The BFI, Arts Council England, LIVE Green, and Julie’s Bicycle have partnered to roll out Cool Off in Culture, a UK-wide campaign signposting the public to cultural venues during increasingly frequent heatwaves. A growing online map of almost 80 venues guides the public to where they can find local spaces to keep cool in warm weather. For the public, the online map provides topline details about the venues, including if they are free to access and an overview of their cooled spaces and accessibility information.
Venues signed up to the campaign can utilise a suite of free promotional Cool Off in Culture assets – from venue signage through to social media templates – to actively attract visitors into their cooled spaces. Marketing partner Dropcast has also developed an optional promotional campaign for venues to advertise using out-of-home displays when their local area reaches high temperatures.
Venues that aren’t resilient to overheating can also use a new resource, the Heat Adaptation guide for Arts and Culture Venues (juliesbicycle.org/cool-off-hub) which includes case studies from BFI Southbank and The Old Vic. Co-commissioned by the BFI and South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us, this guide from Shade the UK offers a practical range of measures that venues can use to become resilient to the increasingly frequent heatwaves.
Unveiled as part of the London Climate Action Week (LCAW) activity at BFI Southbank, Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction will speak at Climate x Culture x Councils: Shaping Heat Resilience, an event for local authorities co-hosted by London Councils and South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us. Mr Kishore will welcome the campaign and free resources that support cultural venues around the world to play their part in delivering on the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action on Extreme Heat.
Keir Oldfield-Lewis, Head of Environmental Sustainability at the BFI, said: “Cultural venues are open at all times of day and night. They’re key institutions of our community and just round the corner: they should be an essential part of the public health response. Not only does this campaign meet a very real need for the general public – for them to find places to take refuge during heatwaves – it helps cultural venues increase visitor numbers by breaking down barriers felt by many who don’t naturally see these spaces as being for them. We’ve seen venues such as libraries become warm havens in winter, and the outcome is so much more powerful – they become active community hubs that bring local people together. Given the enthusiasm of the venues which has already signed up, I’m confident Cool Off in Culture can do the same.”
The campaign is an outcome of an industry event hosted during LCAW 2025, where 85 representatives from London cultural organisations came together to explore how they can both adapt to climate risks and step up as part of local resilience infrastructure. Through a 12-month long multi-partner initiative, Cool Off in Culture has evolved into a UK-wide campaign with a suite of promotional assets plus resources for cultural venues, which also has international potential. Members of the public can access the online map hosted by Julie’s Bicycle, a non-profit organisation which mobilises the arts and culture sector to take action on the climate. The adaptable design assets for venues, developed to be open and welcoming, were created by LIVE+BREATHE, a Black-led nonprofit advocating for clean air through the use of art, culture, outdoor activities and community partners.
Nicola Saunders, Director, Environmental Responsibility and Innovation, at Arts Council England, said: “At their core, arts and culture venues are vital spaces for communities up and down the country. They serve many purposes for people of all ages – to inspire, to create, and also to cool down in hot weather. We are so pleased to be part of this partnership and encourage as many cultural venues to sign up as possible.”
Ross Patel, LIVE Green Impact Consultant at LIVE, said: “We are proud to support this campaign at the intersection of climate awareness, public health and culture. The Shade the UK guidance will help venues navigate heat resilience, while the national campaign promotes cultural spaces that offer shelter from heat, spotlighting them as an oasis in their communities.
“Live music venues have long been places where people gather, connect and find a sense of belonging. Through Cool Off in Culture, we are helping platform spaces that can provide relief while showcasing the vital and evolving role culture plays in our everyday lives.”
Laura Pando, Interim CEO at Julie’s Bicycle, said: “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.”
Venues can sign up to be on the map and access a range of free design assets to use to encourage visitors inside during a heatwave on the Julie’s Bicycle website: juliesbicycle.org/cool-off
London Climate Action Week 2026 (20 – 28 June) at BFI Southbank and BFI IMAX is presenting a wide-ranging programme, from breathtaking nature documentaries to intimate human stories, highlighting fresh perspectives on the climate crisis and explore our evolving relationship with nature – sometimes urgent, sometimes unexpected, but always compelling.
