Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
A Summer Of Creativity Comes To Brentwood
This year’s annual Brentwood Art Trail from Brentwood Connected, the Business Improvement District (BID), is set to be the biggest ever, and will take place from Saturday 30 May to Sunday 28 June, bringing a whole month of creativity to Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone.
The annual art event, funded by Brentwood Connected, has attracted more than 100 creatives to take part this year and will feature over 70 business locations displaying artwork for the duration of the Trail. This is the highest number of artists and venues to ever take part. The event is delivered across all three town centres with Brentwood Art Trail Event Days at weekends featuring live art creation, performances and interactive activities.
Schools are currently signing up for the opportunity to take part in a free Brentwood Art Trail online art lesson, sponsored by Chicken and Frog Bookshop, Guided Learning and Key Tuition, and delivered by Sue Mills of Curly Cloud Art, where children will have the opportunity to create content for their own ‘Zine’. Some of these creations can then be displayed as part of the Brentwood Art Trail. It is estimated that more than 3,000 local school children took part in this activity in 2025.
There will be an official Brentwood Art Trail Pop-Up Gallery located at The Baytree Shopping Centre, open daily from 10am to 4pm, with different artists in residence each day. The Pop-Up Gallery officially opens on Saturday 30 May, and members of the public are encouraged to attend and join a series of guided tours hosted by artist Lucia Hardy to enjoy artwork and discover businesses.
Free Brentwood Art Trail Event Days will take place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 6 June (Brentwood), Saturday 13 June (Shenfield) and Saturday 20 June (Ingatestone) with artists live in action, more guided tours, musical performances, and interactive activities for all ages. Some of the creatives taking part in this year’s activities include Alison Cook, Amelia Hart, Create Yourself Calm, Dani Davison, James Fraser, Lucia Hardy, Nancy Walker, Michael Young, Nicola Osborne, and Peque Artists.
Debbie Butcher, Events Manager at Figo, a Brentwood business taking part in the event for the first time, said, “We are so excited to be a venue on this year’s Brentwood Art Trail. We love getting involved in community events and being a hub for creativity in the High Streets is an absolute dream for us. We’re looking forward to welcoming people to Figo to eat, drink and see the amazing work of Nicola Osborne, the artist displaying work here during this year’s Trail.”
Brentwood Connected Business Improvement District (BID) Manager Sarah Walmsley said, “The number of businesses taking part in our Brentwood Art Trail this year is phenomenal and we are always grateful to them for giving up precious space in their windows, and elsewhere in their businesses, to display artwork for the month. The fact that the number of artists wishing to take part increases year after year is a testament to the success of our event, and we look forward to an exciting Summer of art in Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone.”
The Brentwood Art Trail is an event from Brentwood Connected, the unique Business Improvement District (BID) supporting the borough’s three high streets and funded by town centre businesses to improve the experience of residents, visitors, employees and businesses in Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone. For information about Brentwood Connected, visit www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk.