On Saturday 6th June, Kinetika Bloco was due to perform at Art in the Park, an annual arts festival in Milton Keynes. Of course, the Corona Circus means we can’t play it this year. But as the representative for Milton Keynes in Bloco, I was called to say a few words about it!
Meeting at the Ovalhouse Theatre, Kinetika Bloco would board a coach in the morning and set of for the land of concrete cows and roundabouts. Back in 2014, when Bloco first performed at Art in the Park, we weren’t blessed with good weather. But we were received warmly by the lovely team who hosted the festival and the many spectators alike, and have been ever since.
MK Islamic Arts, Culture and Heritage runs Art in the Park. They operate ‘to connect communities and bring people together through high quality shared arts experiences’. Visual arts, music and delicious food from all over the world are shared in performances and interactive workshops at Campbell Park or, recently, by Willen Lake.
Since our first trip to Milton Keynes, we’ve had a great time returning to the festival to perform in the parade and celebrate art and multiculturalism. For me, it’s a great opportunity for my family to have the whole band come to their hometown and play ‘just for them’ – not everyone gets a show on their front doorstep!
If you’d like more information about Art in the Park and the great work that MK Islamic Arts, Culture and Heritage does, you can check them out here: http://www.mkiac.org/