18 March 2025
The Great Fire of Northampton
A packed programme of cultural events and celebrations is being lined up to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton.
2025 marks 350 years since flames ripped through the streets of Northampton, destroying 700 of the 850 buildings in the town centre and claiming 11 lives.
To observe the anniversary, cultural and historical groups are teaming up with partners including Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), Northampton Town Council and West Northamptonshire Council to put together a series of events to showcase the story of the fire and the rebuild that followed.
The Current Schedule of Agreed and Potential Events can be found below.
Thursday 29th May
- OAK APPLE DAY SERVICE
- Procession throughout the town centre, ending at All Saints Church, featuring civic heads, contributors to the Great Fire events, military personnel, HAC Pikemen and Musketeers and the fire service.
- Service to be led by Father Oliver Coss.
Thursday 29th –Saturday 31st May
- Northampton Beer Festival
Friday 30th May
- NN Contemporary
- NN Nights
Friday 30th –Sunday 1st June
- Market Square
- Lighting, music and film
June 2025
- Delapre Abbey
- Opening of exhibitions
June to late September
- Northampton Museum and Art Gallery
- The Great Fire Exhibition as part of the History of Northampton on view
2nd June – 28th September
- County Record Office
- Devastation and Renewal – The Great Fire and its aftermath
3rd June – 29th June
- 78 Derngate Mackintosh House
- Aftermath; Rebirth through architecture
2nd June – 28th September
- Northampton Central Library
- The Great Fire of Northampton display
Sunday June 8th
- Northampton Filmhouse
- Dedicated film season titled ‘Community spirit and determination’
Tuesday 10th June
- Archives and Heritage Service, Wootton Hall Park,
- Exhibition: ‘The Great Fire of 1675: Insights from the Archives’
- Open Tuesday to Friday 9am to 4pm. Entrance free.
Saturday 14TH June
- Northampton Carnival
Sunday June 15th
- Northampton Filmhouse
- Dedicated film season titled ‘Community spirit and determination’
Saturday 21st June
- SING WE ALL Christchurch Bach Choir
Sunday June 22nd
- Northampton Filmhouse
- Dedicated film season titled ‘Community spirit and determination’
Late June
- NN Contemporary
- Exhibition of carnival costumes – Emm Grant
July until late September
- Delapre Abbey
- Regeneration Recreating Northampton
Friday 4th July
- University of Northampton
- Great Fire Symposium
Saturday 12th July
- Northampton Pride
August 2025
- Cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
- Women’s Rugby World Cup
- Sunday 24th August
- 12.00 Ireland V Japan
- 2.45 South Africa V Brazil
- Saturday 30th August
- 5pm England v Samoa
- Sunday 31st August
- 12.00 Ireland v Spain
- Sunday 7th September
- 14.00 Italy v Brazil
- 16.45 France v South Africa
September 2025
- Northampton Museum & Art Gallery
- Opening of virtual reality exhibition
September 2025
- Delapre Abbey
- Tipping Point by Luke Jerram
Friday 12th – 21st September
- Heritage Open Days Heritage walks
- Display of early fire engines
September
- Town centre window display
Saturday 6 September
- Workbridge
- FestiVol – a free community event where members of the public can come and find out about different charities and how to volunteer with them.
Sunday 7th September
- Northampton Music Festival
Saturday 14th September
- Deco Theatre
- Northampton Remembers…The Great Fire of 1675: A showcase presented by young people and community groups in Northampton. Marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton, we invite you to join us in a powerful celebration of the town’s resilience, community spirit, and history. This showcase aims to bring together local performers, artists and residents to honour the lives impacted by the fire and showcase the strength and unity of the community.
15th September –21st September
- All Saints Church
- Fire Fantastic – Nightly Light and Sound Show.
18th – 20th September
- All Saints Church
- Light show
Thursday 18th September
- All Saints Church
- Fiori Musicalli perform Handel’s Firework Music
Saturday 20th September
- All Saints Church
- Great Fire concluding event
- Possible legacy dinner at Guildhall
20th September –5th October
- Northampton Museum and Art Gallery
- Experience the Fire – Immersive Light and Sound
October 2025 – Saturday 18th October
- Diwali Festival of Light
Dates to be confirmed
- NN Film Festival
- What is Northampton made of?
- If Northampton burnt down again tomorrow, what would it take to rebuild a town we’re proud to call home? Through in-person activities at The Creative Place, and beyond, we’ll create a digital project working with local people involved in animation, games, film, and art and design, and the general public, which outlines the most important building blocks for Northampton according to the Northampton public by the end of September 2025.