Kettering street festival KettFest back 'bigger and better' for 2024

Bands are being booked, stages are being set, entertainers are practising and traders are stocking up for the return of Kettfest for 2024.

Taking over the town for the day, organisers of the Kettering celebration day have promised it will be ‘bigger and better’ than last year’s event.

The festival will see five stages hosted across the town on Saturday, June 22, with musicians, dancers, poets and artists showcasing local talent.

Zoe Martin, from Kettering Cultural Consortium and Picture the Difference and co-organiser, said: “Kettfest is really about being able to give a platform to our community and get everyone together on one day to celebrate what is best about our town.

"Last year’s Kettfest was incredible, we were so impressed with the way so many people gave their time voluntarily and worked so hard to put on so many different acts. We had so many people come along, it was wonderful to see everyone pull together in celebration.”

The main stage in Market Place will be open from 11am until 10pm in the Market Place. Run by Kettering Arts Centre, local bands will perform during the day with an open-air Bill Burton disco finale – cocktails and street food will keep visitors refreshed.

At the other end of High Street, the Clock Tower stage, curated by Jason Redhead from ISM Academy will put up-and-coming artists into the spotlight. Stalls showcasing local hot food and produce will be available in Gold Street.

In a first for the festival, Pets at Kettfest, sited outside Jamie’s Pet Food Shop on Lower Street, will see furry friends snapped for a fun Instagram photo. Pets can pose for a free pet and owner portrait sketched by artist Katy Dynes.

Outside Peacocks in Meadow Road, the Community Stage will show off top-class dancers and performers while Kettering Library is hosting the spoken word stage with poet Kezzabelle leading workshops and performances at Cornerstone.

The Yards working in collaboration with Mark Robinson, of The Music Barn Festival, will feature incredible DJs throughout the day and ‘have-a-go’ DJ slots. There will be live graffiti creation by Jimski and graffiti workshops.

A go-to for those that need a quiet space is The Lawyer & The Nurse – a SEN-designed sensory room plus family-friendly activities such as face painting and crafts.

Volunteer members of Kettering and District Art Society will be dotted around the town centre, sketching and painting the day’s scenes, and youngsters can pick up a trail sheet and win a prize if they find all the artists – and can say what each one is creating.

Active travel experts Brightwayz will be encouraging people to choose alternatives to cars to travel to the event. People can test their skate and scooter skills with special sessions from Illicit Skate School.

Corby Model Railway Society’s ride-on train will make a popular return – this year in Lower Street – and around the site will be face painters and roaming entertainers.

In the Parish Rooms, just off the Market Place, Picture The Difference will host a Fun Zone with ‘interactive artwork’ and ‘curated experiences’ to explore the theme of The Ripple Effect. This will also be the starting point for the Cosplay Parade.

All along High Street and the bottom of Gold Street, will be artisan market stalls with a range of local craft and items to buy, with street food on sale in the Market Place and Gold Street.

Local shops and businesses can get involved with a themed shop window display competition where the best-dressed window could win £200 to spend on an evening out for staff.

The festival is being organised by Kettering Cultural Consortium (KCC) members, and funded with a £7,000 grant from Kettering Town Council.

Cllr Craig Skinner, chairman of Kettering Town Council’s markets and events committee, said: “The town council is really pleased to be able to support KettFest again this year with so much talent in the town. We hope lots of people come into the town centre for the day and support our local community.”

For full information and the latest on times go to: www.ketteringtowncouncil.gov.uk/KettFest