Northampton Space Trail

Recurring
Northampton Town Centre

We're challenging families to complete a trail of town centre businesses and track down eight space-themed installations to complement the Pop-Up Planetarium in the Market Square. Launching this weekend, the immersive 360-degree experience is expected to bring in thousands of children over the next month, discovering more about our solar system and the universe beyond. Sitting alongside the Planetarium GO UK experience will be a digital trail featuring eight space-themed installations housed in eight separate locations. The activity will see participants encouraged to complete the trail by answering a question at each location on their phone, with all those visiting all eight locations entered into a prize draw for the chance to win one of two £50 vouchers to spend in Northampton town centre. Trail locations include Grosvenor Shopping Northampton, Sol Northampton, Northamptonshire Central Library, Northampton Museum & Art Gallery, Butterwicks, Skipton Building Society and Northampton Market Square. For more details visit https://vicinitytrails.com/c/northamptonbid.

From the Collection: Drawings

Recurring
Northampton Museum And Art Gallery 4-6 Guildhall Rd,, Northampton

An exhibition of drawings from the Northampton Museums & Art Gallery collection. This exhibition explores drawing as a fundamental artistic language, presenting preparatory sketches and finished works that reveal how ideas take shape on paper. Through the delicate studies of Henry Moore, the atmospheric sketches of Walter Sickert, the imaginative designs of Sir Edward Burne Jones, and the expressive drawings of Clare Abbatt, amongst others, visitors are invited to consider drawing not merely as a preliminary step but as an art form in its own right. The works on display highlight how artists across different periods and practices use line, tone, and observation to experiment, problem solve, and refine their vision. Together, they celebrate drawing’s enduring role as a tool for exploration, invention, and creative thinking.

Art and Comics Unwrapped: Exploring the Line Between Comics and Fine Art

Recurring
Northampton Museum And Art Gallery 4-6 Guildhall Rd,, Northampton

This Exhibition explores the similarities between fine art and comics and how they are produced. It will explain the process of how comics are created and examine the common elements from fine art; the drawing, the painting and the poetry. It will also exhibit a story of epic proportions without superheroes, just ordinary people.

Rose Finn Kelcey: House Rules

Recurring
NN Contemporary Vulcan Works, northampton

Arts Collective launches its new gallery programme with an exhibition revisiting the pioneering work of British conceptual artist Rose Finn-Kelcey, curated by Emer Grant. This marks the first presentation of the artist’s work in her hometown of Northampton. Featuring photographic, installation and video works loaned from national collections and archives, the exhibition recontextualises Finn-Kelcey’s groundbreaking practice through architectural space and coded forms. It considers how formal systems and power structures shape experience through architecture, language, ritual and atmosphere. Exhibited publicly for the first time since its original installation, Bar Doors (1991) captures architectural thresholds, foregrounding moments of passage between spaces. The photographic documentation of Finn-Kelcey’s site-specific installation—seven saloon-style doors installed in a Houston city park—invites viewers to reconsider familiar architectural features as markers of access and permission. The exhibition also explores Finn-Kelcey’s fascination with spirituality and its connections to the commercial and domestic structures of contemporary life, featuring works such as It Pays to Pray (1990), God Kennel – A Tabernacle (1992) and Jolly God (1997). Her iconic flag works are also presented, including documentation of Power for the People (1972), in which a collective political declaration was placed directly onto the monumental architecture of Battersea Power Station while it remained operational. Throughout the exhibition, architecture, movement and attention shape...

Planetarium Go! Northampton

Recurring
Northampton Market Square

Embark on immersive journeys through space, from family–friendly adventures to awe–inspiring documentaries revealing the mysteries of our universe. Pick your favourite film and prepare for a breathtaking 360° experience under our dome.

Mini Museum Explorers – April – July 2026

Recurring
Northampton Museum And Art Gallery 4-6 Guildhall Rd,, Northampton

Booking essential, includes refreshments. Embark on a magical journey with Mini Museum Explorers! Every Friday morning, our beloved hands-on sessions invite curious little adventurers aged 2.5 to 5 years—and their grown-ups—into a world bursting with creativity and discovery. Each week brings a brand-new adventure filled with captivating stories, joyful music, imaginative art, and playful crafts. Explore the museum in a warm, welcoming space where imaginations take flight and new friendships bloom. And while your little explorer enjoys a tasty treat, you can relax with a well-deserved tea or coffee. It’s the perfect way to start your Friday—with fun, learning, and a sprinkle of museum magic! 17 April – Comic Capers 24 April – Dragons and Castles 1 May – May Day 8 May – Soldiers and Warriors 15 May – Truly Scrumptious! 22 May – Gardens and Plants 5 June – All the colours of the Rainbow 12 June – Animal Adventures 19 June – Smartest Giant in Town 26 June – Doctors and Nurses 3 July – Transport 10 July – Sailing the Seas These sessions are perfect for children aged 2.5 to 5 years, accompanied by parents or carers (no ticket needed for adults). Spaces are limited, so...

Craft and chatter

Recurring
Northampton Museum And Art Gallery 4-6 Guildhall Rd,, Northampton

If you’re looking for a way to unwind after a busy week or just want to make some new crafting friends, come along with your chosen craft to these friendly informal sessions. They take place every Friday lunchtime in the Northampton Museum & Art Gallery lower café area. Drop in – no booking required but please purchase a drink or something to eat from the cafe.

Eric & Ern

Recurring
Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

The Production Garden in association with Cube Room Productions presents an evening of Eric & Ern with Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens. From the Olivier nominated duo behind the hugely celebrated critically acclaimed West End hit Eric & Little Ern. This is a show for all the family from 8 to 80! A brilliant homage crammed full of renditions of those famous comedy sketches, that hits all the right notes! Coming to Royal & Derngate celebrating the centenary year of the nation’s favourite comedy legends Morecambe & Wise! From Greig’s Piano concerto to Mr Memory, “Arsenal!” It’s a show full of Morecambe and Wise’s most loved routines, songs and sketches. This wonderful show evokes memories of times when whole families would huddle around the telly to watch those fantastic Christmas specials. You’ll feel you’ve experienced the real thing and been taken back to a world of sunshine and laughter. As seen on The One Show on BBC1 and The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV

Nigel Kennedy: A Virtuoso Concert Performance

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Nigel Kennedy, one of the most distinctive and influential violinists of his generation, returns home to the UK with Virtuoso, his first major national tour in over fifteen years. Renowned for his uncompromising artistry and singular style, Kennedy has performed at the world’s leading concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. This tour offers a rare opportunity to experience his work live in performance at Royal & Derngate. The programme brings together classical repertoire with jazz and contemporary influences. It includes Bach, Kennedy’s own interpretation of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, and original compositions, including a tribute to his mentors Yehudi Menuhin and Stéphane Grappelli. He is joined by long-time collaborators Alec Dankworth on bass and Peter Adams on cello, forming an exceptional ensemble of musical sensitivity and precision. Kennedy’s landmark recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons established him as a defining figure in modern classical music. His performances continue to be marked by technical brilliance and emotional depth. An opportunity to experience one of the great violinists of our time, a true virtuoso. “One of the most important violinists Britain has ever produced” – The Guardian