A new exciting event is coming to Oundle this spring on Saturday 18th May when the town will step back in time for the first ever ‘Oundle Vintage Festival’. 

This major event is set to provide local residents and thousands of visitors with a fun packed day to look forward to as the whole town centre is closed off and dedicated to a mass of vintage displays and entertainments.  The free-to-enter festival it is being organised in an effort to raise funds to repair the town clock and bells which have ceased working.

The famous church spire at St Peter’s in Oundle is the tallest in Northamptonshire at 210ft; however, the once impressive clock on it has stopped working and the bells within the tower no longer ring out the Westminster chimes.  As such, a dedicated group of volunteers from the local business community have come together for the town to put on a brand new event to raise the funds to replace the clock’s automatic winding system, fix the bell mechanism and refurbish the weathered clock face.

Between 10am and 4pm the three main streets in the centre of historic Oundle (West Street, New Street and The Market Place) will be closed off and filled with: an antique & vintage market, a 100ft mini-railway, steam traction engines, pipe organs, classic cars and motorbikes, classic cycles, vintage farm machinery and a variety of traditional fairground rides including a huge helter skelter.  What’s more there will be live music all day on the Festival Stage which will feature retro bands and vintage dancers, and which will be surrounded by a variety of street food stalls. 

Over at St Peter’s church, Tower Tours are offered for those with a head for heights (who book in advance), and also for the kids there will be a chance to send their teddy bears up the church tower in order to be launched off attached to parachutes.  In addition to this, the evening before the main event, a Rock ‘n’ Roll dance featuring the T-100’s will take place at St Peter’s on the Friday night.

Oundle will have seen nothing like this before set within the historic streets.  There really will be something for everyone young or old, plus entry and parking are totally free!  With the town set to be awash with vintage sounds, colour and activities, visitors are encouraged to come over to Oundle and get in to the spirit - vintage dress is optional.