Location: Holborn, 64 Holborn Viaduct EC1A 2DE
Why you should check it out
Nestled between towering skyscrapers and beneath the shadow of St Paul’s Cathedral hides an inner city oasis. An urban garden filled with blooming plant boxes, pastel hued crate seats and a center stage decorated with climbing ivy - this is Gaia’s Garden, the inner city paradise designed to bring Londoners closer together.
It is estimated that by 2050, over 78% of the global population will live in our cities and Gaia’s Garden provides a glimpse at the way we can ensure our urban areas and the people who live there thrive. Combining live music, workshops and talks all conceptualised to bring Londoners together through sustainable practices.
Gaia’s Garden occupies a space in Holborn that has been dog-eared for future development which has, in the meantime, been offering workshops, live music and a welcome escape from the city hustle until September of this year.
Named after the Greek goddess of the Earth, Gaia’s Garden aims to present a multidisciplinary program that presents sustainability through a more inclusive and decidedly feminine lens.
This project is a collaboration between Culture Mile, Play Nice, and the Dominvs group. The idea itself stemmed from five pioneering women from across different creative disciplines, crafting a free and accessible space for Londoners to learn about sustainable practices across economics, the environment and social stratergies.
Gaia’s Garden planted its roots with the help of over 200 young people from around the city, gardening and building the space that can be enjoyed by all. Armed with the aim of tightening the bonds of people from different communities and reclaiming what it means to live in a city by fostering connections to nature and to one another. Gaia’s Garden quite literally became London's very own backgarden.
The space is open daily from 9am to 9pm until its closure at the end of the month, so whether it is having a quiet place to sit before work or meeting up with friends for lunch the space can be used to connect with the people you love and escape the city even if it's only for an hour.
Running alongside this is a rosta of free events, from workshops hosted by community groups, to recognising that art is one of the biggest socio-political means of communication and as such inviting DJ’s, movement artists and musicians to perform and share their messages.