Throughout June, Alexandra Palace and Wood Green hosted a range of events, workshops and installations to celebrate the London Festival of Architecture 2025.
The Palace and Haringey Council were selected as participants in the city’s annual celebration of architecture and city-making, with activities focussed on this year’s theme of ‘Voices’. This gave the opportunity to showcase how we are amplifying and incorporating voices and stories from our neighbourhoods, as we improve our spaces.
Events at Alexandra Palace and in Wood Green included tours, exhibitions, podcasts, panel discussions and specially curated live music performances. Open to all, they aimed to showcase this unique part of the city and how both Wood Green and the Palace are being reimagined to provide people access to arts, community, culture, heritage, youth space and much, much more.
Here’s a quick snapshot of events, or go straight to the full list!
AP Sounds With the success of last year’s AP Sounds pop-up community-led broadcast at Ally Pally Station, this event was expanded for an even more immersive radio experience. AP Sounds had two components: the first was a live pop-up radio broadcast from the Alexandra Palace Cricket and Football Club; the second was a recorded podcast segment curated by the Palace’s Creative Learning Team. The team used interviews from members of the community celebrated in the By the People exhibition currently showing in the East Court to celebrate 150 years of Ally Pally.
An Architect’s Dream An immersive tour of the Palace’s recently saved North East Office Building. Using interactive soundscapes, visuals and text, the tour explored the building’s architectural heritage, while imagining its future potential. The event was the result of a collaborative project developed by Alexandra Palace’s curatorial team, which brought together volunteers, members of the Ally Pally Young Creatives Network, and the Ally Pally Young Actors Company. The team used their diverse knowledge of the Palace’s rich history – from park and theatre enthusiasts, to those with a passion for the BBC’s technological innovations and architecture – to imagine an architect’s dream.
Palace Uncovered An exhibition telling the untold heritage of 1914 Belgian refugees at Ally Pally, drawing on material created with engagement from Haringey secondary schools. This project was made possible through a partnership between Huddersfield University, Manchester University and The Flanders Museum plus the London Archives.
Café Palais The Palace’s monthly café for older people, people living with dementia and their carers, that takes inspiration from Paris cafés of the 1920s. Café Palais was born out a need to combat loneliness and to provide a place where people can connect with others in a shared heritage space. Each session enables participants to explore their creativity through different mediums – from life drawing classes to drag bingo – with their voices amplified through participation and collaboration.
BBC Studio Tours Visitors were given a glimpse of the birthplace of television, with exclusive guided tours of Studios A & B inside the Palace. In 1935, the BBC made its historic debut at Alexandra Palace, marking a pivotal moment in the race to revolutionise entertainment. The BBC leased the entire East Wing, transforming former dining rooms into iconic studios. The tours were led by passionate Alexandra Palace volunteers, who give voice to this remarkable story.
