Food for Thought Festival

at New Art Exchange

February - April 2026

Culture

Creativity

Community

This spring, our Food For Thought Festival with New Art Exchange sowed the seeds of culture, creativity, and community, leading up to the new community garden reveal with Boulevard Gardens.

A person painting a mural featuring fruit and veg.
A table in the foreground shows a plant sale and Palestine flag bunting, with flower beds in the background.
A wide shot of Boulevard Gardens full of people enjoying themselves.
A family gathered under one of the covered stalls, talking to someone.
The Food for Thought poster board.
Close up of hands screen-printing a t-shirt.
A screen-printed t-shirt hung up to dry.
A group of people posing and waving happily for the camera, around a bench.
A person at the plant stall talking to customers.
A person stood with a DJ set-up, with people in the foreground watching.
A hand holding pink candyfloss.
A low shot of two people walking past a freshly planted bed.
People at a bench in the foreground with crowds around stalls in the background.
A group gathered next to a gazebo.
A person carrying two watering cans looking intrepid.

Workshop themes

Alongside screening printing and growing workshops, our talks and events explored:

How food intersects with identity, culture, and belonging.

Hands-on cooking activities bringing together recipes, memories, and cultural stories.

How parks and gardens can become hubs for community engagement, cultural expression, and shared activities.

The role of food justice in environmental inequality, promoting sustainability, community well-being, and equitable access to fresh produce.

Open conversations about migration and meals, exploring how access or lack of access to the foods that represent us can shape our sense of belonging.

The festival wrapped up at the end of April, marking not the final chapter but the first page of a garden that belongs to everyone, a place where Hyson Green grows more than plants; it nurtures friendships, memories, and shared dreams.

Boulevard Gardens