Darwin Green events for early 2026
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During 2025, the developer and community in Darwin Green attained a number of milestones. To name a few, we got electricity on the Plaza and the return of many food trucks on Thursday nights, a diversification of the community events, the DGRA website! And of course, the opening of the Central Park area.
Now it’s time to turn the page, and to look ahead at what’s coming in 2026. Just for the first two months, there’s a lot on the agenda! A number of events focus on young people, but everyone should find something to participate in. Hold on tight, and let’s have a look.
Happy New Year in Darwin Green
A 2026 calendar (showing January's page) for DGRA, with fireworks in the sky visible in the background, generated by ChatGPT. Don't look too close at the actual days and numbers in the calendar, the AI did a mess!
Special events: focus on young people
All taking place at the Darwin Green Community Rooms.
Community Focus Group meeting: focus on youth
Wednesday 28th January 2026, 6 pm to 7 pm
The next Community Focus Group meeting will specifically focus on addressing youth-related topics and concerns. This is an opportunity to have your voice heard on matters affecting young people in our community, to help with community events, or to propose new ones.
Online safety session
Monday 10th February 2026
There will be a session about online safety for children. More details will be shared soon, but if you’re interested, you can already mark the date.
Holiday lunch
Wednesday 18th February 2026
Children are invited for a free holiday lunch. This event is organised by Cambridge City Council and Cambridge Sustainable Food. Check for more details closer to the date, or take a look at previous related posts.
Youth survey
The Community team from Cambridge City Council plans to run a survey among young people in Darwin Green and Franklin Gardens. Details should be communicated from the Community Officer soon over the WhatsApp group, with the intent of finding families with teenagers willing to take part in the survey.
Other special events
Coffee with a Cop
Wednesday 14th January 2026, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
This is a great opportunity to meet your local police officers in a relaxed, informal setting. You can ask questions, raise any local concerns, and get to know the officers who serve our community. Drop in any time during the session. Find more information here.
Photography exhibition or competition
Residents have shown interest in organising an event around photography, but the details are not sorted out yet, so stay tuned.
Development updates
Everyone hopes to see much more progress on the Darwin Green and Franklin Gardens developments in 2026! Some of the expectations include:
- Opening of the retail shops on Darwin Green Plaza. Barratt said this would be for spring this year (although it had been previously announced for March 2025). Will the prediction hold true, this time?
- Updates on the Sports Pavilion, the garden allotments, or the library
- An online platform for reporting problems. Rumour has it that Barratt planned to deliver the new website in January or soon after. It would be a good way to report (yet again) about the broken lights!
Note that the dates for the North West and West Cambridge Community Forums have been published. The next forum will take place on 26th February in the evening, although the time and location have not been communicated yet.
Another note on the Sports Pavilion: some sports organisations have already been asking about hiring the pavilion for their activities. If this is what you’re after, the contact address to express an interest is ParksandRecreation@cambridge.gov.uk.
Weekly and recurring events
The Darwin Green Community Rooms host several regular activities throughout the week (see also our dedicated page). The Saturday clubs are new this year, while other events have been running for a while, but it’s a good time to get a refresher anyway! Remember that you can also find these events in the Darwin Green calendar, on the homepage of this website.
Mobile Library
Monday 19th January 2026, 3 pm - 4:30 pm and every third Monday of the month
The mobile library will be visiting Darwin Green (on the Plaza). This is a convenient way to borrow books, return items, and discover new reading material without travelling to a library branch, while waiting for our own library to open.
Drop-in workspace
Monday, 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Need a place to work? The Community Rooms offer free workspace on Mondays. For more information, see our dedicated page.
Rhyme Time
Wednesday, 9:30 am - 10:30 am (term time only)
Free Makaton Rhyme Time with Issy at the Community Rooms. This session combines singing and signing, followed by coffee and free play. A wonderful opportunity for young children to develop communication skills through music and sign language.
Community coffee
Wednesday, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Join your neighbours for community coffee. A relaxed social gathering where you can meet people from the area and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee together.
Planning Officer drop-in session
Wednesday, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Usually the first Wednesday of the month (check on the calendar if in doubt), the local Planning Officer, and sometimes representatives of Barratt Redrow or local Councillors, come to the Community Rooms for a discussion session with residents of Darwin Green and its neighbourhood. This is a time to raise and discuss concerns about the work in progress in the area. The Planning Officer may or may not have answers or leverage to solve concerns from the residents, but he can usually pass the word and help find the right person to contact.
Food trucks
Thursday, 5 pm - 8 pm
Food trucks come to the Plaza every Thursday evening, offering a variety of dining options. A great way to support local businesses and enjoy dinner without cooking.
Lego club and board games
Both activities are organised by Elenasy and supported by Cambridge City Council. They target children aged 6 to 14, approximately. Parents are required to stay with their children during these sessions. Please try booking in advance by contacting hello@elenasy.org.
Lego club
Saturday, 2 pm - 3 pm
A play-based Lego club supporting STEM and engineering skills, confidence, and problem-solving for young people.
Board games and learning session
Saturday, 3 pm - 4 pm
Inclusive community sessions supporting learning, social skills, and online safety through structured play and off-screen activities.
Happy New Year!
With all these events happening during the first months of the year, we hope that everyone in Darwin Green will be off to a good start for 2026! Do you want to make it even better? Get involved, meet people, and help organise the next events! If you have ideas or want to give a hand, contact Sue Jackson at suzanne.jackson@cambridge.gov.uk. For information about the Community Rooms or events organised by the City Council, reach out to info.dgrooms@cambridge.gov.uk. You can also use our contact page to reach out to the residents’ association. Happy New Year 2026!