Northampton BID

Bands in the Park 2025
2025-06-01 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-06-08 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-06-15 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-06-22 14:00 - 17:00, 2025-06-29 14:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Abington Park Bandstand, Abington Park, Wellingborough Road, Northampton, NN3 3HN, United Kingdom
125th Anniversary year
Every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 6th April to 28th September
2 â€“ 5pm
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Enjoy live performances from local bands and musicians at the Abington Park Bandstand, every Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from April through to September.*
Bring your own chairs, picnic blankets/rugs and relax within the picturesque surroundings of Abington Park.
This yearâ€™s performances start on 6th April and run through to 28th September.
Please view the full 2025 schedule below.
*There will be no Bands in the Park performance on 21st September, but you can enjoy the Rockinâ€™ Roadrunner Festival instead!
Please note that performances may be shortened or cancelled in the case of inclement weather. Updates will be provided on our social media accounts when possible.

125th Anniversary Celebration Event â€“ Saturday 17th May 11am â€“ 4pm

Marking 125 years of the bandstand in Abington Park with fun for all the family with activities, stalls and musical performances.

MORE INFORMATION: www.northamptontowncouncil.gov.uk/bandsinthepark
Bands in the Park 2025 calendar
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Great Fire Community Spirit Season: Fires Were Started
2025-06-08 15:45 | Northampton Filmhouse
Screening Dates:
Sun 8 June 3:45pm

Director: Humphrey Jennings
Starring: Philip Dickson, George Gravett, Fred Griffiths, Johnny Houghton, Loris Rey, William Sansom
In Humphrey Jennings propagandist documentary about heroism, filmed with real fire fighters, we meet a new man that joins the civilian firefighters at a London unit during the Second World War. He bonds with his fellow firemen and firewomen and even manages to enjoy some leisure time with them, until he goes on his first mission with the crew as it attempts to save an explosives warehouse on Trinidad Street near the London docks.
89 on the BFI’s Top 100 British films

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Great Fire Community Spirit Season: Local Hero
2025-06-15 15:45 | Northampton Filmhouse
Screening Dates:
Sun 15 June 3:45pm

Director: Bill Forsyth
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Peter Riegert, Peter Capaldi, Denis Lawson, Fulton Mackay
Knox Oil and Gas of Houston is far removed from the North Sea oil it desires – and the sleepy Scottish seaside village it wants to buy and replace with a refinery. So Knox sends its ace dealmaker (Peter Riegert) to negotiate. He finds cheerful future millionaires, awesome northern lights, a lusty innkeeper, a stubborn beachcomber and a mermaid with webbed toes.
Forsyth’s touch is perfect: whether showing us a tycoon (Burt Lancaster) with his head in the stars or bridging generations at an all-night ceilidh dance.
37 on the BFI’s Top 100 British films

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Week of Words - National Writing Day - Great Fire of Northampton
2025-06-19 10:00 - 17:00 | The Creative Space, Northampton, Market Square
The Week of Words â€“ dedicated to celebrating how words shape art, stories, community and connection â€“ is set to launch at The Creative Place on Northampton Market Square and everyone is invited to participate.
Beginning on National Writing Day, Thursday 19th June, The Creative Place will be issuing free creative writing packs, with prompts inspired by the Great Fire of Northampton, to get people writing. Designed originally for young people, they are now available to all and anyone can request a digital pack or collect a physical one. Once submitted, finished pieces may be included in Northampton Film Festival’s animated film about the Great Fire of Northampton, which will be screened on Northampton Market Square in September.
The Creative Place (TCP), considered one of the world’s smallest arts centres, will host a number of other events during the Week of Words, including:
Friday 20th June:
A gathering of an array of local authors for a meet and greet with the public, including the Northants Authors collective 10am-12pm and author of the Grumpy Rosetta children’s books Juliet Timpson 1pm-5pm.
Saturday 21st June:
1) A variety of free sessions on Reading, Writing and Performance designed for young people, including a session 1pm-2pm with poet, writer, speaker and workshop facilitator Abbi Jinks. Abbi believes we all have a story, we all have a voice and we all have a truth. And when we can really feel safe to share that and be seen and heard, then the magic can really begin! Reading activities will take place 10am – 12pm, then a creative writing session will be run by TCP volunteer and writer Ellen Page 12pm-1pm.
2) A special opportunity 3pm-5pm to become one of 10,000 voices recording on camera the final words of James Baldwin from his debate with William Buckley at the Cambridge Union in 1965 on race and violence, with Northamptonshire social enterprise Undiscovered Country. Script will be provided.
Tuesday 24th June:
A day of Industry talks from local people working in word-related industries, from Film Scripts to Publishing and the Writing East Midlands development agency.
This includes sessions with:

multi award-winning writer, filmmaker and storyteller Tony Klinger at 2pm, whose film career has included working as an Assistant Director on the classic British TV series â€˜The Avengersâ€™ and Director of ‘The Kids Are Alright’ a documentary about British rock band The Who. His books include the novels ‘The Butterfly Boy’, ‘Under God’s Table’ and his most recent publication ‘Who Knows, the Making of a Rock Movie’.
Sophie Campbell of Writing East Midlands (WEM) and Beyond The Spectrum at 4pm. WEM is the literature development agency for the region and Beyond the Spectrum is a creative writing programme by and for autistic writers. Sophie will talk about the agency and programme, and is also happy to share her experience as a freelance writing group facilitator, co-chair of the WEM youth board, a zine maker and library volunteer.

Wednesday 25th June:
A Mother Tongue Poetry day, in celebration of the many languages used in Northamptonshire, including Urdu from TCP volunteer Zanobia Ilyas-Turton and English by Alliouagana Pearl whose poetry is inspired by Caribbean life with more to be announced.
To request a creative writing pack or express an interest in any of the above, please email nncreativeplace@gmail.com or pop into The Creative Place on Northampton Market Square Tue-Sat 10am-5pm.
You can sign up to each event here to receive details as the schedule for each day is announced Events Schedule | Northampton Film Festival and The Creative Place
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Week of Words - Local Author Day
2025-06-20 10:00 - 17:00 | The Creative Space, Northampton, Market Square
The Week of Words â€“ dedicated to celebrating how words shape art, stories, community and connection â€“ is set to launch at The Creative Place on Northampton Market Square and everyone is invited to participate.
Beginning on National Writing Day, Thursday 19th June, The Creative Place will be issuing free creative writing packs, with prompts inspired by the Great Fire of Northampton, to get people writing. Designed originally for young people, they are now available to all and anyone can request a digital pack or collect a physical one. Once submitted, finished pieces may be included in Northampton Film Festival’s animated film about the Great Fire of Northampton, which will be screened on Northampton Market Square in September.
The Creative Place (TCP), considered one of the world’s smallest arts centres, will host a number of other events during the Week of Words, including:
Friday 20th June:
A gathering of an array of local authors for a meet and greet with the public, including the Northants Authors collective 10am-12pm and author of the Grumpy Rosetta children’s books Juliet Timpson 1pm-5pm.
Saturday 21st June:
1) A variety of free sessions on Reading, Writing and Performance designed for young people, including a session 1pm-2pm with poet, writer, speaker and workshop facilitator Abbi Jinks. Abbi believes we all have a story, we all have a voice and we all have a truth. And when we can really feel safe to share that and be seen and heard, then the magic can really begin! Reading activities will take place 10am – 12pm, then a creative writing session will be run by TCP volunteer and writer Ellen Page 12pm-1pm.
2) A special opportunity 3pm-5pm to become one of 10,000 voices recording on camera the final words of James Baldwin from his debate with William Buckley at the Cambridge Union in 1965 on race and violence, with Northamptonshire social enterprise Undiscovered Country. Script will be provided.
Tuesday 24th June:
A day of Industry talks from local people working in word-related industries, from Film Scripts to Publishing and the Writing East Midlands development agency.
This includes sessions with:

multi award-winning writer, filmmaker and storyteller Tony Klinger at 2pm, whose film career has included working as an Assistant Director on the classic British TV series â€˜The Avengersâ€™ and Director of ‘The Kids Are Alright’ a documentary about British rock band The Who. His books include the novels ‘The Butterfly Boy’, ‘Under God’s Table’ and his most recent publication ‘Who Knows, the Making of a Rock Movie’.
Sophie Campbell of Writing East Midlands (WEM) and Beyond The Spectrum at 4pm. WEM is the literature development agency for the region and Beyond the Spectrum is a creative writing programme by and for autistic writers. Sophie will talk about the agency and programme, and is also happy to share her experience as a freelance writing group facilitator, co-chair of the WEM youth board, a zine maker and library volunteer.

Wednesday 25th June:
A Mother Tongue Poetry day, in celebration of the many languages used in Northamptonshire, including Urdu from TCP volunteer Zanobia Ilyas-Turton and English by Alliouagana Pearl whose poetry is inspired by Caribbean life with more to be announced.
To request a creative writing pack or express an interest in any of the above, please email nncreativeplace@gmail.com or pop into The Creative Place on Northampton Market Square Tue-Sat 10am-5pm.
You can sign up to each event here to receive details as the schedule for each day is announced Events Schedule | Northampton Film Festival and The Creative Place

Great Fire Community Spirit Season: Brassed Off
2025-06-22 15:00 | Northampton Filmhouse
Screening Dates:
Sun 22 June 3:00pm

Director: Mark Herman
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald
In North Yorkshire, a local colliery band led by Danny (Pete Postlethwaite), prepare for the National Brass Band championships, at a time when the pit’s miners face redundancy. When the daughter of a former band leader named Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives, her return to the band raises their spirits, alongside a blossoming relationship with one of the band’s younger members (Ewan McGregor).
With Gloria leading on the flugelhorn, this pivotal scene showcases the band performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Combining the yearning, pining quality of brass band music with the film’s dry humour, politics and human stories, Brassed Off reminds us that it’s the music that matters.
85 on the BFI’s Top 100 British films

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Week of Words - Industry Day
2025-06-24 10:00 - 17:00 | The Creative Space, Northampton, Market Square

Week of Words - Mother Tongue Poetry Reading
2025-06-25 10:00 - 17:00 | The Creative Space, Northampton, Market Square
