There will be a wide variety of events taking place across the UK as part of Creativity & Wellbeing Week 2020, including exhibitions, workshops, talks and performances, which anyone can attend.

All events are published on our website. You can search below by interest, region and suitability, making it easy to find the perfect event for you.

Attending is a rewarding experience: in 2019, 92% of people who attended the events said the week improved their understanding of the benefits of arts, culture and creativity on health and wellbeing.

Blog: By Lucy Adams, Volunteer and Instagram Guru

Thinking of getting involved in Creativity & Wellbeing Week as a participant? Here’s what you can expect.

Last year, 50,880 people attended events during Creativity & Wellbeing Week and 92% said the week improved their understanding of the benefits of arts, culture and creativity on health and wellbeing.

This year the festival, which will run from 18-24 May 2020, is set to be bigger and better than ever, focusing on reaching out to more people, working towards positive futures and covering a variety of important issues, from mental health to climate change. It will also be aligned closer to the Get Creative and Age of Creativity festivals, making May a month of creativity.

As the festival gets bigger, getting involved in Creativity & Wellbeing Week has never been easier, but it can be difficult to know where to begin if you’re taking part for the first time.

I had my first experience of the week in 2019. I had just started volunteering with London Arts and Health and was excited to get involved. I was amazed at the range of activities that took place in that one week. There were over 600 events across the UK and there truly was something for everyone, including exhibitions, workshops, talks and performances on a wide variety of areas linked to creativity and health. It really opened my eyes to the number of groups and organisations out there dedicated to supporting wellbeing and the full range of ways to participate.

The events varied in terms of size and how to attend. There were informal events where you could turn up at any time and then there were larger events where you had to book a place in advance. This is the beauty of the week: you can choose whatever works best for you based on your schedule and your interests. You can dedicate a whole chunk of your day or evening to a big event, or you can just pop into something quickly on your lunch break! You can attend lots of different events covering a wide range of subjects, or you can just pick one or two you’re most interested in.

I found that the events really were for everyone. Some attendees were professionals heavily involved in the industry, but others were just members of the public curious to know more. Despite volunteering, I was still relatively new to it all, but I found the events very welcoming and inclusive, and they really helped enhance my understanding of the different ways creativity can impact wellbeing.

And the week didn’t just include events – there were also online challenges. Last year, followers on social media were asked to share photos and videos of creative activities that supported their wellbeing. It was wonderful to see the variety of responses to this. So, even if you’re not able to attend in person, there are a variety of ways you can participate in the festival and engage in creativity.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the events this year there are a number of ways you can keep up to date with news and information about the festival:

• You can easily search for events on the Creativity & Wellbeing website by interest, region and suitability.
• Follow [LAHF] on social media  and follow the hashtag #creativityandwellbeing.
  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
• Sign up for the newsletter.

I hope to see you all during Creativity & Wellbeing Week 2020!