FREE EVENT

Saturday 7 September | 11am - 5pm

Mansfield Town Centre

Suitable for all ages. 

A one-day FREE arts festival for all ages in Mansfield Town Centre. Now in it's fifth year and a calendar highlight, come and enjoy outdoor performances, street theatre, walkabout, live music, hands-on activities and more.

The Full Shebang Festival - First Art

Over 1500 people came along to our free creative arts festival on Saturday 9th March at Four Seasons Shopping Centre in Mansfield! With invaluable support from Nonsuch and FirstArt, 200 of our young volunteers brought the festival to life, from developing their initial ideas in class with tutors to transforming the old Debenhams store into a creative arts hub for the day.

In two years of the Takeover project we've been working hard to engage young people aged 16-24 from Mansfield and Ashfield with creative arts and create opportunities for them develop new skills in related industries. Our partners at Nonsuch, First Art, New Art Exchange, Arts Council England and Inspire Youth Arts have guided each cohort through 10 weeks of immersive learning and event planning – a huge thank you for all the work and mentorship they've helped to provide.

The festival really showcased the massive progress and leaps these young people have made – we’ve loved every minute and know just how much of a confidence boost this has given to them for the future!

See DepARTment Festival in pictures below:

Image credit: Lamar Francois

Our Arts Education Conference happened on Friday 8th March 2024 at Kirkby Leisure Centre. Aimed at teachers from Primary, Secondary, artists and cultural partners looking for inspirational ideas for arts based learning & cultural experiences. Find out more about great arts projects in and out of schools, engage in youth-led projects and take the time to explore our wellbeing zone.

Share best practices, learn from cultural educators, and explore new ways for the children you work with to experience and engage with culture and arts. Morning and afternoon event including leading industry speakers from national organisations:

Charley Genever- Poet, Creative Producer & Supporter of youth led projects

Alice Littlehailes- 30 yrs experience as a Primary Head & Advisor, Consultant and Advocate for Teaching for Creativity

Plus: 

A recap of newest arts-based projects

DJ and hip hop dance performance

Takeover zone with youth-led creative arts projects

CPD opportunity to learn about arts-based approaches in education

Book onto our afternoon workshops

Wellbeing zone – time management and professional wellbeing support

Creative & Inspirational zone – including Dragon’s Breath Theatre & Noise Academy

Wednesday 1 November 2023, 11am - 1.30pm at the Newstart Theatre, Portland College, Mansfield NG18 4TJ. FULLY BOOKED

Join our swashbuckling crew for a FREE family day jam-packed with Pirate fun.

The event will feature a whole host of pirate fun including:

Long Time No Sea by Fairly Famous Family - this 30 minute family is a comic mix of cannon ball juggling, magic trunks, hornpipes and outlandish thigh slapping. Pirate- themed workshops, Pirate carnival games with an opportunity to win prizes (free pirate coins for all children attending),  Pirate treasure hunt and Pirate food and drink (Pirate kids party box with a sandwich, drinks and snacks will be provided. Lunch served at 12noon. Pirate mocktails will also be available).

☠ Pirate fancy dress is welcome with a prize for best dressed.

If you weren't able to get a ticket, we do have a waiting list should any places become available.

To be added to the list, please email marketing@portland.ac.uk with Pirate Kids Party in the subject line and state your full name and how many children's places you require.

Sunday 11th June 2023 | 11am - 3pm

The beach is coming to Mansfield! Head over to Myplace @ Westfield folkhouse on Sunday 11th June for a Summer Takeover.
⠀
The 16-18yr old volunteers from Inspire College and the Takeover volunteering programme are hosting a beach themed family fun day complete with entertainment and creative stalls. Expect games, crafts, food vendors, a bouncy castle, giant chess, silent disco and more! 
⠀
Don't miss some cracking performances with live bands from Inspire Youth Arts throughout the day. 

Captivate Meets: Teacher’s Network & Creative Sharing Event

Tuesday 21st March 2023 | 3.30pm – 5.15pm 

Greenwood Primary and Nursery School in Kirkby-in-Ashfield 

Join us on March 21st for the first Captivate Meets of 2023, bringing together Primary, Secondary & FE Teachers, arts professionals and educators together for an afternoon packed with creative discussion, networking & support.

Throughout the afternoon you’ll have the chance to:

Hear from keynote speakers about amazing creative projects happening 

Network with other teachers, creatives & professionals

Get access to quick-fire 1:1 support session with Captivate’s Schools Consultant - Amanda McLaren and Artsmark specialist

Hear updates from Arts Partners on ways your school can get involved in upcoming creative projects

Captivate Meets is hosted by Captivate - Nottinghamshire's Cultural Education Partnership, working across Mansfield & Ashfield and facilitated by Nonsuch Studios, Nottingham’s independent theatre & creative venue working across the county on community-led projects. 

Talented year 11 students from The Brunts Academy in Mansfield will be running the First Art shop in the Four Seasons Shopping Centre, Mansfield between 15th and 16th February, as part of a two-day pop-up event hosted by Takeover.  

Takeover has been mentoring the current 15 and 16-year-olds on the program since October 2022, now they will be bringing art and business together for this one-off event. With support from First Art, the students will put their creative skills on display in the upcoming pop-up shop featuring a diverse range of their own products, including music, merchandise, a bakery and a gaming hub and hobby shop which will be open to members of the public over the two days. This hands-on project offers a real-world retail experience for the students to showcase their abilities, with the pop-up shop being devised and delivered entirely by young people from Mansfield.

Laura Solly, Arts Teacher at The Brunts Academy and Takeover Facilitator, said: “Takeover has been a fantastic opportunity for our Year 11s, by allowing them to pursue a passion of theirs, whether that be music, art, poetry or baking and developing these into small businesses.

Pupils have even gathered advice and feedback from local business owners to support their enterprise projects. Running the shop is a wonderful opportunity for pupils to display their talents to the public and get experience in retail and business”.

Takeover’s pop-up event will be open at the First Art hub in the Four Seasons Shopping Centre in Mansfield, between 11am – 4pm on both 15th and 16th February. 

Following the success of our DCMS-funded volunteering programme, Takeover, we are excited to announce the next stage of the programme, Changemakers!

Takeover has already engaged with over 200 young people in producing cultural events for their communities, with our 2024 Festival attracting over 1600 people in Mansfield. This programme has gained national recognition from DCMS and ACE and we have published the programme's positive impact in a report conducted by Nottingham Trent University (NTU).

Read the report HERE.

While the original Takeover format will continue with new cohorts starting in January 2025, Changemakers will allow previous participants to further develop their skills and gain experience in local creative industries.

Our first Changemakers course will partner with Portland College, whose original Takeover project created an immersive pirates event for local children and was supported by our partners First Art & Nonsuch. Each work placement will be bespoke to the young person & organisation. Captivate, Portland College, and host organisations will collaborate to create these customised placements.

FREE EVENT

Saturday 29 March | 11am - 4pm

Four Seasons Shopping Centre & Mansfield Central Library

Mansfield’s BIGGEST youth festival is back for 2025!

Brought to life by the young people of Mansfield and Ashfield, get ready for a day packed with music, games, performances, art, workshops and immersive displays!

In partnership with Nonsuch and First Art, we’re showcasing the creative talents of our amazing Takeover volunteers, who’ve teamed up with artists and leading creatives to deliver exciting activities and plenty of family fun!

Expect a youth-led showcase of arts and creativity with performances and live art installations from talented local schools, colleges, and youth groups including West Notts College, Outwood Academy Kirkby, The Brunts Academy, Sutton Community Academy, Nottingham Trent University, Inspire Music, New Art Exchange and Garibaldi Youth Centre.

Listen to live music, epic DJ sets and get involved with interactive workshops—from mask-making and clay painting to DJing, print design, hip-hop dance, boxing, and even a silent disco!

Plus, don’t miss the chance to meet the inspiring young volunteer festival crew from Nottingham Trent University and Portland College, part of the driving force behind making this event come to life.

This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Friday 7 March 2025 | 9am - 3:30pm

Porland College, Mansfield

Aimed at schools, colleges, artists and cultural enablers, this event builds on Captivate's first conference in March 2024. We are partnering with Portland College to discuss, experience and take part in workshops, while developing our creative offerings across Nottinghamshire.

Well-being Sessions with Serene Souls

Available from 11:50AM in the well-being zone. Book a 20-minute relaxation session at the welcome desk upon arrival.

Venue & Parking
Venue Address: Portland College, Nottingham Road, Mansfield, NG18 4TJ.

 Free on-site parking is available. Please note: that there are limited spaces so we are encouraging car sharing or taking public transport. Buses that pass near Portland are 1, 12B, PRO, 218, 90

Overflow parking is available at Fountaindale School.

Access Needs & Dietary Requirements

Lunch & refreshments will be provided, so please let us know If you have any dietary requirements. Additionally, please let us know if you have any access requirements.

Please inform us of any of the above as soon as possible so we can make the necessary arrangements.

Bursaries available:
If you are an education setting in Ashfield or Mansfield, we are offering £100 bursaries for up to 8 schools to cover staff release time.