Name: May Day Festival
Start: 2024-05-06T10:00:00+01:00
End: 2024-05-06T17:00:00+01:00
Location: Hawkwood

Event Navigation

Interested in booking one of our courses? Call our office on 01453 759 034

Mon 06May

A Free Entry Community Event

Facilitators: Future Thinking Talks, Live Music, Local Food, Creativity

Join Us for a Vibrant May Day Festival at Hawkwood CFT Charity!

Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking is delighted to invite you to our lively and colorful May Day Festival. Nestled in the heart of the Cotswolds, Hawkwood is a sanctuary for nurturing creativity, sustainability, and wellbeing. As May flowers bloom and the sun shines brighter, we celebrate the return of life with a day of lively festivities.

As a free festival, your generous donations are a vital support to our charity’s work, enabling us to continue our mission for the next 76 years. Your contributions matter; consider donating below!

Event time: Mon 6th May 2024 at 10:00am - Mon 6th May 2024 at 5:00pm

A Day of Local Food, Live Music, Talks, Stalls, Creative Workshops, and Family Activities

Join us in celebrating 76 years of Hawkwood at our May Day Festival. This event is more than a festival; it’s a place for:

Conversation

Engage with future thinking talks! Last year’s May Day Festival featured notable speakers like Mary Portas, Cindy Forde, and our CEO Alicia Carey. Enjoy live music throughout the day, including a captivating performance by our artist residency alumni.

Creativity

Participate in creative taster workshops available throughout the day. Unlock your artistic potential and creativity.

Exploration

Wander through our sustainably managed grounds in the picturesque Cotswolds, relish delicious local food, and explore local stalls. Hawkwood Cafe & Bar will be open, ensuring you’re well-fed and refreshed.

Growth

Grow connections with the community, learn from the workshops, the land, and each other. This is a day of growth and enrichment.

SUPPORT OUR CHARITY

While our festival is free to attend, your generous donations are crucial to supporting our charity's vital work for the next 76 years. Please consider contributing below.

DONATE HERE

Please put "MayDay" as the reference on checkout

Our History

Hawkwood’s story began in 1947 when Lily Whincop and Margaret Bennell joined forces, creating an adult education college in this very place. For 76 years, Hawkwood has been a hub for learning and personal development, fostering new understandings and personal growth.

“Not only a place people come to learn, but a source of ideas, challenging dialogue, art and artistry, new understandings, personal growth and human development.”

Colorful Books Faux OrganicAbstract Media & Lifestyle 11 Static Feed Ad

English retail consultant and broadcaster, known for her retail and business-related television shows, founding her creative agency Portas. She was appointed by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, to lead a review of the future of Britain’s high streets.

Colorful Books Faux OrganicAbstract Media & Lifestyle 11 Static Feed Ad (2)

Founder of Planetari, an organisation dedicated to worldwide environmental education. Cindy has worked with the UN, government, NGOs, finance, business, technology and education. She was CEO of the Cambridge Science Centre and MD of the Blue Marine Foundation.

Colorful Books Faux OrganicAbstract Media & Lifestyle 11 Static Feed Ad (3)

Musician and composer Soumik Datta is an Arts Council-funded artist whose charity is based at Hawkwood. His work is centred on advocating for the preservation of Indian arts and raising awareness of social and environmental issues.

Who we are... watch our video

Release Agreement May Day Festival, Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking

Official Hawkwood Photographers & Videographers are taking photos and videos of this event. By attending this event, you hereby grant to Hawkwood Centre For Future Thinking the exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, display and use the original video or electronic imagery or any part thereof in any and all media or form of communication whether now existing or hereafter developed.

We need some volunteers - can you help?

We need volunteers to make our May Day Festival a success. Please get in touch if you can support us.

APPLY HERE

Price Options

£5 Donation Suggestion (Free Entry)

Alicia Carey

Chief Executive of Hawkwood CFT, Alicia will be hosting and interviewing our guests.

Alicia is passionate about protecting our environment and supporting people to make positive change. Alicia shows how building trust, embodying values and allowing just the right level of risk enables opportunities to flourish. Collaboration, curiosity and warmth characterise her interactions at every level. In 10 years at Hawkwood CFT, Alicia's unique leadership style has brought financial abundance, ethical awareness, international recognition and creative zest.

Natali Martinez Riobo

Our Head of Marketing Natali, will be supporting the CEO in the main hall.

For Natali, creativity, self-expression and culture are what make life colourful. The centre of her vision is and has always been the richness and spirit of community. Born and partly raised within an impoverished village in the mountains of Colombia, she has lived within a richly diverse culture. Her inspiration of living outside capitalist societal standards and her deep passion & connection to the natural world was born from a young age as a consequence. Natali is passionate about bringing the spirit of Hawkwood's work to as many people as possible.

Yolande Goodman

Creative Onsite Programme and Residency Manager

Creativity and continuous learning are the linchpins of personal wellbeing, the development of our communities, and a better understanding of the world around us. With my role at Hawkwood, I facilitate people participating in what makes them feel alive! My background is in drama, and I find deep joy in trying new art forms and being outside in the garden.

Sarah Warner

Personal Assistant to Alicia Carey, CEO

I love how diverse our courses are and the people who attend them, I have learnt so much since being at Hawkwood. I’m passionate about the benefits of physical exercise and regularly enjoy running and the gym. I draw inspiration and further physical benefit from various yogas and long dog walks in my beautiful hometown of Stroud and the surrounding areas.

May Day Festival

Event Navigation

A Free Entry Community Event

A Day of Local Food, Live Music, Talks, Stalls, Creative Workshops, and Family Activities

Conversation

Creativity

Exploration

Growth

SUPPORT OUR CHARITY

While our festival is free to attend, your generous donations are crucial to supporting our charity's vital work for the next 76 years. Please consider contributing below.

Please put "MayDay" as the reference on checkout

Our History

“Not only a place people come to learn, but a source of ideas, challenging dialogue, art and artistry, new understandings, personal growth and human development.”

2023 Special Guests Included

Mary Portas

Cindy Forde

Soumik Datta

Who we are... watch our video

Release Agreement May Day Festival, Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking

We need some volunteers - can you help?

We need volunteers to make our May Day Festival a success. Please get in touch if you can support us.

Price Options

Tickets

Alicia Carey

Natali Martinez Riobo

Yolande Goodman

Sarah Warner

Upcoming Courses & Events

Collaborative Vocal Improvisation

Fri 24 Nov - Sun 26 Nov

Webinar: Energy Systems Science & Practice

Wed 06 Dec

Introduction to AI

Thu 11 Jan

Women as Leaders

Tue 05 Mar - Thu 07 Mar

A Cappella Choir Summer School

Mon 05 Aug - Tue 13 Aug

Restival

Mon 05 Aug - Wed 07 Aug

Newsletter Sign-Up

Quick Links

Contact Us

2023
Special
Guests
Included