On the evening of Tuesday 21 June, we were delighted to welcome visitors into school for our annual Arts Festival, a marquee event which showcases the excellence of our students in the world of the Arts. The Arts Festival is always one of the most anticipated events in the school calendar, and this year, for the first time since 2019, it was wonderful to welcome family and friends back in to Northampton High School for an in-person event.
Last year, the festival couldn’t go ahead as normal due to restrictions in place at the time, but this didn’t stop us celebrating our students’ achievements! We instead brought the festival into people’s homes with a virtual event, which you can view any time by clicking here. As wonderful and special as our virtual festival was, nothing beats the live and in-person experience, and it was fantastic to be able to showcase the festival in all it’s glory this year back in school! With the excitement building ahead of the festival’s in-school return, Mrs Beacroft, her team and our wonderful students vowed to pull out all the stops to make this year’s event our best ever!
There was a wonderful array of exciting displays and events taking place throughout the night. Being blessed with glorious June sunshine, our two courtyards were transformed to host drinks and canopies for guests, along with some outstanding Drama performances. ‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ pieces wowed guests in our outdoor spaces, with further theatrical pieces being performed indoors, with Year 9 ’DNA’ and Year 10 Component 1 performances being real highlights of the night.
There was a marvellous array of Musical entertainment on offer throughout the evening too, kicked off with a beautiful performance by our Senior School Choir in the Senior Hall. Pop up performances were situated around the building too, where the excellence of our pupils shone through to deliver breath taking performances using a whole range of instruments.
Our Food & Nutrition and Fashion & Textiles classrooms were also a hive of activity, with lots on display for our guests to enjoy. The White Space played host to a jaw-dropping exhibition, proudly displaying the exceptional pieces of textile work our students have completed over the past year. Miss Knight was on hand in the Food classroom to lead wonderful workshops, with the smell of fresh cupcakes and sausage rolls a delightful accompaniment to the event!
This was all in addition to the outstanding Art & Design exhibitions that decorated our many halls and classrooms. We were proud to display a huge variety of work produced by Northampton High pupils, ranging from the brilliant Year 6 clay fish in our Junior School exhibit, all the way to our amazing A Level studio and heritage work. There was truly something to suit all artistic tastes, with paintings, drawings, sculptures, print and so much more on display for guests to enjoy.
It was absolutely marvellous to welcome so many lovely guests into school to enjoy a memorable evening. There was such a lovely atmosphere around our halls, classrooms and courtyards throughout, and we thank the many parents and family members that joined us for this showpiece event. A huge thank you must go to Mrs Beacroft, her team and the many other staff members who helped to put together this wonderful evening. The biggest thanks, however, goes to our students. The skill and excellence that they show each and every day in their work make events like this such a joy, and it is an honour to proudly display their creations for you to enjoy.
To view some more photo’s from the event, please click here. We look forward to welcoming you back for next year’s festival!
