Xiaohongshu
Help evaluate the impact of one of London's most vibrant cultural festivals!
The Research Volunteering programme through the Community Research Initiative gives YOU the power to take your research and classroom skills out into the community to create a positive social impact. Through our bite size projects, you’ll work with a group of interdisciplinary peers and organisational allies to tackle a project that will draw on your research skills. These projects are flexible and designed with students in mind to give you amazing experience to fuel your CV, explore new skills, and meet other likeminded students. Each opportunity is unique, make sure to check out our page for more information.
All about the organisation
Bloomsbury Festival is a registered charity that brings together local communities, cultural organisations, artists, academics and institutions to celebrate creativity, knowledge and place. In October 2026, the Festival will celebrate its 20th anniversary, delivering a vibrant programme of arts, culture, science and community events across Bloomsbury.
Working with more than 200 partners, including UCL, the Festival welcomes around 38,000 attendees each year through a programme of over 150 events. Despite having a small team, Bloomsbury Festival has a significant impact on the local area, supporting emerging talent, connecting diverse communities and creating opportunities for cultural participation.
A bit about the project
This project focuses on helping Bloomsbury Festival to measure and communicate the festival's social, cultural and economic impact. Working alongside the Festival Director and a team of student researchers, you will help design and deliver a mixed-methods evaluation project that captures the experiences of artists, participants and audiences. This will help to secure future funding and support for its work.
- What can I expect from this opportunity?
- Work alongside the Bloomsbury Festival Director and a team of student researchers.
- Gain first-hand experience of evaluating a large-scale arts and community festival.
- Analyse existing data and reports to understand the Festival's impact.
- Design surveys and research tools to gather feedback from audiences and participants.
- Collect and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data.
- Develop practical skills in impact evaluation, data analysis and report writing.
- Help create engaging outputs that communicate findings to funders and stakeholders.
- Experience the Festival itself and learn how cultural events are planned and delivered.
- How will my work on this project impact the community?
- Help Bloomsbury Festival better understand and demonstrate its social, cultural and economic impact.
- Amplify the voices and experiences of Festival participants, artists and audience members.
- Provide evidence that supports future funding applications and partnerships.
- Contribute to the long-term sustainability of a valued community and cultural event.
- Support opportunities for emerging artists, performers and creatives.
- Help the Festival continue bringing together local communities, researchers, cultural organisations and institutions.
- Enable the Festival team to plan and improve future events based on robust evidence and feedback.
- Showcase the benefits of arts, culture and community engagement to a wide range of stakeholders.
What key tasks will the volunteer team be responsible for?
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Collect and analyse qualitative and quantitative data.
- Analyse existing festival data and reports to identify key findings and trends.
- Review outcome data from previous events and participant demographic information.
- Gather stories and case studies from participants and audience members.
- Review and Redesign Existing Evaluation Tools
- Design and develop audience and participant surveys for the 2026 Bloomsbury Festival.
- Help evaluate themes such as community impact, career development, heritage engagement and international reach.
- Professional and Stakeholder Development
- Work collaboratively with a team of volunteer researchers to produce engaging outputs for funders and stakeholders.
- Attend Bloomsbury Festival induction events during the final week of September.
What skills will I practice and develop during this experience?
- Qualitative and quantitative research methods.
- Survey design and data collection.
- Data analysis and interpretation.
- Impact measurement and evaluation.
- Report writing and communicating findings to different audiences.
- Collaboration and teamwork.
- Stakeholder engagement and professional communication.
- Understanding the role of arts and culture in community development.
- An introduction to Bloomsbury Festival and its mission.
- An introduction to the Festival team.
- Hospitality training.
- Informal tours of some of the Festival's 40+ venues around Bloomsbury.
- Guidance and support from the Festival Director throughout the project.
Time commitment
-Availability from September to December 2026
- Attend induction events (online and in-person) during the last week of September.
- Support data collection during Bloomsbury Festival events in October.
- Participate in analysis and report preparation throughout October to December.
- Work independently and collaboratively as part of a small research team and with a group of up to 9 other students.
The project is best suited to volunteers who can commit consistently throughout the project period and are comfortable "hitting the ground running."