• Newark Creates

Fun Palace 2022

Friday 30th September to Saturday 1st October

We are delighted to welcome you back to Newark’s 2nd Fun Palace, bringing you a range of fabulously fun and free activities for all your family and friends! Always wanted to try belly dancing or making paper aeroplanes? Need to update your CV or fancy a Saturday night of games and cocktail making? There’s something for everyone!

All events are free. Most are drop-in and any which must be pre-booked will say so below (booking will be live from Thursday 1 September). Any programme changes will be publicised on our Facebook page.

The Heritage Barge will be open on Friday 30 September and Saturday 1 October.  They will be moored opposite the Castle on both days with fun activities about Life on the River!

Friday

Painting the Siege of Newark
Newark Art Gallery, all day
Help to create a continuous paper piece of work depicting the siege of Newark and the events following, concluding with the beheading of Charles I! (It won’t be gory. Promise). The piece will be done on the rear of a wallpaper roll and hopefully will end up being a few metres long. All ages are welcome, along with their parents, to spend as long as they wish at the gallery. The paints provided will be acrylic only and participants are asked to bring an apron or similar to protect their clothing as these will not be available at the gallery.

Self Defence with Newark Ninjutsu
Newark College, 9am to 10.30am & 11am to 12.30pm
Learn some helpful self defence skills with Kiyth from Newark Ninjutsu. Wear sportswear. Pre-booking required:

Creative Writing
Newark College, 9am to 12pm
Discover how to get your ideas down on paper with the Creative Writing experts at Newark College. Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

How To Fly A Plane
Newark College, every half hour 9am to 11.30am
Learn how to fly a plane without a crash landing! Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

How To Wire A Plug
Newark College, every half hour 9am to 11.30am
A vital skill needed in everyday life (and will save you money!). Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

CV Writing
Newark College, every half hour 9am to 11.30am
Newark College’s expert careers team will guide you to writing a CV. Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

Digital Media
Newark College, every half hour 9am to 11.30am
Discover the skills and technology needed to make a fantastic digital video. Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

Maths Made Fun
Newark College, 9am, 10am & 11am
Learn how to calculate quick sums in a fun way. Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

Make a Hand-Sewn Flower Brooch
Newark Library, 9.30am to 4pm
With Made by Sarah. Skills include threading a needle and thread, running stitch, attaching a button and brooch pin.

Knit and Chat
Café Nineteen20 (Palace Theatre), 10am to 12pm
Get your knitting needles out for a social session suitable for all experience levels.

Have a go! Origami, Macrame and Games
Buttermarket 10am-12.30pm, Newark Library 1.30pm-4pm
The Inspire team are looking forward to inviting you to ‘have a go’ at learning some fantastic new skills at our new Buttermarket venue and Newark Library. Come along and try your hand at Origami Fortune Telling Puzzles, Macramé and have some fabulous fun with our giant puzzle busters garden games.

Paper Aeroplane Making and Flying
Newark Library, 10am to 4pm
Construct the perfect flying aircraft with the team from ASI, Newark College.

Making Seed Bombs
National Civil War Centre, 10am to 5pm
Find out how to make a seed bomb to fill your garden with colour with gardening expert Viv.

Games & Jigsaws
Café Nineteen20 (Palace Theatre), 10am to 5pm
A wide variety of games and jigsaws will be available to enjoy in Café Nineteen20’s wonderful atmosphere.

Explore Your Genealogy
Palace Theatre, 11am
Get tips on how to follow your family tree through the years.

Cake Decorating
Palace Theatre Byron Room, 11am, 1pm & 3pm
Astound your family and friends by learning how to make cupcakes look stunning!

Pottery Throwing
Newark College, 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Learn a new skill and make something to be proud of. Age 16+. Pre-booking required:

Microscope Fun
National Civil War Centre, 3pm to 5pm
Take a closer look at the natural world and refine your drawing techniques to show what you can see!

Multi-Sport activities on our multi-court
YMCA Community & Activity Village, 4pm to 5pm

Zoe Lucas will be running the session, which will include netball, basketball and tennis. Open to ages 4 to 11 years old

Saturday

Painting the Siege of Newark
Newark Art Gallery, all day
Help create a roll of artwork depicting the famous siege of Newark. A ll ages welcome. Bring aprons.

Look Up Newark - Explore Our Hidden Heritage
Newark Market Place, 9am to 4pm
Look up to appreciate the heritage that surrounds us! Do you ever look up at the buildings that surround you and wonder why they are like they are? Learn more about the history of the buildings around Newark’s historic market place, with skills shared from Newark Civic Trust and Heritage Action Zone. Come find us in the market place to pick up local trail leaflets and gain skills to decipher the remarkable stories of the buildings we pass week in, week out.

Biscuit Decorating 
Newark Palace Theatre, 10am
Feeling peckish? Pop in to the Byron Room in the Palace Theatre to decorate one of our delicious homemade biscuits. Fun for the whole family. From 10am, while stocks last.

Play the Ukulele Way!
Newark Library, 10am to 11.30am
Have a go at playing the Ukulele with your friends and family.

Have a go! Origami, Macrame and Games
Inspire at the Buttermarket, 10am to 12.30pm
The Inspire team are looking forward to inviting you to ‘have a go’ at learning some fantastic new skills at our new Buttermarket venue and Newark Library. Come along and try your hand at Origami Fortune Telling Puzzles, Macramé and have some fabulous fun with our giant puzzle busters garden games. Plus, at the Buttermarket, come and meet balloon modeller extraordinaire, ace magician Steve Nixon, who will teach you how to make your own fantastic balloon creation.

Paper Aeroplane Making and Flying
Newark Library, 10am to 4pm
Construct the perfect flying aircraft with the team from ASI, Newark College.

Textile Techniques with Crafty Betty
National Civil War Centre, 10am to 4pm
Award Winning Crafty Betty is back in Newark for Fun Palace! Enjoy an inspirational Exhibition from the Art Textiles students and take part in free creative workshops.

Silverback Bushcraft
Palace Theatre, 10am to 4pm
Discover the secrets of bushcraft with expert Martin Rollins.

Games & Jigsaws
Café Nineteen20 (Palace Theatre), 10am to 5pm
A wide variety of games and jigsaws will be available to enjoy in Café Nineteen20’s wonderful atmosphere.

5 Minute Skills
Café Nineteen20 (Palace Theatre), 10am to 5pm
Master a range of quick and interesting skills in just 5 minutes!

Explore Your Genealogy
Palace Theatre, 11am
Get tips on how to follow your family tree through the years.

Self Defence with Newark Ninjutsu
National Civil War Centre, 11am-12pm & 1pm-2pm
A holistic all-encompassing system of independent knowledge, more than a martial art. Wear sportswear. 

Starlight Theatre Academy 
National Civil War Centre, 12pm to 12.45pm
Join Starlight Theatre Academy on a wild drama adventure... help us create our very own Fun Palace - saving the world and meeting some unusual creatures on the way! Games, imagination and all-round silliness for 4-7s.

Scottish Country Dancing
National Civil War Centre, 1pm
Scottish Country Dancing is a wonderful pastime and a great exercise for mind and body. It's also very much an enjoyable social activity bringing together friendship and exercise. Newark's Scottish Country Dancing club are a very friendly group of dancers and give a warm welcome to new members. Pre-book or drop in.

Bang the Drum!
Newark Library, 1pm to 3pm
Come and join the Inspire Music team for a fun packed afternoon of Djembe drumming.

Have a go! Origami, Macrame and Games
Newark Library, 1.30pm to 4pm
Have some fabulous fun with Origami Fortune Telling Puzzles, Macramé and giant puzzle busters games.

Newark Circus Club
National Civil War Centre, 2pm to 3pm
Join the team from Newark Circus Club and have a go! Limited places available for first come.

Cocktail Making Masterclass
Palace Theatre, 6.30pm to 8pm & 8.30pm to 10pm

Learn how to make your favourites (and sample a few) with expert guidance from Bar Brothers. 

Music Technology with Audiojunkie
National Civil War Centre, 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Join soundLINCS and Eddy AKA Audiojunkie, a producer and songwriter from Lincoln, to discover some of the secrets of music tech. After a successful career writing music for labels including Universal and Virgin/EMI, Eddy established Audiojunkie Music Education, a platform which supports and educates aspiring music producers. Working across a range of education settings, offender interventions, SEND centres, pupil referral units and community projects.

DJ with Audiojunkie
Palace Theatre, 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Come listen to some DJ tunes with Alex! Working with Eddy (AudioJunkie) they performed their own music across the UK and travelled to Europe, DJ'ing on the main stages of venues including Alexandra Palace, the NEC, Bournemouth Opera House, the Custard Factory, Air and the O2 Academy and now at Newark’s Fun Palace!

Games and Puzzles at the Bar
Palace Theatre, 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Play a variety of games and puzzles while enjoying a drink from the bar.

Belly Dancing
Palace Theatre, 7.30pm
Impress your friends learning this fabulous skill!

With thanks to our participating venues:

National Civil War Centre
14 Appletongate, NG24 1JY

Newark Library
Beaumond Gardens, NG24 1UW

Newark Art Gallery
37 Kirk Gate, NG24 1AD

Palace Theatre
14 Appletongate, NG24 1JY

Newark College
Friary Road, NG24 1PB

Inspire at the Buttermarket
Middlegate, NG24 1AL