On Saturday 6 June, Campbell Park came alive with music and dance in a celebration of art and the communities that make MK special.
Mango Sundays, winners of High Wycombe's Battle of the Bands competition, opened the outdoor stage with their mix of covers and original songs. The afternoon featured music from Caribbean steel drums, Gambian kora, traditional Punjabi and Yemeni music, and finished with headliners Ashiq Al Rasul playing their signature nasheed music for audiences. Dance from China, India Nigeria and Palestine spilled off stage and into the crowd, creating a truly immersive experience.
The art tent contained exhibitions from MKIAC projects of recent time - including the Nur project - bringing together women from diverse backgrounds to explore traditional Islamic art techniques while providing a safe space to share personal migration and identity narratives - and Common Threads - forging community connections through textile arts, workshops, and storytelling. The art tent also had accessible family arts activities, offering audiences the chance to take some artwork home with them:
The yurt started the day with a lively drumming workshop from Kinetika Bloco, who then went on the lead the community parade around the site. The parade featured costumes from community groups and reflected the heritage of many different cultures and communities in MK. In the afternoon MKIAC presented the Silk Road dance symposium. Nadia Khan launched her new book Dance Histories: A Journey Along the Muslim Silk Road, with a panel of artists and academics exploring the influence of Islamic cultures on the world of dance through history.
As well as community organisations sharing information and resources, the community souk housed nearly thirty artisan traders, selling artworks, clothing, jewellery, ornaments and perfume. Community groups included Community Action MK, Islamic Mission MK and Milton Keynes Interfaith Group. There was also a strong presence from Milton Keynes 2029 - the team coordinating MK’s bid to be 2029 UK City of Culture.
We would like to thank all of the partners, volunteers,artists and facilitators who made Art In Park happen this year.
We hope to welcome you to AITP 2027!
