Millfield Festival

About the festival

Millfield Festival is a yearly community arts festival in the heart of Millfield, Gladstone, and New England. Each year communities come together to celebrate culture, community, and creativity.

It’s a free, family-friendly celebration of creativity, arts, culture, and community every August. The festival welcomes everyone in the area to come together for an uplifting and inspiring event. Millfield Festival usually takes place on New England Rec (also known as Rock Park / The Triangle) on Lincoln Road / Occupation Road. Each year, Peterborough Presents works with local people and organisations to put on interesting music and dance, fun arts & crafts, and amazing performances.

Millfield Festival has been running since 2017 and each year has worked with over 100 community groups and organisations in the local area. The festival has had up to 3000 people attend and enjoy the day. 85% of our audiences are from a PE1 postcode.

A photo of three Hindu women dressed in colourful, mexican-inspired carnival costumes

A crowd of five people cheering. They are wearing transparent plastic ponchos and cheering.

Keely from Peterborough Presents pretending to growl whilst stood next to a carnival lion (costume) at Millfield Festival 2023.

A girl in a sunhat showing her henna design to the camera, holding her hand in front of her face.

Sat 5th August 2023

12pm – 6pm
Rock Park / New England Rec
FREE!

The Millfield Festival 2023 was a brilliant co-creation. Thank you to everyone that make it so special. Even though we had to move it indoors to the large Millfield Community Association due to heavy rains forecasted, it thankfully didn’t dampen the spirits, energy, delivery and impact of this important community gathering.

There was a whole line up of performance, music and dancing. There was storytelling, crafting, stalls, and food enjoyed, all with so many brilliant local and regional talents.

If only we could have this much fun every Saturday.

Here’s a snippet of the magic captured by photographer Leia Ankers…

3 of the 4 Mughal Miniature Performers in colourful sari's dancing with scarves

Raskila Traditional Lithuanian cultural dancers performing to the crowd at the Millfield Festival 2023

Storytelling tent by Black British Book Festival. A women sat in front of a little red tent reading a book to a group of children sat in front and around her.

The Millfield Festival Carnival in full swing. Flamenco dancer in the foreground and other colourful costumes in the background.

A woman sat at a table getting her face painted at the Millfield Festival 2023

A carnival performer dressed as a wolf with its tongue out.

a group of women performing a cultural dance at the Millfield Festival 2023

Football Crazy walkabout at the Millfield Festival. A man with a flatcap in a mini stand - acting as a football commentator. A mini green pitch in front with an acting referee and members of the public playing a version of a football game.

Artists in the crafting and making room at the festival. A lady at a table working with fabrics.

A young boy sat at a table smiling with his face painted as a leopard

Cabezonas - two performers in costume with giant puppet heads - walking about the festival.

Lorico12 Traditional East Timorese cultural Dancers at the Millfield Festival on stage, their arms in the air, with white shirts and red, black and green skirts on.

hoola hoop workshop in the stage area. approx 10 children and adults playing with large hoola hoops.

Performers from Koroleko. A man with a blue shirt and dreadlock hair playing his guitar whilst looking at the crowd.

3 children sat a table making and painting

The back of 2 dancers (wearing red with their long hair behind them) as them and their group face a large crowd of people. Part of the Millfield Festival.

A montage of pictures that celebrate the different creative projects delivered in Eye. It features people having fun, making, poetry and photographs of the village.

Programme Highlights

Mughal Miniatures

A dance show that tells stories of traditional Persian & Indian miniature paintings

Crazy Football

A show where the audience compete in games of table football

Black British Book Festival

Authors Uju Asika and Davina Tijani will make a stop on their national book tour at Millfield Festival, in partnership with Black British Book Festival

Lorico12

Traditional East Timorese cultural dance

Raskila

Traditional Lithuanian cultural dance

Koroleko

Lively carnival band playing traditional African instruments with a lively upbeat sound

Plus sports

Plus sports from Happy Fitness Club, Peterborough Lions

Food from A1 Fresh Food, Keemaya Kitchen

Arts & crafts workshops

Want to donate or become a sponsor?

How can you help?

You can donate or sponsor Millfield Festival to help us put on a memorable community event. You can support from as little or as much as you are able. As little as £30 will provide a community stall, and larger amounts will support the smooth running of the festival performances and activities. You can also support by donating perishables, materials, and giveaways for our staff and volunteers.

If you choose to donate to Millfield Festival, you can donate any amount via our Just Giving page. We will give thanks to all our donors on our social media platforms.

If you choose to sponsor Millfield Festival, we will provide you with opportunities to showcase your brand at Millfield Festival to thousands of local people, as well as on promotional materials that we deliver through letterboxes and display in shops in the Millfield area.

Millfield Festival has been running since 2017 and each year has worked with over 100 community groups and organisations in the local area. The festival regularly attracts 3000 people each year. 85% of our audiences are from a PE1 postcode.

More details about what your donation or sponsorship could mean to the Festival can be requested. To discuss sponsorship or donations please call Kim on 07436 031343 or email kim.coley@neneparktrust.org.uk.

We look forward to hearing from you. 

Kind regards, 

Peterborough Presents Team

find out more about Millfield Festival 2022

find out more about Millfield Festival 2021

Yesterday and today my Facebook is flooded with pictures and videos from yesterday Millfield Festival 2022 ! 🤩

I myself did not have many opportunities to take pictures and videos, because I had honorable, important duties during this celebration: first of all, as a member of the Šokių grupė “RASKILA” team, wearing Lithuanian national clothes, I was part of a great dance performance, and later, unveiling the golden bird costume by mandinga arts team from london along with other mini carnival characters, entertained the crowd and posed for photos with them! 🥰 I’m proud I had the opportunity to be there and do what I did! This is a unique, one-of-a-kind experience for which I am grateful to the Peterborough Presents team! 😊

Snow, Lithuanian Community Leader

Other Projects

Well if you found that fascinating come check out what else we've done!

Youth Connect: Artist in Residence (Film / Moving Image)

Gladstone Connect Ltd are looking for a professional creative who works with film / moving image to be in residence with their youth group, Youth Connect, at the Allama Iqbal Centre in Peterborough in September – November 2026. The work must respond to either or both of these themes: nature, justice.

Orton Makers

Orton Makers was set up in October 2022. It was a social group for adults from the area to meet others and chat in a safe space, and make something that was useful or beautiful.