TAKEOVER
Takeover creates volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16-24 to reach their creative potential. With the ambition of providing skilled new entrants to the cultural sectors, Takeover engages young people in communities from across Ashfield & Mansfield, industry experts and creative associates from across the country.
Here we share our latest information about Takeover and how you can get involved if you are a partner, local business, school, college learning setting or as a young person. We have everything you need to know.
WHAT IS TAKEOVER & WHO IS IT FOR?
Takeover is open to anyone 16 plus from Mansfield & Ashfield to join us to be part of an ongoing arts and creative volunteering and skills development programme. Young People will take part in an intensive arts and cultural training programme which includes:
Training and skills workshops, online mentoring, challenge-work experience, go and see trips, entrepreneurial skills, future career and education advice.
This project is part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
TAKEOVER FESTIVAL 2026
Mansfield’s BIGGEST youth festival returned on Saturday 7 March 2026!
This year the festival was spread across multiple stores and mall space at Four Seasons Shopping Centre, becoming our biggest year yet!
We hosted a day packed with music, games, performances, art installations, workshops and immersive displays, brought to life by the young people from Mansfield and Ashfield.
Our 2026 cohort included groups from The Brunts Academy, Inspire Youth Arts and NTU. Each group had their own unit to create wild, wonderful and original visions of the future for the theme The Future We Make; think neon futures. Green futures. Chaotic futures. Beautifully strange futures and everything in between!
TAKEOVER FESTIVAL 2025
Takeover Festival returned to the Four Seasons Shopping Centre in Mansfield in 2025, and this time volunteers took over the old Topshop store! Over 2000 people came through the doors of what was for the day, Mansfield's BIGGEST youth led Festival.
The unused shopping unit was transformed by groups of young people and their artists under the leadership of Nonsuch Studios and an incredible team of young budding volunteers from Nottingham Trent University.
Together we turned an empty space into a jam-packed celebration of young peoples creativity and ideas. From a photography exhibition, to immersive exhibitions, countless workshops and activities, theatre performances, photo opportunities, mocktail making, a surf simulator and a silent disco, TAKEOVER 2025 really delivered BIG on creativity!
Outside in the shopping Mall on the TAKEOVER stage, local performance groups shared there talents with hundreds of shoppers.
DEPARTMENT FESTIVAL 2024
DepARTment Festival took place in the abandoned Debenhams at the Four seasons Shopping Centre in Mansfield Shopping Centre. Each group had their own department to turn it into their own creative celebration.
Young people worked with amazing artists to create exhibitions, photography, large scale puppets, original music and performances, Circus arts and activities and much more!
Schools and colleges who took part: My Place, West Notts College, Brunt's Academy, Wings Academy, Unanima and Outwood Academy.
We worked with some amazing artists including: Naji 'Wavey' Richards, Cath Connolly, Sian Watson Taylor, Nonsuch Studios, Ismail Khokon and Dizzy Ink.
