Peterborough comes together at Open Street Art Festival
Cathedral Square came alive with colour, creativity and community spirit as the Open Street Art Festival 2026, organised by The Culture Door, brought together local artists, families and visitors for a free day of art, culture and connection.
The festival created an open and welcoming space where people of all ages and abilities could meet local artists, discover different creative traditions and try new art forms. With all materials provided, visitors were encouraged not simply to watch, but to get involved and create.
An exceptional group of local artists and creatives shared their skills throughout the day, including Hoor (Calligraphy), Roland (African Art), Ann Bellamy (Tin Foil Craft), Madhu (Textile Craft), Chaitali (Alpana Floor Art), Khadijah (Paper Craft), Shahnaz (Glass Bead Jewellery Making), Sukina (Mandala Art), Meenakshi (Face Painting) and Dee Trajdos and Gurdeep Kaur (Zentangle Drawing) and Dee Trajdos (Street Chalk Art), alongside High Heritage and creative activities for children.
One of the highlights was seeing creativity extend across Cathedral Square itself. Street Chalk Art with artist Dee Trajdos transformed the pavement into a shared canvas, with children, adults and passers-by joining in and adding their own drawings. Cathedral Square's pavement became a colourful shared canvas as children, adults and passers-by picked up chalk and joined in. The creativity even turned into play, with people enjoying a traditional game of hopscotch drawn right there in the square.
The event demonstrated how art can bring different generations and communities together - encouraging people to share skills, celebrate cultural traditions, have fun and make new connections.
A Culture Door said spokesperson : “It was wonderful to see Cathedral Square become a place where everyone could be creative. People didn’t just come to look at art - they made it, shared it, played together and connected with each other through it. This is what the Open Street Art Festival is about: Create, Explore and Connect.”
The Culture Door would like to thank all the talented artists, volunteers, community partners, families and everyone who came along and took part. Special thanks also go to the Peterborough Together Project for supporting the publicity and helping spread the word across the city.
The success of the day highlighted the wealth of creative talent within Peterborough and the importance of making arts and cultural experiences accessible, inclusive and visible in public spaces.