Event and activity information

View the schedule of regular events

The events schedule shows regular events across the libraries and can be searched and filtered by location, audience and keywords.

New and upcoming events

Milton Keynes Bonsai Show 2023

Saturday 3 June 2023 - 10am to 3.30pm at Central Library

The Bonsai Show returns to Central Library on 3 June with friendly advice, sales and ikebana display. Entry is free and everyone is welcome.

The show is supported by the Milton Keynes Bonsai Society, Ikebana Club, Bedfordshire Bonsai Society, Northamptonshire Bonsai Society and Middlesex Bonsai Society and Mid-Hertfordshire Bonsai Club.

*NEW* Free Smartphone Support sessions at Wolverton Library

First session Friday 9 June 2023 - 10am to 12pm

Are you looking for a little help with your smartphone? We have an amazing volunteer ready to offer you advice.

Sessions are free and run on the second Friday each month 10am to 12pm at Wolverton Library. No booking is necessary, simply drop-in anytime during the session or ask staff at Wolverton Library if you'd like more information.

Children's King Charles III Portrait Competition

The competition closes at the end of the day on Saturday 3 June.

To enter, collect an entry form from the library, create your portrait masterpiece, fill in your contact details and return it to any of the MK libraries before they close on 3 June.

Three winners will be selected from each of the three age groups:

  • Under 5 years
  • 5 to 8 years
  • 9+ years

Winners will be selected by library colleagues and the decision is final. Winners will be contacted soon after the closing date with instructions on how to collect their book token prizes.

Good luck to all the young artists!

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Free Wildflower Seeds for the Coronation

From Friday 5 May, visitors to any of the Milton Keynes libraries will be offered free wildflower seeds during this period of Coronation celebration. 

This is a gesture to recognise King Charles III's enthusiasm and care for the environment. By planting wildflowers around Milton Keynes, you'll be helping both the local bees and the environment as a whole.

Seeds will be available while stocks last - ask at the staff desk for your packet when you next visit one of the libraries.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Windrush 75th Anniversary Programme

22 June 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush which signalled the start of the Commonwealth citizens who came to live in Britain between 1948 and 1971, known as the Windrush Generation. Milton Keynes City Council is celebrating with a programme of events at Central MK Library.

The Story of Windrush Migrants Exhibition

7 June to 6 July 2023

The Story of Windrush Migrants follows the journey of the migrants who arrived in Britain on the HMI Empire Windrush in 1948, encompassing the history of their arrival and settlement, work and employment, family and social life and contributions and achievements.

Visit the exhibition on the first floor at Central Library. Entry is free.

Against the Odds: Writing Black British Histories

Saturday 10 June 2-4pm at Central Library

Part of the Windrush 75th Anniversary programme.

Historian Stephen Bourne will present an engaging and informative illustrated talk about his Black British History books. From Aunt Esther's Story in 1991 (the story of his adopted aunt, a Black Londoner born in 1912) to his acclaimed children's version of Black Poppies which was published in 2022. He will also give an overview of the Caribbean contribution to World War Two and the lives of some of the Windrush passengers who arrived here in 1948.

Starting in 1991, Stephen has managed, against the odds, to publish many books about the Black British experience. His best known is Black Poppies, his acclaimed study of Black servicemen in the First World War.

Deep Are the Roots, which celebrates the pioneers of Black British theatre, beginning in 1825 when Ira Aldridge made history as the first Black actor to play Othello in the United Kingdom, was shortlisted for the Society for Theatre Research Book Prize in 2022.

Tickets are free and must be booked in advance. Book your place on Stephen's talk by following this link.

Visit Stephen's website to discover more about his work or find Stephen's books on the library catalogue.

Family Crafts: Carnival Creations

Saturday 17 June 2023 at Central Library

Create your own colourful headpiece with Caribbean colours in these free Windrush-inspired family craft sessions delivered by Learning Through the Arts. Sessions are free to attend but must be booked online in advance:

Crafts are suitable for children aged 4 to 12 years and all children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult throughout the session. 

Poetry Writing Workshop

Thursday 22 June 2023 - 6pm to 7.30pm at Central Library

Part of the Windrush 75th Anniversary Programme.

Learning Through the Arts will be delivering this FREE poetry writing workshop as part of the heritage project: The Story of Windrush Migrants: 75th Anniversary. Discussions and creativity during the session will be inspired by selected Windrush poems. (Suitable for ages 18+). Places are limited and must be booked online in advance.

Book your place on the poetry workshop by following this link.

Windrush Books

We hope you'll visit Central Library where you will find a selection of Windrush books on display during June with booklists of both fiction and non-fiction titles for both adults and young readers.

Regular activities

Regular events and services for each library are also listed on the individual library information pages. New and one-off events are shown in the section above.

Adult - various regular activities

  • COMPUTER HELP SESSIONS WITH OUR IT BUDDIES

  • FAMILY HISTORY CONSULTATIONS - Central Library (dates to be confirmed)
  • JOB CLUBS - Central Library Tuesday 1-3pm and Woughton Library Thursday 10am-12pm
  • KNIT AND NATTER sessions at various libraries
  • LIBRARY READING GROUPS at various libraries
  • MK NANOWRITERS meet on the second Saturday each month at Central Library 2pm to 4pm. It's a social group for writers although they do discuss writing as that's their shared hobby. If you'd like to know more or are interested in joining the group, please email mknanowriters@gmail.com.
  • SMARTPHONE SUPPORT SESSIONS at Wolverton Library on the second Friday each month 10am to 12pm. Drop-in session - no appointment needed.
  • SOCIAL SCRABBLE at Bletchley Library on Tuesdays 10.30-11.30am.
  • STONY LAST THURSDAY HISTORY SOCIETY - Drop-in any time between 2-5pm on the last Thursday of each month upstairs at Stony Stratford Library to chat with like-minded people about the history of Stony Stratford. If you'd like to know more, ask at Stony Stratford Library. (starts on 23 February 2023)

Children - various regular activities

Please note that some activities are term time only.

English conversation club

English conversation club is for anyone who would like to practise and improve their English as a second language, gain better skills for study or employment, or just get on in everyday life.

    Sessions at Central Library

    • Everyone is welcome to join us on the day and you don't need to register.
    • Conversation club sessions are held in the foyer at Central Library on Thursday mornings 11am-12pm.
    • If you'd like to know more you can phone 01908 254050 or speak to library staff.

    Exhibitions

    Discover MK

    The Discover MK Showcase area is on the first floor at Central Library. It is the primary showcase for the archive, museum and heritage of Milton Keynes and the surrounding area. It has a regularly changing series of exhibitions throughout the year and more information can be found on the Discover MK website.

    MK Together - from 23 January 2023

    A photographic exhibition celebrating the ways in which our community comes together – co-curated by Living Archive MK and city photographer Sagar Kharecha.

    Over recent years it has been difficult for many communities to gather in person. This exhibition celebrates different communities across Milton Keynes as they come together: in protest, in commemoration or in celebration.

    Living Archive MK has worked with local documentary photographer Sagar Kharecha. Sagar is dedicated to recording life in Milton Keynes in all its diversity. He describes himself as a ‘hyperlocal’ photographer, he shoots on 35mm black and white film, and he is fascinated by all aspects of life in the city.

    The exhibition also features archive photos from Living Archive’s collections.

    CONNEXIONS Art Exhibition at Central Library - 8 June to 8 July 2023

    Visit the Event Space on the ground floor to see a selection of artwork by artists Clive Bryant, Mike Dales, Toby Michael, David Newens, Matt Waruszynski, Peter Bashford, Len Gifford and Csaba Tibor Palotas.

    Please note that this exhibition has adult themes.

    JOIN ME: Our 2020 Events - Memorial Quilt at Stony Stratford Library

    Visit Stony Stratford Library to see this lockdown memorial quilt on display. It’s a community quilt project by Thread Thread Wine to memorialise the events that we most missed in 2020, whether cancelled, lost or postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Soraya Tate, founder of Thread Thread Wine

    At Christmas 2020 I decided to make a memorial quilt, dedicated to acknowledging the events and opportunities that we lost in 2020.

    • I would create a quilt square about my own losses.
    • I would invite others to do the same about their losses.
    • I would join the pieces to make a quilt.
    • I would display the quilt in December 2021 at an event for the makers.

    This is the project so far; I hope you enjoy viewing it and reading about it. We have 42 submissions and the quilt is 3m long.

    We have made some of the squares into cards for sale, to raise money for the mental health charity MIND.

    If you would like to contribute your artwork to this project, please email Soraya or visit the Thread Thread Wine (TTW) Facebook page.

    Read more about the background to this project, the inspiration and the artists who have contributed by visiting the Memorial quilt project page.

    OUR LOCAL WILDLIFE EXHIBITION at Central Library - 9 May to 3 June 2023

    Visit the first floor at Central Library to see an exhibition of wildlife photography by Harry Appleyard.

    Harry is a local photographer who has compiled images for the exhibition by studying the amazing wildlife that can be found around the many habitats of Milton Keynes. The exhibition features elusive mammals, rare migrating birds and some of the most photogenic insects in the area.

    You can read more about Harry Appleyard and his photography on his website.

    Friends Groups

    Friends Groups work in partnership with us and closely with local library teams to help support and enhance libraries in our local communities.

    They provide an important contribution to support and maintain awareness of a library in a local community.

    Folio - Olney Library

    Folio (The Friends of the Library in Olney) run a programme of talks which are held 7.30-8.30pm at The Olney Centre, Room 4 and they request that you arrive at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Refreshments are served after each talk.

    • 15 May - The History of John Lewis and Waitrose by Mary Green
    • 5 June - Georgian Olney, A Time Traveller's Guide via Cowper & Newton Museum by Tom Jones
    • 3 July - Cassiobury: The Ancient Seat of the Earls of Essex by Paul Rabbitts
    • 4 September - 1000 Miles up the Amazon by Jean Yates
    • 2 October - The Mackintosh Myth - The Sources and Legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh by Natasha Buthee
    • 6 November - Operation Mincemeat. Who was Major William Martin? by Michael Kushner from Bletchley Park
    • 4 December - 'A Medieval Christmas' with music and instruments by Michael Brown

    Tickets are £5 in advance and can be booked online at Ticketsource or by phoning Ticketsource on 0333 666 3366.

    If you are no longer able to attend or have any questions, please email olneyfoliofriends@gmail.com.

    You can download a printable schedule of Folio talks here.

    FoSSL - Stony Stratford Library

    FoSSL (The Friends of Stony Stratford Library) run regular talks at the library and details for booking tickets for these events will be released closer to the time. If you'd like to join the mailing list to receive news and updates from FoSSL, email fosslmk@gmail.com.

    • Thursday 18 May at 7pm - The Friends of Stony Stratford Library present 'Stony Stratford to Somerset and Back Again' - a question and answer evening  with Stony Stratford born cricketer James Hildreth. Tickets are available from Stony Stratford Library from 25 April.

    Knit and natter

    • Several libraries host Knit and Natter groups.
    • Beginners and experts are all welcome.
    • Admission is free.

    Lego and Duplo clubs

    • Free all-round fun with Lego/Duplo clubs at several of our libraries.
    • We provide the bricks and you provide the imagination.
    • Everyone regardless of age is invited to join the fun.
    • Parents and carers are responsible for their child's safety.
    • Parents and carers must remain with their children throughout the sessions.

    Click on the session links to see the dates when clubs are running.

    Tuesday

    Wednesday

    Thursday

    Friday

    Saturday

    Library news

    Reading groups

    Do you enjoy reading? Would you like to talk about what you have read? Would you like to share your views with an informal group? Then why not join a reading group.

    Stories, songs and rhymes

    Summer Reading Challenge

    We're excited to bring you the Summer Reading Challenge each year during the summer holidays. The Summer Reading Challenge 2023 Ready, Set, Read! begins at Milton Keynes City Libraries on 21 July.

    We are currently recruiting volunteers to become Summer Reading Challenge Champions. If you're aged between 13 and 25 you can read more and apply online on the Summer Reading Challenge web page. Closing date for applications is 29 June 2023.

    Vacancies at Milton Keynes City Council libraries

    We hope you'll consider joining our team here at the Milton Keynes Libraries. You'll find details of any current vacancies across our libraries on the library vacancies webpage.

    Volunteering with Milton Keynes City Council libraries

    • We welcome volunteers at all ten of our libraries.
    • There are many interesting opportunities for volunteers within the Milton Keynes libraries and there's bound to be something that suits you.
    • Volunteers need to be at least 13 years old.

     

    Milton Keynes City Council Libraries contact information

    Milton Keynes Central Library, 555 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 3HL