A Visitor’s Guide to Cambridge Open Studios This July

July is Cambridge Open Studios month, when artists and makers across Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and the surrounding area open their doors to visitors.

If you have not been to an open studios event before, the idea is simple. Instead of seeing finished work only in a shop, gallery or exhibition, you are invited into the places where artists and makers work. This might be a garden studio, a workshop, a shared creative space, a room at home, or a group venue where several makers are showing together.

It is a chance to meet artists, ask questions, see work in progress and get a feel for the materials, processes and ideas behind the finished pieces. The event is informal, friendly and often full of small discoveries.

Cambridge Open Studios takes place over four weekends in July. For 2026, the open weekends are 4–5, 11–12, 18–19 and 25–26 July, with studios usually open from 10am to 5pm. Across the month, hundreds of artists will be showing work in studios and venues across Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and nearby areas.

The event includes a wide range of creative practices, from painting, printmaking, ceramics and jewellery to textiles, photography, glass, sculpture, furniture and more. Some studios are individual working spaces, while others bring several artists together under one roof.

A visit can be as planned or as spontaneous as you like. You might choose one area and visit several studios close together, follow a suggested trail, or simply look for venues near where you live. Many visitors make a day of it, combining studio visits with a walk, coffee, lunch or time exploring a part of the area they do not usually visit.

At each venue, artists are usually there to talk about their work and share finished pieces alongside experiments, sketchbooks or work in progress. Some work will be available to buy directly from the maker, though there is no pressure to purchase.

To plan a visit, the Cambridge Open Studios website, app and printed guide are the best places to start. Listings show opening weekends, locations, creative categories and useful visitor information, including whether a venue has full or partial access.

One of the easiest ways to spot a participating venue is to look out for the Cambridge Open Studios yellow signs, posters and flags. They help identify studios and guide visitors to places that may otherwise be easy to miss.

I’m pleased to be taking part again this year, and it feels a good moment to return to this generous, sociable event celebrating creative work across the region.

Cambridge Open Studios is free to visit and open to everyone. Whether you are looking for original work, interested in how things are made, or simply curious about the creative community in and around Cambridge, it is an enjoyable way to spend time with artists and makers this July.

To find participating artists, check opening weekends and plan your route, visit the Cambridge Open Studios July Open Studios page.