The exact origins of Northampton Festival of Dance are, to some extent, lost in the mists of time.

The Festival was originally part of the All-England Sunshine Dancing Competitions and the Northampton Eisteddfod and, although we don’t have definite information about when it actually began, one of the old Northampton Festival of Dance trophies we have shows winners dating back to 1960.

The Sunshine competition itself started in 1923 and ended in 1978.

The ‘Northampton Festival of Dance Association’, ie the independently constituted festival as it is today, had its inaugural meeting in April 1976 and obtained charitable status in 1981, so we are either due to celebrate our 50th birthday in 2026, or are already well over 60 years old!

Our stated aim is to advance the education of the public in the arts and, in particular, the study, performance, appreciation and practice of the art of dance.

If anyone can shed any more light on our history we would be very interested to hear it! We have been a nominated festival for All England Dance since 1983 and are affiliated to the British and International Federation of Festivals.

We hold our Festival during the Easter school holidays at the Cripps Theatre, Northampton School for Boys, Billing Road, Northampton, NN1 5RX.