July
The world's first cycling theatre company to perform Shakespeare in Milton Keynes, when The Handlebards deliver Twelfth Night, and the Scummy Mummies visit The Stables.
Pop superstar Jess Glynne talks with Total MK ahead of her summer headlining date at Bedford Park, and admits she's still learning to be assertive: "My biggest learning curve has been to say 'no.'
"There is a lot asked of you in this industry and sometimes you forget to put yourself first," she tells Sammy Jones.
The IF: Milton Keynes International Festival is back from July 20, with 10 days of entertainment, with the weird and the wonderful all finding space on the programme.
An updated handbook on one of the most popular open spaces in north Bucks has just been published; 'Bury Field, a thousand years of history' was written by www.totalmk.co.uk editor Sammy Jones.
First printed in 2016, WordGo decided to rush out a second edition after hearing that plans were being drawn up for the well-used Common for the next five years.
Sometimes described as ‘the town’s most valuable asset’, the Common is 180 acres of public parkland in the middle of Newport Pagnell.
“In recent months there have been suggestions for turning parts of it over to housing and/or providing extra parking space for shoppers. No one really seemed sure, so we set out to discover what’s really going on,” said publisher Richard Meredith.
Milton Keynes truly sparkled when around a thousand local ladies took on the Willen Hospice MK Midnight Moo.
The 10-mile sponsored walk is a highlight of the charity’s event calendar and this year was no different.
Walkers pulled out all the stops for the ‘sparkle under the stars’ theme, donning glitter, fairy lights and bling which created a spectacular image as they walked their way around the redways of MK.
As women in the UK celebrate 100 years of suffrage, Milton Keynes Museum is marking the anniversary by bringing together a bold new exhibition of objects representing women’s lives, experience and history – ‘HERstory’- from a local perspective.
The museum is calling on girls and women of all ages, backgrounds, faiths, and cultures to suggest or loan an object that represents to them their lives and experiences of being a woman.
“Like the fascinating collection of objects in the book - which features everything from the corset and contraceptive pill to the car - we’re aiming for an exhibition that is challenging, inclusive, thought-provoking, brave and fun!” said Jane Matthews from the museum.
In the last couple of years veganism has risen at an amazing rate, with an increase in vegan food sales of 1500% in the UK alone in 2017.
This will continue to rise as more and more people become aware of the benefits they can gain by reducing their involvement with animal cruelty, increasing their own health whilst also having such a positive impact on the environment.
The Milton Keynes Vegan Festival returns to replace the fiction with the fact – and it's a huge success.
August
His brief Twitter biog has him down as ‘Former Droog, deceased Kingsman and eternal Power Ranger.'
Not many people can claim that lot on a CV, but Milton Keynes’ Jonno Davies gets about a bit.
He has gone from a Walnut Tree lad with a passion for acting, to taking on some plump roles.
This time last year he was preparing to make his New York stage debut, starring as lead character Alexander DeLarge in Action to the Word’s adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. “I can honestly say it was the best six months of my life,” he said.
“When the show was created it had zero budget and was playing tiny fringe venues in London.
“Seven years later it became the most talked about show in New York, it was crazy.”
Impressionist and chart-topping pianist Alistair McGowan wraps up UK tour in Milton Keynes this week.
Hot on the heels of both his classical chart-topping debut album, Alistair McGowan: The Piano Album and the critically-acclaimed new Sky One impressions show, The Week That Wasn’t, the multi-award-winning impressionist has been mixing classical piano music and celebrity voices in his nationwide tour Introductions to Classical Piano!
"As well as being light-hearted, I hope these shows introduce people to some wonderfully romantic music and demonstrate to anyone who harbours a secret ambition to take up music, that it really is never too late!” he said.
September
Musicians Against Homelessness benefit from a concert being hosted at MK11.
Live music will come from Born Slippy, The Bullfrogs, Toffees and The Keepers at the event.
Inspired by the heart-warming Oscar-winning film, which famously starred Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man comes to Milton Keynes Theatre.
This taut new proposition starred a couple of faces very familiar to small screen viewers; both have starred in two of the biggest TV hits in recent years: Mathew Horne (Gavin & Stacey) and Ed Speelers (Downton Abbey).
A new chapter begins with the second ever MK Literature Festival, and MK heavies Heart of a Coward make their return.
Plenty has happened to the band in recent times - including a long and twisted road of ups and downs and following the departure of frontman Jamie Graham in March 2017.
"The future of the band was cast into doubts," says drummer Chris, "We gathered together and all agreed we didn't want it to be the end, there was still mileage in the band and things to be achieved, so we set about the process of holding auditions."
It took a time, but following a hiatus of more than a year and a half, the band re-emerged in March this year with the new single Collapse, and they announced a new frontman; Kaan Tasan was now in control of the mic.
Return to the trenches of World War I with Milton Keynes Theatre of Comedy (MKTOC) and their witty and historical production of Blackadder Goes Forth - the Final Push, which is coming to Stantonbury Theatre.
The Parks Trust announces the winners of its 2018 Photography Competition.
More than 160 entries were received from people across the city, and the contest was tougher than ever before. Graham Parsons was the overall winner, chosen for his stunning image of a male Common Darter dragonfly, taken at Howe Park Wood.
Rod Stewart is heading out on tour in 2019 - and he is coming to Milton Keynes!
The legendary singer will play Stadium MK on Tuesday, June 4.
Take That follow suit and announce their return to the city, with a show at Stadium MK on May 23, 2019 as part of a nine-month long tour. And then? The future is undecided, Mark Owen tells Sammy Jones, "Then, who knows? There is no plan for us beyond this tour for us as a band.
"We'll see where everyone's hearts and spirits and souls are at the end of it..."
Michael Morpurgo's smash-hit War Horse wows at MK Theatre.
Marshall Amplification announces a new partnership with Arena MK to create a new home for live music, the Marshall Arena.
Built in 2014, the newly named Marshall Arena has a 4,000 capacity and is already becoming the new home of music in Milton Keynes - Black Eyed Peas will perform there in November, and more headline announcements are on the horizon.
Check in with www.totalmk.co.uk later this week when our look back at 2018 continues...
