ARK marked both Fun Palaces and the culmination of Our Freedom: Then and Now with a vibrant re‑opening weekend filled with free events and performances for all ages. Across three days, the cultural space welcomed visitors to explore creativity, community and the many interpretations of freedom.

The celebrations opened on Friday 3 October with the launch of ARK’s newly created Freedom Garden, developed in response to Simon Armitage’s poem Freedom Road. The evening continued with Freedom’s Just Another Word, a programme of music and spoken word featuring Morag Butler, Curley Wordy, Nata and Wyatt Riot.

Saturday offered hands‑on animation workshops with theatre company 1927, followed by a lively community ceilidh led by Bower Street Morris and Ash Mukherjee. On Sunday, audiences were invited into the world of Caspian’s Storm by LAStheatre, before the weekend drew to a close with Machloket, produced by Take Stock. This final event brought together Nick Cassenbaum and Tash Hyman for an evening of food, live music and conversation exploring the diversity of the UK’s Jewish diaspora.

The weekend showcased ARK’s commitment to accessible, community‑centred arts programming, offering a rich mix of creativity, performance and shared experience.