Community festival keeps long-running Kettering tradition alive
The City of Kettering’s long-standing summer arts festival, Art on the Commons, returned to Lincoln Park Commons on Sunday 9 August for its 38th year. The event, run in association with the Rosewood Arts Center, combined live music, artist demonstrations and stalls from makers and craftspeople from around the country, delivering a family-friendly day of activity in the heart of Kettering.
Photographs from the event show a varied programme across the commons, with musicians performing on outdoor stages and artists demonstrating traditional and contemporary techniques to curious onlookers. The festival is described in the event coverage as the City of Kettering’s fine arts and craft showcase and has become a fixture of the city’s late-summer calendar.
Music, demonstrations and makers on show
Performers captured in coverage included Serin Oh, the group Ready Shet Go and Khrys Blank, each offering distinct sets across the day. Live music formed a central strand of the festival, providing a backdrop to the craft stalls and demonstrations.
Practical demonstrations offered insight into artistic processes. Photographs and captions show a ceramic artist demonstrating wheel throwing, an artist working plein air and a screen-printing demonstration drawing attention from attendees. These hands-on and observational displays are part of what the Rosewood Arts Centre has promoted as an opportunity for the public to engage directly with creative practice.
“The fine arts and craft festival, held each year at Lincoln Park Commons, showcases artists from around the country and includes demonstrations and live music.”
A broad range of makers were present, from studio artists to small craft businesses. One stall highlighted in coverage featured handmade stuffed animals by Melissa Bracken (The Happy Groundhogs Studio). The Novaphonic tent was also pictured among the event’s marquees, indicating a mixture of audio and visual presentation zones.
What the day offered visitors
- Live music across outdoor stages featuring named performers such as Serin Oh, Ready Shet Go and Khrys Blank.
- Artist demonstrations including wheel throwing (ceramics), plein air painting and screen printing.
- Craft stalls featuring handmade goods, including soft toys by Melissa Bracken’s The Happy Groundhogs Studio.
Photographs from the festival record both performers in action and crowds moving between stalls and demonstrations, emphasising the event’s appeal to families and those with an interest in making and collecting art. The event’s longevity—now running for 38 years—underlines its established role in Kettering’s cultural life.
| Aspect | Examples from coverage |
|---|---|
| Music | Serin Oh; Ready Shet Go; Khrys Blank |
| Demonstrations | Ceramic wheel throwing; plein air painting; screen printing |
| Notable stalls | Melissa Bracken (The Happy Groundhogs Studio); Novaphonic tent |
For residents and visitors, Art on the Commons continues to be a chance to see working artists at close quarters and to buy directly from makers. The festival complements other local arts provision run by the Rosewood Arts Center and underlines the city’s appetite for accessible cultural programming in public spaces.
Organisers and photographers documented the day in a photo set capturing performances, demonstrations and the breadth of stalls. Those images offer a visual snapshot of a single summer Sunday that brought music, art and community together at Lincoln Park Commons.
As Kettering moves through August, events such as Art on the Commons remain an important stop in the city’s cultural calendar, offering opportunities for local artists, small businesses and residents to connect in a public setting that has served the community for nearly four decades.
