a nationwide cooling network of cultural venues offering the public refuge during heat waves.
The UK’s extreme temperatures this week have highlighted just how critical it is to ensure there are safe, accessible spaces to cool off and escape the heat, which is why we’re re-launching the Cool Off in Culture campaign, in partnership with the BFI, Arts Council England, and LIVE Green.
Cool Off in Culture transform’s the UK’s cultural venues into a national cooling network offering refuge from the heat with air conditioning, shaded seating or free water refills. From museums and theatres to heritage landmarks, participating cultural venues providing welcoming spaces where people can escape extreme heat in their local communities appear on our Cool Off in Culture map.
Venues will also have access to a free marketing toolkit to promote your venue as a cool and welcoming space, created with clean air non-profit LIVE+BREATHE and designed by Fiona Quadri and KIILU from Rosko Studio.
Example ‘Fantasy Map’ and design assets available for participating venues to customise, created by LIVE+BREATHE.
We’re also partnering with dropcast to offer venues the option to display their venue on outdoor media screens nearby the moment temperatures exceed 28°C more than once in a 48hr period.
Venues can also download a copy of the new Heat adaptation guide for Arts & Cultural Organisations, a practical, building-focused strategy manual with case studies, developed by Shade the UK and co-commissioned by BFI, and Southbank and Waterloo Sustains Us.
Cultural venues are more than spaces for art and creativity – they are essential climate resilience infrastructure and community hubs. As extreme heat becomes a public health reality, Cool Off in Culture transforms our museums, cinemas, and theatres into a national cooling network. The campaign is another testament to how the creative sector actively drives climate action and enables community resilience. When the heat rises, we are opening our doors to provide a model for a climate-just world.
Laura Pando, Interim CEO at Julie’s Bicycle
The campaign was welcomed by UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction Special Representative Kamal Kishore on Friday 26 June at London Climate Action Week during a week of record-breaking temperatures and red health warnings.
Spread the word