The new Cambridge playlaws are being officially launched at a free two-day play event this weekend featuring the ‘Playbox’ – a 20-foot shipping container full of fun activities for people of all ages and sensibilities.

Everyone is welcome to drop in to the Playbox, at Cambridge Leisure, at any time between 12 and 4pm on Friday (4 October) or Saturday to enjoy free play activities and to be among the first in the city to have fun with the new playlaws.

The playlaws are a set of rules that will be displayed as plaques around the city centre to encourage passersby to connect with their playful selves: to do something playful, silly or fanciful; to recall memories of playing out in the past; or to reimagine public spaces as more playful places.

Following a summer of fun in 2023 where 4,500 people took part in play activities, 80 people shared their memories of play, and 450 new ‘playlaws’ were suggested, the Cambridge Playlaws team has been installing the final playlaws in locations across the city over the past fortnight, ahead of this weekend’s launch event.

The Cambridge playlaws

The plaques are numbered 1 to 10.6 and are arranged in a suggested route from Cambridge Railway Station. 

• Googly eyes, at Cambridge Railway Station: a spot of silliness in a serious civic space. In the summer of play, Sophie (aged 8) added googly eyes, colourful materials and a sign saying ‘hug me’ to a piece of industrial heritage (the Turntable Pivot Cone on Wiggle Bottom Park).
• Wiggle Bottom Park, on the lawn behind the Clayton Hotel, CB1: suggested by Ella (aged 4) and her Dad who attended the summer of play and suggested this name as a bit of fun and even came up with a dance.
• Mary played on haybales here in 1959, at the Travelodge, Cambridge Leisure Park: Mary, her sister and friend played in the haybales here when she was a child in 1959 when it used to be the Cattle Market.
• Loiter well, at Cambridge Junction: young people loiter in this space but often feel self-conscious, under surveillance and fearful of being moved on. These days loitering is associated with anti-social behaviour – but it actually means ‘to stand or wait around without apparent purpose’.
• Salute the first bird you see, on the railings of Coleridge Recreation Ground: suggested by a member of the public during the summer of play. In common superstition, we usually salute magpies in an attempt to ward off bad luck, but this playlaw calls for a greeting to all birds, by way of respect and friendship.
• Champion beers and bottle top bling, at Dales Brewery, Gwydir Street: during the summer of play Robin shared his memories of playing out here in the 1950s, collecting beer bottle tops from the brewery and fashioning them on pullovers to create a ‘classy and colourful look’.
• Can you do a 360 flip?, on the railings next to the skate park on Donkey Common: a three sixty flip is a skateboarding trick that combines a 360 pop shove-it and a kickflip. Invented by American Rodney Mullen, it’s probably the most recognisable street trick and involves flipping the skateboard 360 degrees both long ways and side ways.
• Make big strides, entrance to Parker’s Piece on Gonville Place: suggested by a member of the public during the summer of play. Making big strides is a playful act in itself, but it’s also an invitation to be forward thinking and push boundaries.
• Jumpers for goalposts, entrance to Parker’s Piece on Gonville Place (near public toilets): in one of the playful memories submitted last summer, Owen recalls informal games of football on Parker’s Piece where people learned to be together and new friendships were forged. A city where you could play football anywhere, anytime with anyone, with jumpers for goal posts.
• Every puddle must be jumped in, entrance to Vicar’s Brook at Brooklands Avenue / Trumpington Road: commanded by Harry (aged 2), raising up the voice of the child in a public realm where children and play aren’t valued or even considered.
• Why here and not there?, Leys School Wall on The Fen Causeway: inspired by the way the Cambridge Playlaws public art project has been funded from Section 106 developer contributions, ring-fenced for use within a 2 km diameter circle emanating from a development on Warren Close.

There will be 10.6 plaques installed in total: 10 complete plaques and 0.6 of a plaque that will be just over half legible. The 0.6 of a plaque is a nod to the way the project has been funded, through ‘Section 106’ developer contributions. These developer contributions are secured by the council through the planning process, with the funding having to be used specifically on public art projects that benefit communities living near development sites. There are Section 106 contributions sought for other types of project, but those are separate agreements and don’t impact on the funding made available for public art.

Anyone who sees one of the new playlaws in situ will be able to follow a QR code on the plaque to find out more about the stories behind the playlaws.