One week to go until the grand opening celebration of Northampton’s revitalised Market Square

11 October 2024

The countdown is on! In just one week, Northampton will celebrate the highly anticipated grand opening of the newly revitalised Market Square on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October. 

Hosted by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) in partnership with Northampton Forward, Northampton BID and Northampton Town Council, this weekend event promises to bring together the community for a two-day festival of family fun, live entertainment, local food and drink, and cultural experiences.

The Market Square, a historic centrepiece of Northampton, has undergone a stunning transformation to create a vibrant, accessible, and inclusive space for everyone to enjoy. The grand opening event will feature a wide range of activities, performances, and market traders, showcasing the best of Northampton’s local talent, businesses, and heritage.

Highlights of the event include:

Main Stage Music Zone: Enjoy live music from local and regional artists, including the ABBA tribute band The Magic of ABBA and Britain’s Got Talent finalists Northants Sings Out, alongside acts from BBC Introducing and the Northampton Music Festival. View the full line up on the WNC website.

Discover Northamptonshire Zone: Explore the rich history and heritage of Northampton and Northamptonshire, find out more about our cultural and visitor attractions and meet some of our amazing community groups and charities. 

Learn all about archaeological digs with Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and reminisce about times gone by with photos of the market square through the years. 

Plan your next day out with Discover Northamptonshire plus it’s your chance to meet their new mascot the red kite. We need your creative skills to give him a name, visit the stand to have your say! 

Drop by the Performing Room pop up to understand how this award-winning community group delivers music-based projects to young people. Meet a therapy dog from Pets as Therapy and talk to their volunteers about how the specially trained dogs support people across the community. Plus, much more!

Northampton BID Family Zone: A space packed with activities for children and families, including magic shows, circus skills workshops, face painting, balloon making, build and craft stations, colouring in activities and a treasure hunt activity sheet. They’ll also be a quiet corner with a mini library and baby changing facilities.

dbfb Interactive Sports Zone: Get active with interactive displays and activities showcasing West Northamptonshire’s sporting excellence. The Sports Zone will offer guests the chance to get on a Bike with British Cycling, join a Martial Arts class, and take part in a variety of fun competitions. 

In addition, Everyone Active will be on hand with a rowing machine challenge and people can shoot some hoops with Northampton Basketball Club, have a kick around with Northampton Town Football Club (NTFC), and admire a supercar from Silverstone! 

Zone sponsor dbfb will also be on hand to showcase how the latest technology is supporting sport, health, wellbeing, and local communities, and professional boxer and former world champion Chantelle Cameron will be making a guest appearance. 

Sands United FC will also be there to help create awareness of baby loss and how important sport is for our mental health.

Local Food and Drink Zone: Indulge in mouth-watering local street food and drinks, with a variety of vendors offering some of Northampton’s best culinary delights including pizza, American BBQ, tacos, jerk chicken, and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. See the full offering the WNC website.

"We are just one week away from unveiling Northampton’s new Market Square, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this historic moment with our community. The grand opening event will be a fantastic opportunity to bring people together, showcase local talent, and celebrate our town’s rich heritage.

“We invite everyone to join us for a weekend of fun, food, and festivities as we mark the beginning of a new chapter for Northampton Market Square with many amazing activities for everyone to enjoy."Cllr Daniel Lister, Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure at West Northamptonshire Council

In addition to the entertainment, local businesses and market traders will be offering fresh, locally produced goods, handmade crafts, and a range of expert services, providing visitors with a chance to support small businesses and shop local.

This event is proudly sponsored by Veolia, ZONE Developments, Northampton BID, SEGRO, Evolve, Discover Northamptonshire, dbfb Communications, Danaher & Walsh (Civil Engineering) Ltd, Billing Aquadrome, and CS2. Their support has been instrumental in making this grand celebration possible.

Don’t miss out on this incredible weekend! Mark your calendars and be part of the grand opening of Northampton Market Square on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October.

“Veolia is proud of Northampton and is thrilled to be sponsoring the Market Square celebrations. This amazing space at the heart of the community offers so much to the people of Northampton and Veolia is delighted to be part of it.

“As well as helping residents with their waste and recycling while keeping Northampton's streets clean, Veolia supports local not-for-profit organisations, community groups, and individuals that protect and preserve resources in their local area through the Sustainability Fund. Veolia also offers local schools the opportunity to develop a small orchard of fruit trees through their Veolia School Orchards project, not only giving young people a chance to experience the benefits of working with nature but helping to improve local biodiversity.

“Biodiversity is one of the pillars of ecological transformation and that's one of the reasons Veolia is distributing wildflower seeds at the Market Square event, giving everyone who visits a chance to enhance biodiversity in their local area.”Andrew Reidy, General Manager at Veolia

“Only one week to go until The Music Of ABBA takes the stage! Grab your Dancing Queens and come join us for the party of the year as we bring you the hits that you know and love.”James Taylor, Magic of Abba Tribute

For more information and event details, visit the Reopening of Northampton Market Square webpage.