festival, to collaborate with our fellow galleries to enrich our shared goals. Promoting each other and lifting each other up helps us all rise and helps highlight what a special gallery community we have across the vibrant city centre of Cambridge.”
Audience Feedback
A total of 49 audience responses were received across multiple Festival events, representing a range of workshops, family activities and gallery-based experiences.
How Audiences Discovered the Festival
Audiences heard about events through a mix of digital, direct and incidental channels
Website – 14%
Facebook – 10%
Instagram – 8%
Word of mouth – 18%
Posters/flyers – 8%
Notably, over 40% selected “Other”, with many respondents stating they walked past the event, discovered it while visiting nearby locations, or attended via partner newsletters (including museum communications). This highlights the importance of visible, city-centre activation and strong venue partnerships in driving attendance.
Overall Experience
Audience satisfaction was exceptionally high
82% rated their experience as Excellent
18% rated it as Good
0% rated it Fair or Poor
Feedback frequently described events as welcoming, well organised, inclusive and engaging. Family-focused events were particularly well received, with several comments highlighting children’s enjoyment and appreciation for free activities during the school holidays.
Value for Time & Money
Perceived value was also very strong
88% rated value as Excellent
12% rated it as Good
Respondents particularly appreciated the accessibility of free events and the quality of facilitation in workshops and interactive sessions.
Venue & Delivery
Venue feedback was largely positive, with audiences describing locations as welcoming, accessible and well organised
A small number of comments referenced space constraints at popular workshops and a desire for longer session durations, indicating strong demand rather than dissatisfaction.
Feedback for artists and organisers was overwhelmingly complimentary, with frequent references to friendly facilitators, inclusive atmospheres and well-structured sessions.
City Centre Footfall
During the Festival period (9–18 February 2026), total recorded footfall across the Cambridge BID area was:
1,284,688 combined in/out movements
610,309 inbound movements
674,379 outbound movements
This reflects continued high levels of activity across the City centre during the February half-term period.
While year-on-year comparison shows an overall variance of -8.5% across the BID area, this aligns with broader national retail trends and seasonal fluctuation patterns.
Importantly, several key cultural and retail corridors demonstrated resilience and growth during the Festival period, including:
Rose Crescent: +16.1% combined movement
Bridge Street: +0.4% combined movement
Market Hill: strong overall activity with 160,403 movements recorded
These figures indicate targeted strength in areas closely aligned with Festival activity and hospitality locations.
The Arts Festival continues to play a strategic role in animating the City centre during a traditionally quieter trading period, supporting sustained engagement and reinforcing Cambridge’s cultural offer.
Cambridge Arts Festival Campaign (Online and Print)
Website Performance (January 1st – February 18th)
Between 1 January and 18 February 2026, the Cambridge Arts Festival Archive page generated 15,159 page views from 4,461 active users, representing a 38% increase in both traffic and audience size compared to the same period in 2025 (10,978 views; 3,216 users).
Engagement depth remained consistent at 3.4 pages per user, demonstrating sustained browsing behaviour and strong event discovery.
The page accounted for over a third of total Love Cambridge website traffic during this period, reinforcing the Arts Festival as the single largest digital driver across the platform.
Social Media Performance (20 Jan – 18 Feb 2026)
The Arts Festival campaign delivered significant growth across both Instagram and Facebook during the core promotional period.
161,316 views
15,000 reaches
3,600 interactions
98% of views were organic
147,089 views
45,590 viewers
13 hours of video watch time
Across both platforms, the campaign generated over 308,000 content views, with programme graphics and event-specific posts delivering the strongest engagement. Instagram demonstrated substantial organic growth, indicating strong audience resonance and effective content strategy.
Overall Online Campaign Assessment
The 2026 Cambridge Arts Festival campaign delivered strong digital performance across both website and social channels during the core promotional period.
Social media activity generated over 308,000 views across Instagram and Facebook, with significant increases in reach and engagement compared to the previous period. Instagram in particular saw substantial organic growth, indicating that content resonated well with audiences without heavy reliance on paid promotion.
This uplift translated into website performance, with the Arts Festival page recording a 38% year-on-year increase in page views and users. Visitors continued to browse multiple pages per session, demonstrating active event discovery and sustained interest in the programme.
Overall, the data shows healthy growth in awareness, audience engagement and digital reach, reinforcing the Arts Festival as one of the strongest-performing campaigns on the Love Cambridge platform.
Additional Marketing & PR Activity
Alongside digital promotion, the Cambridge Arts Festival campaign was supported through a range of external marketing and media activity to broaden reach across the City and region.
The festival was featured in Cambridge Edition and Cambridge Independent, providing valuable print and online coverage to local audiences. Broadcast coverage was also secured with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, helping to raise awareness of the programme and key events in the lead-up to the festival.
This combination of press, radio and digital activity ensured the campaign reached audiences across multiple channels, supporting strong overall visibility and engagement.
Conclusion
Cambridge Arts Festival 2026 successfully brought arts and creativity to the forefront of the City centre, delivering 25 events across 28 participating venues and welcoming over 1,200 engaged attendees throughout the programme.
The Festival demonstrated the value of integrating cultural activity directly within commercial spaces — enhancing City centre animation, encouraging movement between locations and supporting hospitality and retail corridors during the February period. Public art installations, including the King Street mural and In Bloom at the Station, created both immediate impact and legacy within key gateway and cultural areas.
Digitally, the campaign delivered significant growth, with a 38% year-on-year increase in website traffic and over 308,000 social media views, reinforcing the
Arts Festival as one of the strongest-performing initiatives on the Love Cambridge platform.
Overall, Cambridge Arts Festival continues to strengthen partnerships, elevate the City’s cultural profile and play a strategic role in enhancing vibrancy within the Cambridge BID area.
