Step away from the festival buzz and discover the Calm Zone – a welcoming space dedicated to wellbeing, creativity, learning and community connection. Hosted by Jean Stokes Community Centre and a wide range of local organisations, the Calm Zone offers information, support, creative activities and opportunities to connect with services that help strengthen community wellbeing.

Moments of Stillness with Church on the Corner

Take a gentle pause from the festival and join Church on the Corner for a moment of calm in the heart of the Calm Zone. Through two short guided sessions, you’ll be invited to slow down, breathe deeply and enjoy a space for reflection, gratitude and renewal. Whether you stay for a few minutes or the full session, it’s an opportunity to refresh your body, mind and spirit before returning to the festival.

The Bemerton Good Neighbours Scheme

They will be showcasing the wide range of activities, services and support available at the Jean Stokes Community Centre, encouraging local residents to connect with their community and discover what’s on offer. Visitors can pick up activity timetables, learn more about the Good Neighbours Scheme, and meet the team. There will also be a selection of bargain items for sale, including clothes, toys, bags and shoes, all priced at just £1. Families can enjoy a free arts and crafts activity for children while parents and carers find out more about local support services and opportunities to get involved.

Help On Your Door Step

This amazing group will be connecting with Islington residents to raise awareness of the support, advice and community services available locally. Visitors can meet the team, learn more about the organisation’s work, and sign up for newsletters and social media updates. The HOYD stall will offer a welcoming space to find out about local opportunities, access practical support and build community connections. Alongside information and advice, there will be a range of fun, family-friendly activities, including a smoothie bike, face painting and a spin-the-wheel game, providing something for all ages to enjoy.

Centre 404

Leave your thoughts on the Centre 404 Wish Tree.

UCL’s Design a Healthier City: A Co-Creation Lab

Design your own healthier neighbourhood through an interactive city-building challenge exploring housing, green space, mental health, air quality and community services.

Weeds School

Learn about herbs and flavour at Weeds School’s free seasoning-making workshops, where you’ll create your own blend to take home.

Varya Hot Yoga

Unwind with Varya Hot Yoga, offering playful yoga challenges, prizes and opportunities to experience relaxation.

Join the Institute of Physics, the Royal Veterinary College and friends for some free, family-friendly science! Get hands on with science, physics, and medicine, meet amazing scientists and take part in games, experiments and activities for all the family. Bring your curiosity to Cally Fest and visit the Discovery Zone!

Mimi’s Big Earth Adventure

Local Cally Road science-lovers at the Institute of Physics have a brand new set of amazing activities – all about the amazing physics of our planet. Come along to meet Mimi, the storybook character with loads of curiosity and some very adventurous friends! What’s the difference between a volcano and a mountain. Why do earthquakes happen? What kind of weather comes from space? Let’s find out by going on a planet-wide adventure with art and crafts and hands-on activities for the whole family.



Exploring How We Hear

Join researchers from University College London to explore how the brain influences what we hear, helping us to understand speech in noisy environments. Try mind-blowing auditory illusions and speech-perception challenges, and learn about the science behind them. Last but not least, check out 3D models of the ear and brain, and challenge yourself with a quiz full of amazing facts about hearing.



🐾 Future vets and animal lovers, this one’s for you!

Come along to meet staff from the Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital, chat with them about your pets or favourite animals, and watch Pet First Aid Show demos on the mini stage, hosted by their students. As ever you can get hands-on with popular vet skills activities and unique science anatomy specimens.



Recovery of the Built Environment for Public Good

Discover Caledonian Road from a new perspective with UCL researchers showcasing stunning aerial photography and drone survey footage of the area’s historic buildings. Explore a fascinating exhibition of high-resolution images and learn how this work supports the conservation of the neighbourhood’s rich architectural heritage. Celebrate the beauty and history of the Cally while discovering how research can help protect it for future generations.



Pack The First Aid Kit!

Can you match today’s first aid equipment with the items used in the past and make sure our volunteers from different eras are packed and ready for a day of first aid? Discover how first aid has changed over the years, meet friendly St John Ambulance volunteers, learn more about the Museum of the Order of St John, and get creative by designing your very own triangular bandage to take home.



✨ It’s free, it’s fascinating, and it’s made for everyone. Come get curious in the Discovery Zone!

Where Cally’s Voices Come Alive
Curated by poet Paul Lyalls, the Story Street Stage celebrates Cally’s voices. Stories, poetry, choirs and spoken word take centre stage.

Sandra Agard – legendary Caribbean storyteller, poet & playwright

Sandra Agard’s poetry and short stories have been published in a range of publications, including Black Lives Matter: Poems for a New World. Her plays have been performed at leading venues such as the Royal Court Young People’s Theatre, Polka Theatre and Lyric Hammersmith. She has also led creative arts residencies and educational programmes for organisations including the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, Ministry of Stories and The Story Museum.

Some Voices Choir

‘Some Voices’ are Europe’s most exciting pop choir with over 2,500 members. Some Voices has a signature style of performing original arrangements of popular songs, ranging from Bowie to Bjork, from Stevie Wonder to Stevie Nicks, from Folk to Hip Hop, and everything in between, to invoke that feel-good feeling. Their choir welcomes all adults over 18 to join – there are no auditions, no need to read music and no prior experience required – just a love for music and singing!

Finding the Poem – Writing Room

Featuring Roger Huddle, Nina Pattani & Ada Ashik. Pull up a hay bale & enjoy!

David Floyd ‘ Book Launch’

“David Floyd’s debut poetry collection excels in its sharp observation of the absurd. While Floyd finds plenty of subjects to satirise from office politics to our collective inability to tackle the climate crisis, he does so with a lightness of touch and an unfailing ability to surprise with his brilliant originality.”- Lisa Kelly

Odd Eyes Theatre

Watch this dynamic group blur the lines between theatre and real life, bringing community stories to the stage in surprising and powerful ways with their performance “Floodshare” about the flood in the Cally.

All Change Arts

Discover Bold Brave Wonder Women, presented by All Change, celebrating inspiring women from Islington’s past and present.

• 1pm Stuart Low Trust Choir
• 1:30pm Sandra Agard legendary African Storyteller
• 2pm Thornhill Primary School poets
• 2:30pm All Change Arts present ‘Bold Brave Wonder Women’
• 3pm Stuart Low Trust Poets
• 3:30pm David Floyd Poetry book launch
• 4pm Finding The Poem poetry group
• 4:30pm Some Voices Choir
• 5pm Stuart Low Trust Drama and the Odd Eyes Theatre present “FLOODSHARE”

Get creative at the Artsy Block Party, a colourful celebration of art, making and community for all ages. Join artist Chelsie Mok to create a traditional Hong Kong flower plaque, contribute to Freya Palmer’s live portrait of Cally Festival, and discover knitting, crochet, embroidery and crafting with Clock Tower Knit Nat group, whose work inspired this year’s festival artwork. Explore the Cally Connects Us display celebrating local heroes through community-created art, and add some sparkle to your day with glitter tattoos from Bright Futures.

This year’s highlights include:




🏠 Draw the Place You Love: What Does Home Mean to You?

Craft-based reflection led by Migrant Research Unite (UCL), inviting you to express what home means through drawing, writing, and collage.



🌀 Children’s Co-Design Lab with Natalie Brown

A creative three-part workshop where children:
– Reimagine local spaces using a large map and prompts
– Build models with clay and recycled materials
– Share stories and quotes to form a growing mural of community dreams



🛠️ Bridging Gaps by Isobel Mills & Ellen Ninkivell

A feminist building workshop exploring access, skill-sharing, and collective making. Girls and women are invited to build adjustable workbenches, talk equity in construction, and enjoy builder’s tea and biscuits. Drop in Sessions:

• 12:30 – 2:30pm
• 3:30 – 5:30pm



🍵 Spill the Tea: Hidden Histories on the Table

An intimate, multi-sensory experience for 8 guests at a time exploring culture and identity through tea. Includes three courses of storytelling, sound, and shared drinks. Organised By Kamilah Aisyi, Paige Joseph, Prachi Pansare, Victoria Yuan-Yi Ying & Viv Hanqi Li. Drop in Sessions:

• 2:30 – 4pm
• 4:30 – 6pm



🌸 Flower Crown-Making with Eliza

Join local artist Eliza to make your own beautiful flower crown — perfect for all ages and a joyful way to celebrate summer.



🖼️ Art Exhibition – Estorick Gallery & Stuart Low Trust

Pop-up works created by community artists supported by Stuart Low Trust, exploring mental health and creative wellbeing.



🔊 Our Voices Carry – Sound Installation

By UCL researchers Dana Sousa Limbu & Galila Khougali
A calming, immersive sound piece inviting you to pause, listen, and connect through shared stories.



🧭 Plus: Festival Art Trail – 4–6 July

Discover the Spatial Practices Exhibition, curated by Irene Martin Zubieta (Central Saint Martins – UAL), transforming local cafés and shops into mini-galleries. Featuring student installations in:

• Kibco Coffee – 170 Caledonian Rd
• Sunflour Bakery – 263 Caledonian Rd
• Soto Coffee – 323 Caledonian Rd

Come make, imagine, and explore. Everyone’s welcome.