Final day of Quay Arts’ 50th birthday celebrations takes place today

Don’t forget that today (Sunday 23rd August 2026) is the final day of the weekend of FREE 50th birthday celebrations at Quay Arts Centre in Newport.

See full timetable of events on the Quay Arts website.

The building is alive with live music, art, dance, comedy, circus, spoken word and much more, with performances and activities taking place across Quay Arts from midday until late.

The full programme
There will be brass bands, choirs, folk music, dance, comedy, magic, circus and spoken word, with Ballyrags bringing comedy workshops and comedy clubs across the weekend, alongside performances from Jaydene Lee and many more.

There will also be plenty for families, including Wild Woods Circus workshops, children’s activities and storytelling, while the Clayden Gallery will become ‘The Summer Studio’ – a free creative space running throughout the rest of the summer, with painting, drawing, cardboard building and more. Spoken word performances will also take place throughout the weekend in the Green Room.

The Birthday Weekend is a chance for audiences old and new to explore Quay Arts, discover something unexpected and celebrate the organisation’s remarkable history and the creative community that continues to shape it today.

Fifty years in the telling
The Centre Exhibition, running in the West Gallery until Sunday 13th September, offers a unique opportunity to explore the story of Quay Arts through a rich timeline of artworks, archive material and personal voices from those who have shaped the organisation over the past fifty years.

Don’t forget to take your headphones or ear buds along with you and have a guided audio tour of the exhibition with members of the arts team.

See below for the full line-up.

GROUND FLOOR
CAFE

• 13:00 – 14:00 – East Cowes Shanty Band
• 14:30 – 15:20 – Wight Harmony
• 15:40 – 16:40 – Abbey Brass
• 18:30 – 19:30 – Outa Time
• 20:00 – 21:30 – The Ohmz

LITTLE LONDON

• 12:00 – 13:00 – Moonshine Border Morris / Men of Wight / Guith
• 13:00 – 14:00 – Wild Woods Circus Workshops
• 14:00 – 14:15 – Jaydene Lee
• 14:15 – 14:45 – Ali’s Fitness Fusion
• 15:00 – 16:00 – Fat Samba
• 16:00 – 17:46 – Antidepressance
• 18:30 – 19:00 – Angelina & JC Grimshaw

SHOP

• 12:00 – 13:00 – Tom Hendy
• 13:00 – 14:00 – Stephen J Parkes
• 14:00 – 15:00 – Alan Nichols
• 15:00 – 16:00 – Freddy Cooke
• 16:00 – 17:00 – Jim Thorn and Jon Thorne

BALLYRAGS TAKEOVER (Rope Store)

• 12:45 – 13:15 – Mental Health through Comedy
• 13:30 – 14:30 – Ballyrags Kid’s Club
• 15:00 – 16:00 – Ballyrags Comedy School Taster
• 16:30 – 17:30 – Ballyrags Improv Club
• 18:00 – 19:00 – Ballyrags Panto Auditions
• 19:30 – 21:00 – Ballyrags Comedy Club
  • 19:30 – Quivers
    19:45 – Toby Collard
    20:00 – Bernie Q
    20:15 – Bex Roncoroni
    20:30 – Luke Lamont
    20:45 – Baron Fortitude

TERRACE

• 12:00 – 12:30 – Wild Woods Circus
• 12:30 – 18:00 – 360 Camera
   

FIRST FLOOR
SPOKEN WORD CORNER (Green Room)

• 12:00 – 12:30 –Sue Bailey – Nursery Tales for 3-10 yr olds
• 12:40 – 13:10 – Tim Cooper
• 13:20 – 13:50 – Kathryn Rossati
• 14:00 – 14:30 – Brina Calkins
• 14:40 – 15:10 – Graham Brown
• 15:20 – 15:50 – Holly Medland – Nursery, Norse and Nasty
• 16:00 – 16:30 – Merl Fluin – Dark Fairy Tales for Adults
• 16:40 – 17:05 – Steve Taverner

THEATRE

• 12:30 – 14:00 – Aspire Creative Hub Collective
  • Smile
    Euphoria (duo)
    Voltage (duo)
    Blood Roses
    Gutter Blooms
    Lil Bluz
• 15:00 – 15:30 – Jaydene Lee Arts
• 16:00 – 17:00 – Wight Hot Pipes
• 17:30 – 19:25 – Waverley Folk Club
  • Tony Nicol
    Jackie Gallagher
    Tri Again
    Art Newnham
    Ann Knowles
    Lindsay Flaxmer
    Linda O’Connor
    Ed Hulse
    Crispin Keith
    John Bentley

WEST GALLERY

• 12:00 – 13:00 – Band of Recorders
• 14:00 – 15:00 – Merlynna Johnson