These cities in
the UK
are home to creative communities and places where creatives regularly connect and collaborate.
London has the largest and most diverse creative scene in the UK. Creatives work across design, advertising, fashion, film, music, and media, with many opportunities for collaboration across industries and disciplines.
Our Creative City Guide London shows you the best spots.
Manchester has a strong independent creative culture, especially in music, design, digital, and visual arts. The city’s compact size and active local networks make it easier to connect and collaborate.
Edinburgh combines a strong cultural tradition with a contemporary creative scene. Writers, designers, performers, and visual artists are drawn to the city’s festivals, institutions, and close-knit creative networks.
Birmingham’s creative scene is growing steadily, with a focus on design, media, illustration, and photography. Many creatives benefit from a supportive community and relatively accessible working conditions.
Glasgow has a reputation for being one of the UK’s most artist-driven cities. Its creative community is particularly strong in visual arts, music, and design, with an emphasis on collaboration and independent projects.
Liverpool is known for its cultural heritage and strong music and arts scene. Today, many creatives work in design, film, and visual arts, often connected through local initiatives and cultural institutions.
In this section you'll find communities and networks to meet other creatives in
the UK
.
Creative Lunch Club is a community for people working in creative industries. It gives you the chance to regularly meet other creatives for lunch.
In the UK, Creative Lunch Club is active in several cities, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
CreativeMornings is a global series of free, monthly morning talks that bring creatives together for coffee, inspiration, and good vibes.
These conferences and festivals bring creatives in
the UK
together around culture, design, and the creative industries.
Birmingham Design Festival is a city-wide celebration of design, bringing together creatives from graphic design, illustration, digital, product, and beyond.
It offers talks, workshops, exhibitions, and plenty of chances to meet fellow designers while exploring Birmingham’s vibrant creative scene.
SXSW London is the new European edition of the iconic SXSW festival, bringing together creativity, culture, technology, and innovation in one multidisciplinary event.
It features talks, performances, exhibitions, and networking opportunities that connect global thinkers, artists, and creators in the heart of London.
All Flows is an international creative, design and digital festival bringing together leading artists, designers and innovators for talks, workshops and inspiration. Expect a curated lineup of boundary-pushing speakers and immersive sessions designed to spark fresh ideas and connections.
UX London is a three-day conference that combines inspiring talks with hands-on workshops across the themes of discovery, design, and delivery.
It offers a chance to learn from industry leaders, collaborate with peers, and connect with the wider UX community.
Design It; Build It (DIBI) brings together designers, developers, and digital professionals to explore the latest trends in product design and technology.
It features talks from industry leaders, hands-on workshops, and opportunities to connect with others working across digital design and development.
London Craft Week is a citywide celebration of craft, with exhibitions, open studios, and hands-on events popping up all over London.
These institutions, such as universities, museums, and cultural centers in
the UK
, contribute to the creative landscape.
The Institute of Contemporary Arts is a long-standing hub for experimental culture, film, talks and contemporary art. It attracts an engaged, curious crowd and encourages conversations beyond mainstream culture.
Organisations in
the UK
that support creatives through programs, resources, and professional initiatives.
Creative Lives in Progress is a UK-based platform and community that connects emerging creatives with industry opportunities, resources, and inspiration. Through events, mentorship, and inclusive networks, it helps people break into the creative industries and build meaningful connections.
We hope this guide gives you a helpful overview of how creatives connect in
the UK
. Whether through professional networks, cultural institutions, or local initiatives, meeting other creatives often starts with being curious, engaged, and open to conversation.
If you are looking to put this into practice, Creative Lunch Club builds on these existing ways of connecting by bringing creatives together in small groups with a focus on meaningful conversations, making it easier to meet other creatives in in a relaxed setting.
Join the Creative Lunch Club and meet other professional creatives for lunch.I am an East London girl with a busy life and have found it hard to meet like-minded creatives but after only using the creativelunchclub once, I met one of my soul mates. Not only are we doing some collaborating with her being a singer and myself working in fashion and modelling which has all been really useful but we have also become best friends. Loved my experience and would highly recommend it for anyone that wants to network in the creative ares and you never know, you might meet your bestie too.
Thank you so much for the lunch club so far — I have already made some fabulous friendships, have been introduced into the unfamiliar worlds of other creatives, and even had a wonderful new project idea.
