Arts & Exhibitions

The NEWPORT PAGNELL HORTICULTURAL SHOW celebrates its 208th  year on Saturday 2nd  September 2017.  We have been growing and showing since 1809. Yet even now the show continues to grow, year after year.    We don’t charge an entry fee to enter the various classes.  Instead we ask for donations from entrants on the day of the show.  Now is the time to start growing if you are entering the sections for flowers, pot plants, fruit or vegetables. But there is so much more to the show, from cakes and preserves to photographs and art work.  This year we have split up the art categories as follows:  original oil or acrylic paintings, original water colours, and original drawings. Entry forms can be obtained from the Offices of the Newport Pagnell Town Council at 80 High Street, Newport Pagnell or email towncouncilinfo@newport-pagnell.org.uk. Even if you aren’t submitting an entry, come and..

One of the flagship events to celebrate MK50 is set to make history itself – by delivering Milton Keynes' biggest ever historical re-enactment! Across the weekend of June 17 and 18, Campbell Park will be transformed from its usual tranquil green space into a place lively with clashes, battles, and even Royalty. A huge and colourful programme will bring all the sights and sounds, and some of the smells from times past, into the present. The Festival of History is being organised by the Heritage MK Partners – Milton Keynes Museum, Bletchley Park, City Discovery Centre, Cowper and Newton Museum and the Living Archive – in partnership with The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes Council. Collectively, they will bring 2000 years of history to life. Cannons will explode in the air, swords will be clashed at the joust, while up above, a fabulous Battle of Britain Memorial Flypast will prove..

With a two months to go until this year’s Milton Keynes Dragon Boat Festival takes place at Willen Lake on Sunday 25th June, local companies have been quick to snap up the sponsorship opportunities. Organisers Gable Events report that the maximum 10 Gold and Silver sponsorship packages have sold out in record time! This is fantastic news for Festival charity, Age UK Milton Keynes as they will benefit from the enhanced entry donations as well as the crews’ fundraising efforts. It’s good news too for any local company wishing to get involved this year as there’s still plenty of time to get a team together to ‘race the dragon’ for a great cause whilst helping the city with its 50th birthday celebrations. The ten Gold and Silver entrants who will enjoy seeing their logo on the sides of a dragon boat amongst other profile-raising benefits are Action Express, BSH Home..

The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes City Orchestra (MKCO) are once again partnering to present Proms in Campbell Park and they are both pleased to announce that tickets for 2017 are now on sale. This much loved event will return to the amphitheatre in Campbell Park on Friday 18th August, with the concert beginning at 8pm. MKCO will once again thrill the audience with another evening of uplifting, inspiring music followed by a stunning firework finale. Tickets can be purchased through www.theparkstrust.com and cost £19 for an adult, £9 for a child, and £49 for a family. Marian Livingstone, Chairman of MKCO, added: “Our 2017 Proms in Campbell Park is going to a magnificent celebration of MK50 for over 3000 people in the very best setting in MK. We are proud of our partnership with The Parks Trust and grateful for the support of our sponsors, all of which ensures..

Former Horizon Radio and Virgin Radio presenter Helen Legh has announced she will be joining MKFM in Milton Keynes. Helen is a well-known voice in the city after co-hosting breakfast on Horizon Radio as well as presenting a dedicated breakfast show for Milton Keynes on BBC Three Counties Radio until 2012. As well as a new show for MKFM, Helen will continue to present her Sunday Breakfast show on BBC Three Counties Radio. She took a break from radio in 2014 when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour and only given a few months to live. Following brain surgery and some experimental treatment, her tumour has shrunk and Helen plans the make the most of every day in the city she loves. Talking about the new show, Helen Legh said “I'm very excited to be joining the MKFM team, broadcasting to a city which I grew up in. Every..

There are plenty of MK50 activities to keep the kids entertained this half term. From giant floating eggs, woodland walks, and engaging with the public art, there are plenty of ways to celebrate 50 years of Milton Keynes this Easter break. Stephen Turner’s Exbury Egg It’s not only chocolate eggs around this Easter; you can spot the Exbury Egg moored at Stanton Low Park until May 8 before moving along to Linford Manor until May 14. The free ‘Everything Comes from the Egg’ exhibition is open to the public Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 6pm. Not only will the sight of Stephen Turner’s magnificent wooden vessel amaze the kids, but they’ll also receive a free 12 – page activity booklet on arrival. The booklet aims to educate and inspire young visitors, encouraging them to find items from in and around the egg, laying them out and practice still life drawing...

PAW Patrol pups Chase and Marshall came to the centre yesterday on a special Easter intu road trip and hundreds of excited little faces where ready and waiting. Both pups where available throughout the day to meet their biggest fans and each session finished with a master class in the Pup Pup Boogie! An amazing way to kick start the Easter holidays! Marketing Manager at intu Milton Keynes, Kirsty McGiff said, “It was great to see so many people come along to the event to meet Chase and Marshall. It was a really fantastic day enjoyed by many families and we have more going on throughout Easter that we know our little shoppers will love.” The Nick Jr. All Stars have taken over the Easter holidays at intu Milton Keynes and for the next two week’s intu will be hosting free entertainment in the Kids Club area (outside Debenhams) with..

Performing Arts students from Milton Keynes College are among 260 companies taking part in National Theatre Connections – a nationwide celebration of new plays for young people. The 10 students from Milton Keynes College will be performing Extremism; a gritty and challenging play, written by critically acclaimed playwright Anders Lustgarten. Extremism is one of 10 brand new plays, written especially for Connections by a selection of the best playwriting talent in the UK. The story takes place in any school in England; where gossip and banter are rife, and 'Extremism' is the word on everyone's lips; but what does it mean? Does anyone fully understand what it actually means in a modern Great Britain? The play will be performed at Milton Keynes College on 21, 22 and 23 March, where the National Theatre will watch, review and report back on the College’s interpretation of the production. Extremism will next be..

As we wave goodbye to winter and say hello to spring, what better time is there to head outside and get active? MK residents are invited to make the most of the warmer weather and take part in some of the 50 led walks on offer, created by The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes Council to celebrate the city’s 50th birthday. Spring is also a great time to explore the flora and fauna. These walks gives the people of MK the chance to explore the city’s beautiful and varied landscapes, and to also welcome back the blooming flowers, waking wildlife and the different species of birds returning from their winter migration. Upcoming walks The next walks in the programme are the MK Health Walks with the Lovat Fields and Whaddon groups (13 and 22 March respectively) exploring the beautiful areas of Willen and the peaceful Ouse Valley Park. The Parks..

Milton Keynes City Orchestra (MKCO) will showcase their concert and education work in a magnificent 3pm matinee on Sunday 12th March at MK Theatre. The concert will open with the MK Youth Orchestra, on stage, side by side with MKCO professional musicians, performing Sibelius Karelia Suite. This is a fine example of MKCO education work in the community. The students have been rehearsing for six months and the professional musicians and MKCO Music Director Damian Iorio have been helping with the learning process. The sensational Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue will follow, featuring pianist and Classic FM star Ji Liu. This concert illustrates that first-class, international musicians are keen to come to Milton Keynes and perform with Milton Keynes City Orchestra. The finale, Dvorak Symphony No.9 (From the New World) will demonstrate the world-class performance quality of MKCO, accelerated over the last three years under the baton of Damian Iorio, International..

Unveiling of the ‘New Griffin’ design in the Conniburrow/Downs Barn underpass with  “Act of Gold”; a community performance celebrating Milton Keynes’ urban heritage as part of Milton Keynes 50th Anniversary. As part of the “Underpasses: connecting people connecting places” project, On The Verge will unveil the first of two new underpass artworks and host a community performance by 100+ residents and children on Friday 10th February at 2.25pm in the Conniburrow/Downs Barn underpass off Conniburrow Boulevard, under Marlborough Street . The performance will last approximately 15 minutes, followed by refreshments and celebratory activities in the Southwood School Assembly Hall until 3.20pm. Entrance is free and all are invited. The New Griffin artwork design is inspired by conversations with the community and the accompanying performance will feature the children of Southwood and Germander Park schools and the Conniburrow Community Choir. This celebration will feature a brief outdoor performance and the unveiling of..

Milton Keynes 50th Birthday year not only calls for celebrations, but also for exploration! 2017 offers a chance for residents and visitors play with the city, which is why MK Council’s art team has commissioned ‘Writer in Residence’, Rachel Barnett, to bring MK’s public art to life through the MK50 Art Trail app. The Public Art Audio walking tour takes you across 13 pieces of public art around Milton Keynes, each telling a different fictional story about the piece of art. The tour begins at the Milton Keynes Museum in Wolverton, but shorter tours can start at Artwork #2, the Octo, outside Norfolk House in Central Milton Keynes. The MK50 Art Trail app is free to download for Android and iPhone users. The stories narrated in the app were written by Writer in Residence, Rachel Barnet. Rachel was offered a 6-month residency to engage with the community and offer writing opportunities..

Milton Keynes’ public art is one of the city’s iconic features and now collaborative artistic practice, Something & Son has been appointed to deliver the Oxley Park Public Art Commission. As a welcoming event, Something & Son will host a Milton Keynes and Oxley Park Quiz for everyone to enjoy. Oxley Parks’ community are invited to channel their inner Henry Moore, Dorothy Annan, and other renowned artists to contribute to developing a proposal for a major public art project, due to be delivered in 2018. To get the creative juices flowing, Something & Son will be developing and delivering a number of activities for everyone to take part in to share ideas, thoughts and opinions over the next four months. The project aims to encourage social cohesion and community development, provide cultural provision for young people and contributes to a sense of place – encouraging civic pride and active citizenship,..

After weeks of anticipation, Beat the Street is almost here! Find out more about the exciting initiative, register to play and try out the game at the Beat the Street Milton Keynes launch event this Saturday! Taking place at intu Milton Keynes on Saturday 28th January from 1pm to 3pm, the Beat the Street launch event is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in the community-wide initiative which will see thousands of Milton Keynes residents walk, run and cycle across their city to earn points and win prizes. Funded by Milton Keynes Council, Beat the Street encourages people to explore Milton Keynes by transforming the city into a giant game. Players can pick up a free card at a distribution centre near them and tap it against over hundred special sensors around Milton Keynes earning points for themselves and their team – the teams which travel the furthest will win..

The artist responsible for creating Milton Keynes' most famous residents returned to check on her work earlier this month. Canadian artist Liz Leyh was in town for a forthcoming film being made by the BBC and Open University, and looked in on her most famous of sculptures, the concrete cows at Milton Keynes Museum. Liz created the cows in 1978 while working as artist in residence at Stacey Hill Farm, which is now the home of the museum. While there, Liz took a tour of the history hub, which included her old sitting room and working studio, now used as the toy room and old schoolroom respectively. Liz said the museum was amazing, and with the museum expansion beginning, things will be even more stunning the next time she visits!