Where We Learnt explores Peterborough’s rich educational journey—from the 1960s to today’s dynamic learning communities. It’s more than books and blackboards; it’s where futures took shape, friendships blossomed, and lessons went far beyond the classroom.

From the structure of grammar schools to the spirit of 1970s comprehensives, Peterborough’s schools have mirrored the changing times. Remember school dinners at Deacon’s, debates in sixth form at Hereward, or rehearsals at Ken Stimpson? These were shared moments in a city growing through learning.

Interactive exhibits will bring the decades to life with recreated classrooms, vintage uniforms, classic lunch menus, and retro playground games. Visitors can share memories via storytelling booths, digital “blackboards,” and archive contributions.

We’ll also chart the rise of further education—from early technical colleges to Peterborough College and ARU Peterborough—showcasing how vocational training and university access opened doors for generations of local talent.

City-wide reunions in Queensgate will unite classmates from across the years with music, film, workshops, and performances. A tribute wall will honour unforgettable educators who made lasting impacts.

The exhibition also celebrates youth groups, Scouts, Guides, cadets, and after-school clubs—spaces where young people found confidence, friendship, and purpose.

The festival finale turns to today’s learners—from children to adult students and apprentices—showing that Peterborough’s story is one of lifelong learning, with its brightest chapter still to come.

Where We Worked is a heartfelt celebration of Peterborough’s working life—from factory floors to office desks, building sites to shop counters. It’s about the places that shaped our days, the colleagues who became friends, and the pride we took in a job well done.

Journey through the city’s industrial past—from the roar of Perkins and Baker Perkins to the pulse of the railways, the bustle of the Evening Telegraph, and the quiet dedication of NHS staff. These were more than workplaces—they were places to grow, laugh, protest, and share life’s big moments.

Peterborough’s workforce has always been shaped by migration. Post-war Italian brickmakers, followed by South Asian, Portuguese, and Eastern European communities, brought skills, culture, and heart to local industries—from care homes to classrooms.

Festival reunions will reconnect old colleagues from factories, shops, and offices. Expect stories, familiar faces, and maybe the odd badge or uniform pulled from the back of a drawer. Visitors can add their own stories to a growing archive.

We’ll honour lost retailers like Woolworths, the Co-op and C&A through immersive displays, shop roleplay for kids, and tales from behind the counter. Social clubs—darts nights, seaside trips, and dance halls—will also be remembered, where workmates became lifelong mates.

The exhibition also salutes local shopkeepers, tailors, florists, and entrepreneurs whose businesses stitched the community together—often across generations or started by newcomers seeking a fresh start.

More than nostalgia, Where We Worked is a tribute to the graft, resilience, and community spirit of the people who helped build Peterborough’s identity—one shift, one sale, one tea break at a time.

Where We Played is a love letter to how Peterborough came together to let loose—from 1960s dance halls to today’s global mix of music and culture. Across decades, the city built a scene that was loud, proud, and all its own.

We’ll chart the musical journey that helped shape the city—from ballroom beats at the Embassy and Palais to the packed punk, ska and reggae nights at Wirrina Stadium. These weren’t just nights out—they were defining moments. From Bowie at the ABC to The Kinks, Iron Maiden, The Clash and Motörhead, Peterborough consistently punched above its weight.

As the decades rolled on, venues like Fifth Avenue, The Park and The Attic gave space to hip hop, indie and electronic scenes. Local bands rose, DIY cultures thrived, and youth found a voice through music.

Queensgate’s atriums will come alive with performances and exhibits moving through the decades—from Northern Soul spins and punk sets to jungle, rap and more. Listening corners and storytelling booths will capture the gigs we still talk about.

We will also shine a spotlight on Peterborough’s professional sports teams and their fans—from the speedway roar of the Panthers to the passion of Posh supporters. These shared highs and heartbreaks brought communities together.

But it wasn’t all about stages and stadiums. Where We Played also honours the places where the city relaxed and connected—the Lido, the Showground, ABC matinees, pedal boats at Ferry Meadows, school discos and picnics in the park.

From mosh pits to match days, roller rinks to skipping ropes, Where We Played is a joyful celebration of the ways Peterborough partied, played, and came together.

As part of This is Peterborough! — a celebration of our city’s culture, heritage, and identity over the past six decades — Queensgate Shopping Centre will become a vibrant canvas for creativity, hosting a series of pop-up galleries where local artists can showcase and sell their work.

These galleries will reflect Peterborough’s dynamic artistic voice, featuring both fine and traditional artworks as well as bold, contemporary street art. By placing these works in the heart of the city’s retail centre, we’re putting creativity on display where thousands live, work, and shop — removing the barriers between artist and audience, and sparking everyday encounters with culture.

Each gallery space will spotlight emerging and established artists from across the region, offering a platform to engage new audiences and create economic opportunities through art sales. It’s more than an exhibition — it’s an invitation to see Peterborough differently.

Art is a cornerstone of the festival because it captures the energy and stories of each era we’re celebrating — from the industrial boom of the 1960s through to today’s diverse and digitally connected communities. The visual arts will help tell those stories, capturing everything from working-class pride to punk rebellion, multicultural pride to green futures.

By empowering local creators and bringing art into the everyday, this project invites everyone to be part of Peterborough’s evolving cultural story.

Cinema has always been more than just entertainment. It’s a mirror to our times, a collective memory bank, and one of the most powerful cultural forces of the last century. As part of the This is Peterborough! Festival, we’re proud to present a curated film programme in partnership with Odeon and Film Peterborough, celebrating the role of cinema in shaping and reflecting the city’s evolving identity—decade by decade.

The newly launched Odeon IMAX, housed within Queensgate, stands as a state-of-the-art symbol of Peterborough’s future-facing ambition. But it also carries the torch of a rich cinematic legacy. Just a short walk away, the building now known as the New Theatre once housed Peterborough’s original Odeon cinema, opened in 1937 and operating for over 60 years. That original Odeon was a cultural landmark—grand, bustling, and beloved—etched into the memories of generations who queued for blockbusters, romances, war epics and matinees. It was where film met community, and where stories on screen sparked stories in life.

This year’s festival honours that legacy while ushering it into the present.

A Chronological Reel of a City’s Story

The Film Festival will run throughout the wider festival’s duration, tracing the cinematic eras from the 1960s to the present day. Throughout the festival, the Odeon IMAX invites audiences to explore different decades—not only through iconic feature films, but also via local shorts, archive footage, and filmed oral histories that place Peterborough’s own story into frame.

From the swinging 60s and the age of optimism to the gritty realism of the 70s, the high-gloss escapism of the 80s, the indie surge of the 90s, and the globalised, digital-first storytelling of the 21st century, cinema has been both a time capsule and a touchstone. As the city transformed—from post-war industrial growth to a modern, multicultural, and tech-savvy hub—film has provided a backdrop, a soundtrack, and a voice.

Partners in Production and Place

The festival is delivered in collaboration with:

Odeon, whose new IMAX cinema brings cutting-edge projection and immersive sound to the heart of the city, positioning Peterborough as a destination for premium film experiences.

Film Peterborough, the newly launched film commission run by Peterborough City Council, which champions the city as a place to create, showcase, and celebrate film.

Through this collaboration, the festival becomes not just a celebration of cinema, but a call to action for filmmakers, artists, and audiences across Peterborough to embrace film as part of their cultural expression and economic future.

Cinema as Collective Memory

The inclusion of Peterborough’s former Odeon—the original cathedral of celluloid dreams—as a reference point reinforces the festival’s deeper purpose: connecting past and future. It reminds us that cinema is not a luxury or a footnote in culture—it is culture. It is where we remember who we were, dream about who we might become, and sit side-by-side with neighbours and strangers alike to laugh, cry, think, and escape.

In the heart of the city, in a brand new screen palace just minutes from the site of the original, This is Peterborough! invites you to journey through time, one frame at a time.

Music and dance are among the most powerful cultural expressions we share—joyful, rhythmic, and deeply rooted in tradition. As part of the This is Peterborough! Festival, we’re excited to launch a new partnership with the International Council of Organisations of Traditional Arts Festivals (CIOFF), welcoming world-class music and dance ensembles from across the globe to perform right here in the city.

Each year, CIOFF artists will bring the pulse of their cultures to our streets and stages—from the high-energy footwork of Eastern Europe to the rich percussion of Africa, the colour and pageantry of South America to the precision of East Asia. These performances go beyond entertainment—they celebrate global diversity, foster connection, and energise the city with vibrant, authentic artistry.

A City that Dances to a Global Beat

Peterborough is uniquely positioned for this kind of exchange. Our own rich mix of cultures means visiting performers will find not only new audiences, but familiar faces and shared roots. These concerts and dance events are more than international—they’re personal, local, and reflective of the communities that already shape Peterborough’s identity.

Visiting groups will be hosted at the Park Inn Hotel, ideally located near key venues and city attractions. It will serve as a welcoming hub for rehearsals, rest, and cultural connection—turning accommodation into part of the experience.

From Hosts to Headliners: Peterborough Goes Global

But we’re not stopping at hosting. A key part of our vision is to develop a Peterborough-based music and dance ensemble that can represent the city—and the UK—on the international CIOFF circuit. This group will draw from our local talent and diverse communities to create something truly distinctive, touring across continents and sharing Peterborough’s creativity on a world stage.

It’s about cultural exchange—but it’s also about ambition, training, opportunity, and pride.

Leadership Through Performance

Peterborough is currently the only UK city involved in the CIOFF network. That brings a unique opportunity: to lead, to collaborate, and to define what international cultural partnership can look like in a modern British city.

By embedding CIOFF into the annual This is Peterborough! Festival, we’re building a new platform for cultural tourism, performance, and exchange—one that strengthens our identity at home and abroad.

This is Peterborough. The rhythm is global. The stage is ours!

Junior Historians is a bold invitation for children to become the storytellers of Peterborough’s past, present and future—capturing the lived experience of a changing city through young eyes and curious minds.

This flagship festival project, developed with Soke Academy Trust and Inspire Education Group, equips Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils with creative tools to explore their family and local history. From playground tales and fashion fads to first homes and favourite shops, the everyday becomes extraordinary when seen through the lens of childhood memory.

Rooted in the theme Where We Learnt, the project celebrates learning beyond the classroom—through grandparents’ stories, community traditions, music collections, and street games passed down through generations.

Children across the city will take part in interviews, draw memory maps, create zines, and record oral histories. With their families’ help, they’ll uncover migration journeys, local heroes, and snapshots of life in the 1960s, ’80s, 2000s and today.

Their work will be showcased through exhibitions, pop-ups, and digital displays across festival venues—with a ceremonial time capsule burial at Peterborough Cathedral ensuring these voices become part of our civic story.

This isn’t just a school project. It’s a living archive in the making. Junior Historians places children at the heart of how we remember, connect and create meaning together.

Whether they’re mapping corner shops from memory or drawing the house their dad grew up in, Peterborough’s youngest citizens will help write the city’s unofficial history—one sketch, sentence and conversation at a time.

Junior Historians is a joyful act of discovery—linking generations, celebrating diversity, and reminding us that the story of Peterborough belongs to us all.