Fun Palaces is an ongoing campaign for community at the heart of culture and culture at the heart of every community – led by and for that community, and an annual Weekend of Celebration – arts, science, craft, tech, digital, heritage and sports events and activities – run by and for local communities. Fun Palaces are free to enter and free to take part in.

Lauren Jansen-Parkes, Community Engagement and Volunteer Officer for the Everything to Everybody Project said: “We are so excited to be bringing our first ever Fun Palace to the Library of Birmingham celebrating everything great, creative, playful and educational in our communities. Fun Palaces are about reclaiming culture as something that belongs to everyone, and that everyone can make and be part of – which is at the heart of Everything to Everybody too. It’s free, and everyone is invited – we look forward to seeing you there!”

The Everything to Everybody team have worked with partners and community groups to create a Fun Palace programme that includes: Clay bust making, quill writing and seal making with Shakespeare Birthplace Trust; Printing and storytelling with Birmingham Centre for Arts Therapies; Hip Hop Workshops* with Told By An Idiot; Spoken word and poetry with Kurly; Shakespeare and Bollywood with Desiblitz; History workshops from The REP volunteers*; Poster making and language chain – connecting all 94 languages featured in the Shakespeare Collection – with Berzt Associates; Puppet theatre and research skills with the Jewellery Quarter Research Trust; Drama workshops with Lightpost; Scrapbooking, badge making and other crafts; Storytime with LoB Librarians; Tactile Gallery from Sense Arts; Birmingham Archives Treasure Hunt; and Collections Open Day – see original items from the Shakespeare Memorial Collection!*

Whilst all events are free, those with a * can be booked in advance via Eventbrite.

Whilst at the Everything to Everybody Fun Palace visitors can also make their way to Everything to Everybody: Your Shakespeare, Your Culture. The free exhibition on Level 3 at the Library of Birmingham runs until November. Free to visit, the exhibition is a collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Everything to Everybody Project and is presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

The Everything to Everybody Project is an ambitious celebration of one of the UK’s most important cultural assets: the Birmingham Shakespeare Memorial Library – not just the first great Shakespeare library in the world but also the only great Shakespeare collection which belongs to all the people of a city.

A collaboration between the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council, with funding contributed by National Lottery Heritage Fund and History West Midlands, Everything to Everybody gives this uniquely democratic Shakespeare heritage back to people and communities across Birmingham.