The creative minds behind DepARTment Festival 2024 are back and bringing another arts festival to Mansfield. Takeover Festival 2025, led by young people from the Takeover volunteering programme in Mansfield and Ashfield, will be returning to Four Seasons Shopping Centre and Mansfield Central Library on Saturday, 29th March.

The free community event will give young people the chance to take over locations across the shopping centre – including the old Topshop store, central plaza, the hive, and Mansfield Central Library – with art activities, live performances, a silent disco, DJ, soundscapes, hands-on-workshops and more across each zone between 11am and 4pm.

This year’s young creatives come from Outwood Academy Kirkby; The Brunts Academy, Mansfield; Sutton Community Academy; Nottingham Trent University; Inspire Music, New Art Exchange, and Garibaldi Youth Centre, Forest Town.

Inspired by the theme The Wild Within, groups of 14 to 24 year-olds have created bold and imaginative experiences that blend art, sound and performance. They will be bringing out Mansfield’s wild side with
dreamscapes, fantasy worlds, and nature-themed environments for people to explore.

From painting workshops to eco-friendly crafts like seed bombs and papermaking, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and take home.

Anyone coming along can also join in workshops with guest artists and creatives throughout the day, which includes T-shirt printing, hip-hop dancing, boxing, mask-making and clay painting. The Takeover Main Stage will feature a range of live performances, including dance workshops from VCreates, performances from Julius Stockland School of Dance and Drama Cats, as well as live music from local singers.

Also, a photography workshop will invite attendees to capture their favourite moments throughout the day.

Takeover is a project part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Arts Council England and Portland College, aimed at creating arts-based opportunities for young people in Mansfield and Ashfield. In 2022, Inspire: Culture, Learning & Libraries and Captivate, Nottinghamshire’s Local Cultural Education Partnership received a £262,000 grant from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sports, delivered by Arts Council England, to develop volunteering opportunities across Mansfield and Ashfield.

Since launching in June 2022, the Takeover programme has been giving young people aged 14 to 24, including those with disabilities, the chance to volunteer and develop their creativity, leadership, and employability skills in the creative arts industry.

In 2024, Takeover secured additional funding to continue providing these opportunities into 2025.

Since launching, Takeover has mentored more than 300 young people on the programme. The most recent cohorts have spent 10 weeks designing their festival concepts with guidance from mentors at First Art, Nonsuch, New Art Exchange, Portland College and Nottingham Trent University.

Volunteers have also had the opportunity to take part in industry site visits, collaborate with artists, and get hands-on experience in the creative sector.

Vanessa Oxspring, manager of the Captivate and Takeover Partnership, said: “We’re so excited to bring Takeover Festival to life and having so many people join us last year was incredible. It’s been amazing supporting young people as they explore creative arts, discover new passions, and find their own pathways into the industry. Last year was unforgettable, and we’re excited to come back even bigger and better this time!”

Further information about Takeover Festival can be found at Events — CAPTIVATE.