What's it like living in Northampton?

One of the largest towns in the country yet to receive city status, Northampton is home to an array of popular amenities and is easily reachable from a number of areas, wedged between the East Midlands and Buckinghamshire and overhanging the M1 motorway, making it a top destination for commuters and leisure travellers alike.

Northampton is home to almost a quarter of a million residents, per the 2021 Census, and over the years the residents of the town have created businesses, buildings, amenities, groups and clubs which truly offer something for everyone.

Annual Events

Catering for a mass audience, Northampton’s town centre is densely populated during the summer months, with weekend and school holiday activities to suit all the family. The most notable events include the Northampton Carnival, Beer Festival, and Balloon Festival, which all generally take place between June and August each year.

Northampton Carnival delivers everything you could want from a street celebration, including Caribbean food, local and regional talent performing throughout the event, and stalls lining the streets of the town centre. From arts and crafts to sweet treats, charities and community groups, the carnival brings together the very best of Northamptonshire life and remains the most popular summertime event in the town.

Hosted by Becket’s Park, the county beer festival in Northampton showcases some of best locally-brewed and sourced beers, ciders and alternate drinks as well as special guests from around the country, for everyone to enjoy. A mix of live music, sunshine (hopefully!) and street food vendors complete the line-up each year and there’s always something new and different to try to suit all the family, or for large and small groups of friends to enjoy.

The Racecourse, named after its former use as a horse racing venue but now one of Northampton’s biggest public open spaces, is the home of the annual Northampton Balloon Festival, which is one of the longest traditions known in the town. As well as the hot air balloon journeys, the live entertainment includes sports, equine displays, circus acts and a fun fair, while in the evenings the festival lights up with a fireworks display and a ‘balloon glow’ created by the stationary hot air balloons.

Food and Drink

Playing up to its multicultural and diverse population, one of the worst kept secrets in Northampton’s foodie scene is Bite Street, a collaboration of various local and international street food vendors who come together for pop-ups throughout the town. You can see more of their work on Instagram @bitestreet – but don’t scroll on an empty stomach!

For a fun and food-filled evening of entertainment in the centre of the town, V and B Northampton, located off St Giles Square, delivers great food, an eclectic mix of drinks and hosts a range of live music, monthly events and pop-up food vendors, offering something for everyone. The added bonus of the venue’s stunning terrace area and mood lighting in the evenings make this a destination not to be passed up on.

According to Northants Life, one of the top spots for afternoon tea in Northampton is The Orangery, located within the grounds of Delapre Abbey. Serving a range of locally sourced produce and coffee roasters, the location combines good, honest food and stunning views of the Abbey’s grounds as your backdrop to a quintessentially English afternoon. What more could you ask for?

Culture

Of the many historic buildings in the town, Northampton Guildhall – a Grade II-listed municipal building built mostly in the 1860s – is perhaps the most striking and ‘Instagrammable’, but visitors to Northampton are wise not to miss the equally eye-catching National Lift Tower. Standing at 418ft tall, the tower would be difficult not to spot, regardless of your position, but isn’t for the faint-hearted as you could often see people abseiling the building (usually for charity, at least).

Northampton boasts about 170 parks and green spaces across the town, including the oldest and seemingly most popular Abington Park, and the Racecourse, which was used as both a horse racing venue and a cricket venue before opening as a public open space.

A university town, Northampton is popular with students and is also well-known for its sporting prowess, with the famous Northampton Saints rugby team, newly-promoted (2023) Northampton Town FC, and Northamptonshire County Cricket Club all playing at their respective, bespoke stadiums across the town centre. The town is also home to the newly-crowned boxing world champion, Chantelle Cameron.

Miller Homes is building a range of energy efficient, two to five-bedroom new homes at Norwood Quarter in the Duston area of Northampton. More information on this development and the Northampton local area can be found via our website, here: https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/new-homes/east-midlands/miller-homes-at-norwood-quarter.aspx