Family events are making a return in Mansfield as the district council plans a variety of fun Covid-secure activities, starting this month.

Outdoor theatre and a Wonderfest summer festival are among the highlights during the summer, a year after coronavirus restrictions wiped out the town’s leisure programme.

Most of the upcoming council events will be outdoors with social distancing in place and ticketed to limit numbers. At the moment the plan is that bookings will be based on household groups and support bubbles, however this will be reviewed in line with the latest Government guidance.

James Biddlestone, head of people transformation at the council, said: “Our event plans will be dependent on the lifting of national restrictions and, of course, careful consideration will be made should there be any local restrictions.

“Dealing with this pandemic has been a long haul and tough for a lot of people, so we want to re-engage with our residents and bring some fun and culture back to their lives.

“We have taken no decisions yet on pre-event testing or vaccine passports.”

Events include:

JUNE
Bee Kind — three-week campaign via the council’s Facebook page from 1st June, celebrating the environment, with a specific focus on bees.

JULY
Comedy Of Errors — outdoor performance of the Shakespeare farce at Titchfield Park on Sunday, 4th July at 5pm by Oddsocks Theatre.
Midsummer Night’s Dream — outdoor performance of the Shakespeare classic romantic and fun comedy on Saturday, 24th July, at 7pm by Chapterhouse Theatre Company.
Bring your own chairs to both performances. Tickets, priced £14, are available at www.mansfieldpalace.co.uk

AUGUST
Wonderfest — Family festival with music, walkabout entertainment, stalls, rides, face painting and a free outdoor theatre show, Alice in Wonderland with a Mad Hatter’s tea party theme, performed by Chapterhouse Theatre Company at 11am and 2pm. The free event is at at Titchfield Park on Thursday, 26th August.

SEPTEMBER
The Full Shebang — return to Mansfield town centre of the free fun-packed festival, produced by First Art, featuring outdoor performances and wacky fun for all ages on Saturday, 11th September.

More event details, and possible further activities, will be posted to the council’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mymansfielduk and the council’s What’s On calendar at www.mansfield.gov.uk