Cambridge Arts Festival AR Trail

The Cambridge Arts Festival AR Trail was developed by Urban Tech Creative in collaboration with Connecting Cambridgeshire and Cambridge BID as a rapid demonstrator exploring the potential of private 5G infrastructure for cultural experiences. Delivered within a five-week programme, the project tested how web-based augmented reality could be hosted on a dedicated 5G network, before quickly evolving into a publicly accessible trail during the festival.

Using Zappar WebAR integrated with Immersal VPS, the trail enabled precise, location-based AR experiences across three key sites: Great St Mary's Church, King's College, and the Guildhall (Peas Hill entrance). At each location, visitors encountered floating architectural "windows" inspired by Cambridge's historic stonework, reimagined with playful, multicoloured detailing.

These digital structures framed a curated exhibition of artwork created by students from Coleridge Community College, bringing young people's creativity into the heart of the city. Accessed via QR codes embedded in festival materials, the trail combined heritage, education, and emerging technology, demonstrating how lightweight, web-based AR can deliver engaging public experiences at scale.