Our first Bishop’s Castle Is Open was put together at remarkable speed, as an experiment in what might happen if we opened the doors of empty and underused spaces and invited people in.
 

Artists, makers, businesses, property owners, visitors and local people all got involved, spaces came unexpectedly to life, and we learned an enormous amount in four days.
 

So now we’re gathering feedback, looking at what worked (and what didn’t), and thinking about what Bishop’s Castle Is Open might become.
 

Our aim is to act as a bridge between empty or underused spaces and people with ideas for them: artists and makers, artisans and independents, food and drink pop-ups, visiting organisations and perhaps larger brands looking for an interesting temporary home.

Rather than creating another stand-alone festival, future Bishop’s Castle Is Open activity is likely to work alongside things already happening in the town. That might mean the Christmas lights, the Arts Festival, Michaelmas Fair or other moments in the year when there are extra reasons to come to Bishop’s Castle.

We’d also like to work more closely with existing businesses, particularly around the visitor economy, helping to answer the question: “What can we do while we’re here?”
 

This was a pilot. A mad, hastily assembled and mainly very successful one.

Now we’re working out what comes next.

Watch this space.

And if you’d like to hear about future pop-ups, spaces, opportunities and Bishop’s Castle Is Open happenings, sign up here for our very occasional newsletter.