What’s on as the Let’s Go Circular sustainability festival returns to Grand Arcade in Cambridge for 2024
The Grand Arcade’s award-winning sustainability festival, Let’s Go Circular, has returned for its third year and will feature a host of workshops, pop-up stalls and exhibitions.
With a packed programme running until 10 November, the annual celebration of sustainability at the Cambridge shopping centre features organisations showcasing innovative and creative ways to embed circular economic initiatives into everyday lives.
Workshops will teach valuable practices such as reducing food waste, repairing and upcycling items, extending the lifespan of clothing, promoting wildlife regeneration at home and calculating personal carbon footprints.
A swap shop and music instrument repair day are among the other events lined up for Let’s Go Circular, which last month won The Green Award at the Cambridge Independent Business Awards 2024.
Martin Macwhinnie, general manager at Grand Arcade, said: “We are thrilled to be able to extend Let’s Go Circular this year. The event is Grand Arcade’s pledge to sustainability, so it’s rewarding to see it inspire such increased environmental concern amongst the local community.”
The Grand Arcade is promising events to suit music lovers, eco-enthusiasts, fashionistas, arts and crafts fanatics and animal lovers in the line-up. Organisations taking part will include Millers Music, RetroGusto, Flora Laura, Sew Positive, Donna Tweedale, Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Cambridgeshire Libraries, Climate Fresk, Natural Bodycare by Ros, the local artist Kelly Briggs, The Junk Trunk, Verte, Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT), Future We Want, University of Cambridge Museums and The Museum of Zoology.
Meanwhile, Beyond Retro will be taking over the unit previously occupied by Ted Baker.
Julie Kervadec, marketing manager at Grand Arcade, said: “Let’s Go Circular is such a good opportunity for us to utilise our community influence for good. As a shopping centre with a city centre location, we are fortunate to welcome and engage with people from all demographics every day. So, when we host this event, we make the most out of these diverse crowds by ensuring the workshops and activities on offer cater to all, with the hope that everyone has something of interest they can engage with to inspire them to live sustainably.
“Being the first shopping centre in the UK to focus on the circular economy, we take huge pride in using our platform and influence to set a new standard for how sustainability should be approached and practised within the retail industry. We hope our initiatives are something that inspire other shopping centres to follow suit.”
What’s coming up
Sat 26 Oct
Autumn floral wreath-making workshop
Care & Repairs workshop
Understanding climate change workshop
How bad are bananas? Interactive game
Sun 27 Oct
Personal styling Sunday
Mon 28 Oct
Upcycling, slow stitching and pop-up sale
Tue 29 Oct
Leaf lanterns workshop
Wed 30 Oct
Music instruments repairs with Millers Music and piano equals
Thu 31 Oct
Halloween floral pumpkin workshop
Circular Halloween headwear workshop
Fri 1 Nov
Create your own earth dumpling workshop
Circular headwear workshop
Wildlife regeneration pop-up stall
Adapt! pop-up stall
Sat 2 Nov-Sun 3 Nov
Swap shop
Sun 10 Nov
Pre-loved fashion pop-up
Some workshops require booking. Visit grandarcade.co.uk/events/lets-go-circular/ for all the details, or to book.
