The late August Bank Holiday, 2015, was the launch of Parklife Weekend which saw four fabulous free events in Vale Park organised jointly by Aylesbury Town Council and Aylesbury Church Network.

Live in the Park Saturday 29 August

Vale Park was filled with over 6,000 people listening to nine and a half hours of continuous live music performed. The crowd enjoyed music from headliner 80’s pop star TOYAH, alongside a number of fantastic local bands and singer songwriters.

Performances by Platform Soul, El Bronson, Whirlwind, The Synthetix, Old Country Union and Bustin’ Loose and of course TOYAH, had the crowds dancing in the park.  Katie Buckhaven, Kitty Roisin, Raving Wild, Georgie Bird, James Manders and Paul Adams are our local singers and songwriters, all proved that there is a huge amount of talent right here in Aylesbury.  Dez Kay from Stoke Mandeville Hospital Radio hosted and compered the day’s proceedings.

In addition to the fantastic line up of live bands, families enjoyed traditional fun fair rides including a helter skelter, mega slide, swing boats, teacup ride, trampolines and bouncy castle, along with entertainment from Dan Blaze and the plAy TEAM – all for free.

Local bars and food suppliers were in the park too, so everyone could enjoy a drink and a bite to eat whilst they soaked up the summer sun, listening to live music and having fun in the park with their friends and family.

Church in the Park   Sunday 30 August
The community of Aylesbury came together for contemporary group worship, giving the message to encourage and inspire. Aylesbury Church Network hosted the open air church service on the fantastic outdoor stage with a large community choir drawn from across the town leading the worship.

Fun in the Park   Sunday 30 August

Once again Aylesbury Church Network brought you their annual Fun in the Park. There were inflatables, games, arts, crafts and the very popular BBQ and tug-of-war.  The people came, but so did the rain, even so a great day was had by all.

Proms in the Park  Sunday 30 August

With a spattering of rain whilst the picnics were set up, Aylesbury Concert Band took to the stage for the Great British tradition, entertaining the crowds with a mix of contemporary and traditional orchestral pieces accompanied by talented local soloists Alison Langer and Lawrence Thackeray. The rain soon stopped and the Union Jack Flags were out in force for a fantastic completion of Star Wars classic tunes.  The LuLaLa’s provided fun-swing tunes from the 50’s during the small interval, which had the crowds on their feet.  Impromptu Irish dancing was also performed when the audience spontaneously lined up in front of the stage during Lord of The Dance, with a unique interpretation of the famous Irish line dance!  This really was a fantastic, community spirited event which brought so many people together for fun and music.

The grand finale of Parklife Weekend was a spectacular firework display!

Photography copyright Russ Naylor and Swale Photography