Much-loved Rockin’ Roadrunner Festival set to return to Northampton for its twelfth year this weekend

The Rockin’ Roadrunner was first established 17 years ago at the Roadmender, for people with a range of disabilities and additional needs.

The organisation hosts four ‘club nights’ a year and an annual festival at Abington Park, with this year’s to be hosted on Sunday (September 21).

The initiative was founded by Christine Whiley in January 2007, when she and her daughter – radio DJ and presenter Jo Whiley – were wowed by a similar disability nightclub group in London and wanted to introduce something like it in Northampton.

Though the music festival is run with and for disabled individuals at the forefront, the entire community is invited along.

This is the twelfth year of the festival and the one-of-a-kind day is expected to be attended by hundreds once again. It makes for a feel-good day out and a joyous celebration of diversity.

When asked how it feels that The Rockin’ Roadrunner initiative has been running for 18 years, chair of five years Nicki Clarke said: “It’s pretty amazing. From its inception when Christine set everything up, there weren’t any live music experiences for those with disabilities.

“I’ve known Christine for 40 plus years and it’s incredible that we are one of the only events that do this in a true night club environment. It went on to the inclusive festival and it’s on the Northampton calendar now. Everyone seems to know about it.”

This year’s theme is movies, with a packed schedule of performances lined up throughout the day – including Billy Lockett, Pure Genius, Born to Perform and The Cube, just to name a few.

There will also be a huge raffle with a variety of prizes, like alcohol, chocolates, and shop and eatery vouchers, and more than 280 prizes on the tombola.

Refreshments will be available in the tea tent, as well as inflatables, a wide range of stallholders and food and drink vendors – including The Cube Cruiser, fish and chips, and ice creams.

“The festival helps to raise the profile of people with disabilities,” said Nicki. “It gives those who go to day services the opportunity to actually perform in public what they practice everyday.

“They can enjoy and celebrate music, dance and what they love with their families and the public. It’s good for the public to see what disabled people can do and for it to be an inclusive event.”

Nicki wants to issue a premature thank you to the volunteers for the hard work they will put in this weekend, and to direct anyone who may want to make a donation to their website.

The team are passionate about keeping the nightclub events free, as they have been since the pandemic, and donations help to ensure this remains possible.

Any money raised also helps to cover the extensive costs of making the annual festival a reality, which forms an important part of Northampton’s annual calendar of events.

For more information and to make a donation to The Rockin’ Roadrunner Festival, visit their website here.