Tag: Newmarket

The Lumini FAQs

Posted on by Rob Drummer

We have created this list of Frequently Asked Questions to hopefully answer any queries you might have. However, if you cannot find the answer below then please contact community@marketplacearts.org.uk and a member of the team will be happy to help.

What we count as ‘surrounding villages’
Villages within 7 miles of Newmarket are welcome to book tickets at the same time as Newmarket residents. These include: Ashley, Bottisham, Burwell, Brinkley, Broad Green, Burrough Green, Carlton, Cheveley, Chippenham, Dalham, Denham, Dullingham, Ditton Green, East Green, Exning, Fordham, Freckenham, Gazeley, Great Bradley, Great Wilbraham, Higham, Kentford, Kennett, Landwade, Lode, Lidgate, Little Ditton, Little Wilbraham, Moulton, Ousden, Reach, Red Lodge, Saxon Street, Soham, Snailwell, Six Mile Bottom, Stetchworth, Swaffham Prior, Swaffham Beck, Upend, Westley Waterless, Weston Colville, Wicken, and Woodditton. 

If you’re not sure if you’re eligible, send an email to community@marketplacearts.org.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

What should I expect? 

When you book a ticket for the Lumini, you are scheduled in for free access inside the sculpture. At your time slot, you are invited into the Lumini to explore a dreamlike world of egg shaped domes and radiant light. Your 20 minute visit is self-guided, so you can wander at your own pace, soak up the colours and enjoy the moment. We invite you to use headphones from our Listening Station to experience 2 different audio journeys while inside the Lumini: a calming guided meditation and an oral history storytelling project that shares voices from the local community. Outside the Lumini, the Memorial Gardens will be buzzing with free drop-in activities, creative stations, and wellbeing spaces to explore before or after your session. 

Lumini is Architects of Air’s mini-structure for community programming and artistic interventions. This bespoke design has been created to fit into The Dell in Memorial Gardens. You can find out more about Lumini here: www.architects-of-air.com/lumini . Did you know the Architect of Air’s create even larger-scale Luminaria? You can see more about these here: https://architects-of-air.com/designs/ 

Do I need a ticket to enter the Lumini?

Yes, everyone needs a ticket to enter the Lumini. You can book tickets online up to midnight the day before your visit, and we’re also releasing on-the-day tickets on site if any booked visitors don’t show up. We do expect a high demand for tickets and expect there to be queues, so please factor that into your visit. You do not need a ticket to enter the park, where there are free, drop in activities from Thursday to Sunday.

When should I arrive?

Lumini ticket holders must arrive at the ticket tent for The Lumini at least 10 minutes before the time indicated on the ticket. A queue should still be expected. You will be outside while waiting to enter the Lumini, so please come prepared based on the weather conditions.

If you arrive late, you will not be allowed entry and your ticket will be released to on-site visitors.

How much do tickets for Lumini cost?

Tickets are free.

Why are some tickets sold out already?

We’ve made sure to reserve a portion of tickets for local community groups such as The Diversity Hub (additional needs day service), Foley House (parent and child SEND group), and Teen Chill (AbbeyCroft Leisure youth group), so that they can experience Lumini together. These groups support people who may not have easy access to arts and cultural activities, and we’re proud to make this opportunity as inclusive and welcoming as possible.

Plenty of tickets are still available for the wider community, and we’re also releasing on-the-day tickets on site if any booked visitors don’t show up. We appreciate your understanding and support in helping make this a shared experience for everyone in our community.

What if I can’t make my time slot or want to cancel?

If you do need to change your timeslot, or cancel, please email community@marketplacearts.org.uk advance. We cannot guarantee you will be able to get the slot you want and we cannot swap tickets on the day. Do please let us know if you can’t attend – it will allow us to open this opportunity to as many people as possible.

Is there an age restriction for this event?

Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult (a minimum of 1 adult for up to 4 children) inside the Lumini.

How long is the experience in the Lumini?

Entry is every 30 minutes, and you are welcome to enjoy up to 20 minutes inside the sculpture. This allows you plenty of time to embrace the Lumini to its fullest, whilst keeping the queue moving and allowing as many people as possible to experience the Lumini.

What if I can’t get a ticket?

If ticket holders don’t show up, we’ll release those tickets on site during opening hours. These extra tickets won’t be available online — only in person, and on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to come by the event and see if any tickets are available. Over the course of the four days, there will be a free programme of workshops, activities, and performances across Memorial Gardens, so there’s lots to do if you can’t get a ticket.

Can I wear footwear in the Lumini?

We ask that visitors remove footwear in the reception area of the Lumini before entering. Shoes and possessions are left in the reception area at the owner’s risk.

Do babies need a ticket?

Yes – tickets are required for everyone.

Access

The Lumini is accessible for wheelchair users, but please note it will be situated on grass. There are two entrances to Memorial Gardens, both are wheelchair accessible with concrete paths. 

There will be ambient music playing in the space, without a beat so as to not dictate the pace of exploration! If you would find it useful to hear this music in advance, please get in touch and we can facilitate this. Silent Disco headphones will be available on site, which you are welcome to use with no audio output, to lower the sensory stimulation if you so wish. Just hand them to a member of staff upon exiting the Lumini. If you require noise cancelling headphones, we ask you to bring these along with you.

The Lumini is situated outdoors in the park. While we aim to create a calm and focused environment, please be aware that the park is open to the public and we are expecting crowds, therefore it may be busy and there could be background noise during the activity.

Assistance Dogs

The Lumini is not intended for animals to enter. Assistance/ Service dogs may enter only if they are wearing dog booties, and they must be on a lead. Alternatively, an assistance dog may wait outside under supervision of the Lumini’s staff.

Toilets

Please note that the main public toilets on site will be closed, and instead portaloos will be available. The nearest Accessible, Changing Places toilet can be found at The Guineas Shopping Centre which is 0.4 miles, an 8 minute walk or wheel. The Guineas Shopping Centre also has a Changing Places toilet for individuals with profound and multiple disabilities. You can find out more about this provision and how to apply for a key here https://www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/Visitors/tourist_information/changing-places-toilet-guineas-shopping-centre-newmarket.cfm

Photos

Please note that photos and videos will be taken throughout the event. If you do not wish to be on camera, please talk to a member of our team.

Light Up The Town

Posted on by Rob Drummer

A Spring Celebration – How We Lit Up the Town Together

Light Up The Town brought communities together across Fenland and West Suffolk, transforming local towns with stunning light projection art during early 2025. Collaborating with SDNA Moving Image and community groups, the project illuminated historic buildings with artworks made by local residents, bringing people together during the transition from winter to spring.

“It brought all ages together. This was especially appreciated by those who suffer with the dark nights. Spring is now in the air! Thank you for brightening up our town.“
– Rev.d Canon Wendy Thomson | Vicar, Chatteris Church of St. Peter & St. Paul

We saw over 1,500 of you visit the light shows that lit up buildings in Chatteris, March, Wisbech, Whittlesey, Brandon, Mildenhall, and Newmarket in early 2025.

West Suffolk Light Shows

The West Suffolk leg of the project featured three captivating evenings:

  • Brandon came alive on Tuesday, 25th February at the Town Council’s Old School House on Market Hill
  • Mildenhall was beautifully illuminated on Wednesday, 26th February at St. Mary’s Church
  • Newmarket concluded the West Suffolk shows on Thursday, 27th February at St. Mary’s Church

Fenland Light Celebrations

The Fenland towns followed with their own spectacular light displays:

  • Wisbech kicked off on Monday, 3rd March at Museum Square
  • March hosted its event on Wednesday, 5th March at the Town Hall
  • Chatteris shone brightly on Thursday, 6th March at the Church of St Peter & St Paul
  • Whittlesey concluded the series on Friday, 7th March at Saint Mary’s Church

“I didn’t know that music and light could be so overwhelming to make you feel better. It’s so healing.”
– Attendee

How was the artwork made? 

The artwork was developed in 4 stages: collecting images from local gardening groups, workshops with community groups collaging these images, SDNA animating the artworks with projection mapping software and presentation of the artworks projected onto local landmarks at the Light Shows. The artworks celebrated the work of the gardeners, the creativity of the workshop participants and the transition from winter to spring.

“using our images made it so personal and we instantly connected to it” 
– Laura, Newmarket Community Nature Reserve

We would like to thank community groups: Brandon Circle, Mildenhall Teen Chill, Newmarket Art Group, Wisbech Recovery Cafe, Cromwell and Neale Wade Academies and Whittlesey brownies and girl guides for creating the artworks for their towns.

Gardening groups Brandon in Bloom, Brandon Town Keepers, Mildenhall in Bloom, Newmarket Community Nature Reserve and Fenland In Bloom kindly supplied images of their hard work for the workshops.

How was the community involved?

  • Decision Making: Community voices shaped the project from the start. MarketPlace Arts ran two community panels to select the artists SDNA for this project. The community panelists represented each of the seven towns involved in the decision making process for this project. 
  • Collaboration: MarketPlace Arts worked with SDNA to run creative workshops with community groups in every town. We worked with local gardening groups to source images and plant names which served as inspiration and material for collages created by local community groups in the workshops. 
  • Artwork Creation: SDNA used the artworks made by community members, animating them and projecting them onto local buildings for the Light Shows.
  • Local Support: Local venues hosted the events and provided refreshments, helping to create a warm, welcoming space for neighbours to gather and celebrate together.
  • Volunteering: Our Light Shows couldn’t happen without the support of local volunteers! Want to get involved? We’re always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help bring future events to life – get in touch and be part of something special in your town.

We would like to thank the community spaces kindly hosting the light shows: Brandon Town Council, St Mary’s Church Mildenhall, St Mary’s Church Newmarket, Wisbech & Fenland Museum, March Town Hall, St Mary’s Church Whittlesey and Church of St Peter & St Paul, Chatteris.

Who are SDNA?

SDNA is a creative studio founded in 2010 by Valentina Floris and Ben Foot. They specialise in producing distinctive digital artworks and interactive experiences for a range of settings, involving people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds in the creative process. They animate galleries and public spaces with bold and imaginative displays to engage and inspire new and diverse audiences in fresh and exciting ways.

You can visit their website here.

“For the first time in our 800-year history, the church was beautifully illuminated with stunning projected lighting displays.“
– Richard, Mildenhall

Why did MarketPlace Arts commission SDNA?

MarketPlace Arts is part of the Creative People and Places programme, funded by Arts Council England and the National Lottery. We support communities in creating cultural activity where they live, producing festivals, installations, workshops, theatre, and more throughout the year.

Every project is co-created with local communities to ensure it’s meaningful and relevant. For this project, we ran two community panels made up of representatives from all seven towns to select the lead artist.

“Being part of the community panel gave me some insight into the process of developing a community art project. I felt that my perspective was valued. Being involved in the panel pushed me to consider my future career in the creative industries and helped me in my studies by giving me information and experience.”
-Yve, Community Panellist

Book your free place at The Rivers of Light Lantern Parade 2024!

Posted on by Rob Drummer

After receiving such positive feedback from the participants and partners at this year’s parade, Newmarket Community Arts and MarketPlace are thrilled to announce the return of Rivers of Light, which will illuminate Newmarket’s Yellow Brick Road once again.

Book here

The event will showcase Newmarket’s rare and ancient chalk stream that runs alongside the Yellow Brick Road footpath in the heart of the town. Leading up to the parade, artists Penny Sobr and Dawn Bursford will work with community groups, including the Guides and Scouts, to create willow lanterns. Additionally, we are planning to commission an artist to work with Teen Chill, (a youth club run by Abbeycroft Leisure Centre who recently created the arresting ‘Human Race’ mural), to produce larger willow structures for the event.

Alongside the art activities, ecologist Kevin Hand will provide information sessions about Newmarket’s chalk stream and how it can be preserved and protected.

Contact us if you would like to join our willow lantern making workshops which will take place on Thursday 22 February 10am-1pm and Friday 23 February 12.30-4.30pm.

During the parade, attendees will be treated to performances by the Newmarket School of Dance and the New Samba drumming band.

Gather at 6pm at George Lampton Playing Fields for performances from Newmarket Community Choir and Newmarket School of Dance. The parade will leave at 6:30pm and finish at Studlands Park Sports and Social Club, where Slackmagirdle Morris dancers will greet you. At 7:30pm ceilidh band Stompy Oak will encourage everyone to join in the dancing. They’ll also be performances from local singers and songwriters.

The parade will take approximately 30 minutes and is around 3/4 of a mile. It is also wheelchair accessible.

Rivers of Light is free to attend, but booking is essential.

Book here

Rivers of Light is supported by Newmarket Town Council, Newmarket Charitable Foundation and Anglian Water.

Teen Chill and MarketPlace Celebrate as mural is displayed in Newmarket

Posted on by Rob Drummer

To mark the end of the project, artists from Teen Chill youth club were invited by MarketPlace for a celebration buffet at Newmarket’s Abbeycroft Leisure Centre to celebrate The Human Race mural. The co-created mural is part of the Newmarket in Colour project by Discover Newmarket and is now displayed in the leisure centre’s foyer where it can be enjoyed by the public.

Lead artist – Hilary Cox Condron – also attended along with the young artist’s family members to celebrate their achievement and hard work. The mural was inspired by the Mutiny in Colour exhibition at the National Horse Racing Museum. As part of the project, MarketPlace took members of Teen Chill to the exhibition where they were particularly inspired by artists Banksy, KAWS and My Dog Sighs, and were keen to have their voices heard in the piece. Over the course of several sessions with the young people, their voices came forwards and we discussed and experimented with ideas, themes and visuals.

MarketPlace Programme Director Susie Batchelor says: “We were delighted at how deeply committed the young artists at Teen Chill were to the project, and at the thoughtfulness of their creative responses. Hilary and everyone at the MarketPlace team loved their energy and enthusiasm. We are very proud that they have now formed an arts collective and look forward to working with them again on other initiatives including the Rivers of Light lantern parade which will take place in Newmarket in February 2024”.

Louise Eatock, Creative Producer

Case study: Rivers of Light

Posted on by Rob Drummer

The ‘Rivers of Light’ Lantern Parade in Newmarket, Forest Heath, was a co-delivered event in partnership with Newmarket Community Arts, Newmarket Community Nature Reserve and Newmarket Town Council.

Residents walked the route of the chalk stream carrying their handmade lanterns before experiencing a finale of local musicians, choirs and dance performances.

Read the full Rivers of Light case study here

(This case study was prepared by We Are Frilly as part of our Phase 3 Year 1 Evaluation Report.)

‘Absolutely brilliant event from start to finish. The parade led by the samba band was awesome, the lanterns and crowd were brilliant, and so was Coventina. Newmarket choir were spot on with a great rendition of the Rivers of Light song‘ – Audience feedback

Newmarket in Colour Mural

Posted on by Rob Drummer

Back in the Spring we began talking to the young people at Teen Chill youth club – run by Abbeycroft Leisure, Newmarket. We discussed various project ideas that they would like to be involved in and found that murals were of particular interest. We discovered an opportunity to take the project forwards by getting involved with Newmarket in Colour, a creative initiative set up by Discover Newmarket. This initiative commissioned several murals that will add colour to the public spaces throughout the town. 

We organised a visit to the Mutiny in Colour exhibition at The National Horse Racing Museum to inspire the group. They particularly liked works by My Dog Sighs, Banksy and KAWS.

We then spent two research sessions with Teen Chill, mind-mapping ideas with arts educator Hilary Cox-Condron before identifying themes and experimenting with designs. The group were keen to express themselves and give voice to their experiences. Inspired by the Mutiny in Colour exhibition, they were eager to incorporate some of the ideas they had seen into their own work.

During the first week of the summer holidays, the group spent three days bringing their ideas to life with Hilary at The Racing Centre. None of the group had ever worked at such a large scale, but they rose to the challenge brilliantly. They learned new stencilling techniques using templates and by creating their own patterns with masking tape. They worked extremely hard and at the end of the three days their piece, The Human Race, was complete. It has now been installed at the Abbeycroft Leisure Centre on Exning Road for all to see.

Delicates pilot project

Posted on by Rob Drummer

Delicates is a pilot project that was developed with MarketPlace by writer and creative facilitator Tassa Deparis . It was run in Newmarket – by mothers, for mothers. New mothers were able to unleash their imagination, exchange stories and develop ideas around new identities through a variety of creative outlets. The workshops, run by Tassa and Helen Baggett of Gecko Theatre were attended by a small group of mothers, creating a safe space to talk openly while their little ones are taken care of in a creche in a neighbouring room.

The workshops took place over three weeks where the group of mothers could try various creative outlets surrounding their identity in motherhood. The sessions also provided a space to discuss and think about their journey as mothers, and what that means for them as individuals but also as a group. Women in the room came from a range of different backgrounds. Despite this, the group felt unified under the shared experiences of motherhood, and the beauties and difficulties that go along with that. 

Tassa Deparis talks about the Delicates project she facilitated

The project predominantly attracted new mothers on maternity leave and those with pre-school age children. Activities such as responding to the question ‘What is a mum?’ gave the group space to explore their identities and feelings surrounding motherhood.

“The women who took part in this project were so open and happy to tell their stories“

The women explored the transition from before motherhood to their present journey through the activities and discussions. The group came together through their shared and difference experiences. Lots of women feel isolated when they become mothers so the social aspect of the project was an important factor too.

This journey that many women go through is often undervalued, so the delicates project aimed to show the women the great importance and impact their place has in society.

Tassa Deparis, who led the group talks about the need for this kind of project; “The women who took part in this project were so open and happy to tell their stories, which showed a real hunger and need for projects like this to be developed, and more spaces for mothers to unpick this period of their life.”

“Everything we found and uncovered was so rich and so complicated. It really was ‘delicate’ material. There was beauty, humour, things that we felt privileged to be a part of, as well as things that were really difficult to explore.” – Tassa Deparis

With the success of the pilot, one of the aims is to have an artistic performance of some kind for an audience to consider the stories of mothers and how integral they are to a healthy and thriving society – watch this space!

Rivers of Light

Posted on by Rob Drummer

Newmarket’s community lantern parade ‘Rivers of Light’ took place in February 2023, bringing some cheer to the winter nights for almost 600 local residents. The community gathered to celebrate the origins of Newmarket, the chalk streams that run through the town, and the local community groups. Inspired by ancient light festivals and the history of the Newmarket, residents paraded along The Yellow Brick Road with beautiful handmade lanterns.

Newmarket Community Arts and Newmarket Community Nature Reserve looked at previous research about the Newmarket Watercourse. Through investigation and talking to ecologist Kevin Hand, it became clear that Newmarket has chalk streams running through the town. Chalk streams are now listed as a priority habitat by the Environment Agency.  Newmarket had a lantern parade a few years ago which was very popular, so Newmarket Community Arts and Newmarket Community Nature Reserve felt that another lantern parade would work well to bring people together and raise awareness about this unique habitat in Newmarket.

In the lead up to the event, Newmarket Community Arts worked with arts educator and illustrator Penny Sobr to deliver willow lantern making workshops to local groups including the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides, and the International Women’s Group organised by Sharing Parenting. There were six workshops in total with almost 200 people taking part. This included two free public drop-in workshops at The Racing Centre, to support the community in making their own willow lanterns for the parade.

Willow Lantern created at a worskshop

“Brilliant, fun, great community spirit and turnout”

There was almost 80 people performing, including musicians, dancers, and singers. With performances from Newmarket School of Dance and Slack McGirdle Morris Dancers, there was lots of entertainment along the way. A new song was also performed which was especially commissioned for the project.

The route started on the green on the Yellow Brick Road behind Frampton Close, where it took around 40 minutes for the parade to complete the journey. A shorter route of 20 minutes was also available for those who wished to join part way through. The parade then culminated at Studlands Park Social Club where there was food and live music to enjoy. 

“Next year please!“

Rivers of Light was presented by Newmarket Community Arts in partnership with MarketPlace – Creative People and Places and Newmarket Community Nature Reserve.

Case Study: Community Producer

Posted on by Alice Cramer

This case study is part of our project evaluation for Phase 2

We worked with two local residents, one from Fenland and one from Forest Heath, to support them as Community Producers in 2021. They brought local knowledge and contacts to commissions and events, developed their skills and made creative things happen in their places with their communities.

Read the full Community Producer case study here.

Read the full Phase 2 evaluation report here.

An excerpt from the case study:

Developing local people in cultural opportunities helps upskill and raise the ambition of art appetites by creating ownership over the activities. The community producers operate as advocates and a trusted source for local people and businesses to engage and activity partner. This has become an organic evolution from the Creative Collective, and Creative Forum structures the team has created. They identify development opportunities for each member.

Identifying talent, creating opportunities and the space to step into learning and leading happens through a subtle approach on a project-by-project basis. First, local people are engaged through an invitation and a reassurance of their skills and abilities.

Newmarket resident and Creative Collective member Louise Eatock has a passion and interest in the music scene and organising pop-up activities in local venues, but has big ideas for Newmarket’s needs for local people. Louise met Creative Agent Ali at a local authority community network meeting during the first phase of the activity, and Ali supported Louise in delivering the workshop activity. When the Creative Collective formed in Phase 2, Year 2, Ali invited her to join the group.

Louise helped commission ideas for the new Creative Conversations In Lockdown model as part of the Creative Collective. This process identified a commission that Louise could support and co-deliver with the artists as a local community representative. In addition, working on the More than Music project with Matt Cooper and Leanne Moden enabled Louise to take on a different role as a community producer on the project.

“It’s been a good experience working with MarketPlace. Ali (Creative Agent) is super supportive; she has helped me understand what my role could be in the community. Because before I met Ali, I was sort of thinking that I kind of had to not only organise everything but do everything myself as well. And she’s introduced me to other artists.

I’ve got a much clearer idea of programming arts in the community through working with Ali, so it’s been a good experience.” – Louise Eatock, Community Producer

Hilary Cox Condron, Louise Eatock and Colin Stevens at Newmarket Earth Arts Festival 2021.

Read the full Community Producer case study here.

Read the full Phase 2 evaluation report here.

+

Subscribe

* indicates required
I am interested in activity in