Coronation Community Festival
Saturday 6th May 10am – 4pm
Guildhall Road, Northampton Town Centre
Everyone is invited to come together for an exciting day of free live music and entertainment, including stage performances, dancers and children’s activities alongside live coverage of the Coronation on our big screens, street food* and much more! Plus FREE PARKING in all council-owned carparks across the whole weekend (Saturday – Monday).
Event Schedule
10am – 4pm: Live Coverage of the Coronation on big screens on Guildhall Road and inside Northampton Museum and Art Gallery in the Central Hall.
Children’s Activities | Workshops | Live Entertainment
The Performing Room Studios – Have a go music sessions and heritage exhibitions in the Performing Room’s music studios. Families are invited to take part in singing and a variety of music activities from a newly built stage at No.9 Guildhall Road located opposite Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. Young people working on our heritage project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund will be displaying a myriad of historic artefacts that we have uncovered whilst renovating the building as well as exhibiting a timeline of historic Royal visits to Northampton dating back 200 years using film, video and photos.
Coronation Community Canvases with Lemon Pop Workshops. Have A Go at Street Art – to celebrate the Coronation in Street art style! Create your own Coronation canvas to take away as a memento of the day and make your mark on the Coronation Community Colouring Wall, which will be displayed after the Festival.
The Wild Tribe – Nature Based Workshops (The Vulcan Works Courtyard). Wildflower Seed Ball and Bird Feeder Workshops
Using natural clay, soil and a variety of native wildflower seeds, participants will enjoy creating their very own seed ball to take away, along with a wildflower identification poster. Using British apples, whole peanut butter and a variety of seeds, participants will create their own fully edible hanging bird feeder that can be hung in parks and gardens and be given a British Bird spotting factsheet and QR code for further learning and online activities.
Face Painting and Coronation Crafts with Zoomania. Children can get their faces painted for free and enjoy Coronation craft activities.
Kid’s Coronation Trail in Northampton Museum and Art Gallery. Follow the Coronation themed trail through the different spaces in the museum.
Roaming Entertainment. Traditional folklore and 17th century street entertainment, including maypole, musicians, re-enactors and Morris dancers, plus the Northampton Transport Heritage vintage bus.
Live Stage – From 11am – 4pm:
The Live Stage is hosted by Chris Gregg from Revolution Radio who will be introducing acts and broadcasting live throughout the day.
Please note that performers and timeslots may be subject to change. The latest information will be published here.
11.00am: Live Stage performances start with The Old Savoy Jazz Band.
11.35pm: The Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, Mrs Morcea Walker MBE, the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire Milan Shah MBE, the Chairman of West Northamptonshire Council, Cllr André González De Savage and the Mayor of Northampton, Cllr Dennis Meredith will welcome everyone to the event.
12 – 1pm: Coronation Ceremony on the Big Screens
1pm Billy Lockett: Northampton musician and songwriter Billy Lockett will perform his latest hits as part of his UK tour.
1.30pm The Bharatnatyam School: Dancers performing an ancient and traditional form of Indian dance.
2pm United African Association: A performance of traditional African drumming.
2.35pm Similar Jones: Local rock and roll band playing retro hits from the 60s to the present day.
3.15pm Albanian Cultural Association: Performing traditional Albanian dances.
3.35pm Bespoke Ballroom Dance and Drama Academy: Children from Kristina Rhihahoff’s academy will perform drama and ballroom dances.
3.55pm Dexterity Dance: Children and young people from the Dexterity Dance School will perform a medley of dance styles and gymnastics.
Coronation Big Lunch & Afterparty
Sunday 7th May 12 – 10.30pm
Delaprè Abbey, Northampton
The Coronation Big Lunch, at which neighbours and communities are invited to share food and fun together, will take place across the country between Saturday 6 and Monday 8 May.
Residents are invited to join us for a Coronation Big Lunch and After Party at Delapré Abbey on the Sunday from midday to 10:30pm. A host of performers will take to the stage during the event, while the National Coronation Concert is broadcast live on a big screen.
Tickets are available from the Royal & Derngate. Entry is free but by ticket only.
The Big Help Out
Monday 8th May
St Katherine’s Gardens, Northampton
As part of the Coronation Celebrations of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort in Northampton, Northampton Town Council, Northampton BID and West Northamptonshire Council are partnering to improve St Katherine’s Gardens for the Coronation ‘Big Help Out’ on Monday 8th May.
St Katherine’s Gardens is a green space in the centre of Northampton that was once the site of the nineteenth century church of St Katherine. It provides a walkway between the Bus Station and Horsemarket, and is neighboured by businesses on College Street, St Katherine’s Street and King Street. The aim is to improve the area to become a destination for local residents, town centre workers, and visitors to the town.
Work is already underway with contractors from West Northamptonshire enhancing the cleanliness and safety of the park and removing graffiti from the surrounding walls. Partners are also working with Northamptonshire Police and local Neighbourhood Wardens to improve community safety within the park.
The notion of ‘The Big Help Out’ from His Majesty The King’s office encourages people to try volunteering for themselves, to support the local area and create a lasting volunteering legacy from the Coronation Weekend within the community. Therefore, on Monday 8th May, a collaboration of volunteers from Northampton Town Council’s Environmental Services Committee, The Royal British Legion and local businesses will join forces to spruce up the area.