Didcot Garden Party – Free shows, performances and sports sessions in Didcot Garden Town this summer
The Didcot Garden Party is returning throughout the summer holidays to bring exciting events and sports activities to Cornerstone Arts Centre and local parks in the town.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are bringing lots of free activities for families and young people from 23 July up until 31 August. The fun begins at 11am on Saturday 23 July at Cornerstone with a storytelling puppet show, and afterward a food discovery paint workshop will be available for everyone to make colourful prints using fruit, vegetables and other food as templates.
All the events at Cornerstone will be taking place outside in the centre’s decorated courtyard during the six-week period. The whole space is being transformed into a welcoming garden for everyone to use and enjoy. Cornerstone’s café bar, Nourish, will be open Monday to Saturday throughout the summer for visitors to treat themselves to refreshments, lunches or just a coffee and cake.
The theme for this year’s Didcot Garden Party is health, wellbeing and the environment. As well as performances and activities at Cornerstone, the party will branch out to other locations in Didcot. Dancing sessions will be available at the District Community Centre on Great Western Park, a six-week cricket course and three skateboarding sessions will happen at Ladygrove Park, and fun family orienteering will take place at Edmunds Park.
The garden party is part of the district councils’ revised ambitious Didcot Garden Town delivery plan, which has been simplified to focus on more community events and projects that encourage healthy lifestyles, increase sustainability and help to tackle climate change.
Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Development and Infrastructure at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “We’re delighted that the garden party has returned this year and taking place all through the summer holidays with even more free activities. We hope everyone will be able to come together to enjoy the live performances, poetry and shows and have fun learning new skills by participating in all the sports activities.”
Robin Bennett, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “The garden party is bigger and better this year and is a real celebration of the variety of what’s on offer in Didcot. This time, we’re working with more local groups to make use of the outdoor space at Cornerstone for events and activities over the summer. We’ve recently rewritten the garden town delivery plan to focus on simple, tangible improvements for residents, and this kind of event is part of our vision for a culturally vibrant town centre, as well as being a great way to kickstart the new plan. We’re looking forward to everyone getting involved in this year’s party.”
All the details about what’s on and where for the Didcot Garden Party can be found via southoxon.gov.uk/didcot-garden-town-latest-news
