Sunday 25 October's Northamptonshire Day in Kettering is off due to forecast high winds. Lighthouse Live still runs that evening; a new date may come in 2027.

Updated 24 October: the councils postponed the event on 23 October because of forecast high winds. Only the evening Lighthouse Live show at Kettering Leisure Village goes ahead (7.30pm, £15, per the theatre’s listing). The details below are what had been planned. Full story: Northamptonshire Day postponed over high winds.

Northamptonshire Day was due to return on Sunday 25 October, but not to Northampton. The county celebration that filled Northampton Market Square last year moves to Kettering, about 15 miles north-east, and runs from 10am to 5pm. It is free to get in.

West and North Northamptonshire councils organise it together. More than 50 organisations had signed up to take part by 7 October, according to West Northamptonshire Council.

Why it is in Kettering this year

The first Northamptonshire Day was held on Northampton Market Square on Saturday 25 October 2025, from 1pm into the evening, with 80s Live! headlining. The council’s round-up afterwards said thousands came. It also said the 2026 event had “already been agreed to take place in Kettering”.

This year’s day is longer, starting at 10am, and is spread across Kettering town centre rather than one square.

What is on

North Northamptonshire Council’s event page lists eight zones within walking distance of the main stage:

  • Main stage: local musicians and bands all day, with radio partners broadcasting live
  • Food: local food and drink stalls along the church driveway
  • Family: children’s entertainment, with alpacas nearby and shire horses in the Market Square
  • Heritage: living history, re-enactments and craft demonstrations
  • Culture and arts: art displays, film archive screenings and workshops such as painting and clay modelling
  • Community: emergency services vehicles and stalls from charities and volunteer groups
  • Business: local firms, careers and opportunities
  • Active leisure: sport and leisure clubs

The Heritage zone centres on Manor House Gardens and the Corn Market Hall, which opens from 1pm. West Northamptonshire Council’s release names a Sealed Knot Civil War encampment and stalls from several Northampton organisations:

  • Delapré Abbey
  • Northampton Museums and Art Gallery
  • the Archaeological Resource Centre
  • the Northamptonshire Heritage Forum

The Alfred East Gallery fully reopens the day before, Saturday 24 October, and hosts performances on the day. Northampton Film Festival and the Northamptonshire Film Archive Trust will screen local films. In the evening there is a separate musical theatre and pop show at the Lighthouse Theatre.

Wicksteed Park and the heritage buses

Wicksteed Park will run its full half-term programme on the day and offer discounted tickets to Northamptonshire Day visitors, the council says. Kettering Leisure Village is also taking part.

Free heritage buses, run by the Northamptonshire Transport Heritage Society, will link the town centre with Wicksteed Park and the Leisure Village. West Northamptonshire Council says heritage buses will also run between Northampton and Kettering, with the timetable “to be published online soon”. It had not been published on 17 October. The accessibility page says these are old buses and are not accessible for wheelchair users.

Getting there from Northampton

Until the heritage bus times are out, the regular route is Stagecoach’s X4. On Sunday 25 October it leaves Northampton Bus Interchange at 9am and then roughly hourly. The 9am reaches Kettering’s Newland Centre at 10.07am, according to the timetable on bustimes.org. The last bus back to Northampton on that timetable leaves the Newland Centre at 7.49pm and arrives at 8.55pm. Check with Stagecoach before you travel.

There is no direct train between Northampton and Kettering.

Access and calm spaces

The council’s accessibility page lists:

  • three calm spaces: a quiet room in Kettering Library, an outdoor SEN space in Manor House Gardens, and Elliot’s Play Café at The Yards
  • a Changing Places facility
  • a first aid and information point
  • staff in high-visibility jackets marked “event staff”

You do not need a diagnosis or proof of disability to use a calm space, the page says. Assistance dogs are welcome.

What it means for you

  • It is free, 10am to 5pm on Sunday 25 October, in Kettering town centre.
  • The clocks go back at 2am that morning, so you get an extra hour.
  • It falls in half term. Our October half-term guide has what is on in Northampton that week if you would rather stay local.
  • Watch for the heritage bus timetable if you want a vintage ride from Northampton. We will add it here when it is published.

For everything else on in town this month, see what’s on in Northampton.