28/05/2026
Newark Steampunk Events
Following a recent article published by the Newark Advertiser, which included comments from Newark Steampunk Society lead organiser Parvin Mannering, Newark Town Council wishes to provide clarification regarding its involvement in Steampunk events in Newark, alongside broader context about the Council’s role in supporting local events.
As a Town Council, we organise and deliver a number of major community events each year, including Newark on Sea, Newark Festival, Summer Brass Band Concerts, the Christmas Lights Switch-On, and a range of smaller events supporting Newark Market. Our annual events budget is approximately £200,000, which includes staffing costs associated with planning and delivering these activities.
Alongside our own programme, we also support a wide range of local organisations and event organisers, including Newark and Sherwood District Council, Beaumond House, the Children’s Bereavement Centre, Newark Book Festival, and We Are Newark. This support may include use of the Market Place, provision of event equipment, assistance with event safety management, staffing support for event setup, and help with electrical infrastructure in locations such as the Market Place and Riverside Park.
Newark hosted its first Steampunk event in 2021 after events previously held in Lincoln were unable to proceed. Newark was pleased to provide an alternative venue, and the inaugural event proved highly successful. Since then, Steampunk events in Newark have grown steadily in popularity, attracting increasing visitor numbers and expanding in both scale and profile.
Since 2021, Newark Town Council has been an active and committed partner in supporting these events through significant financial and logistical assistance. The level of support provided has hugely exceeded that offered to any other event organiser during this period. This support has included funding secured through external government grants, successful local grant applications, and direct Town Council investment.
As a result, the Council has been able to provide heavily discounted use of the Town Hall, fund music and entertainment, cover event security costs, oversee event safety management, and work closely with Newark Steampunk Society — particularly lead organiser Parvin Mannering — in planning and delivering events.
In 2024, Newark’s Christmas event programme faced major disruption due to severe weather conditions, resulting in the cancellation of the Christmas Lights Switch-On on two separate occasions. In response, the Council acted quickly to relocate scheduled outdoor entertainment indoors and organised a short-notice event within the Town Hall, which was opened to visiting Steampunk guests.
Over the past year, external government funding previously available to support events has come to an end. As a result, the Council has had to make the difficult decision to inform Newark Steampunk Society that, while they remain very welcome to continue hosting events in Newark, the Council can no longer provide the same level of financial subsidy or extensive logistical and administrative support previously available.
We understand the disappointment and frustration this change may cause within the Steampunk community, particularly given the level of support that has been available since 2021.
At the same time, the wider events sector is facing increasing challenges surrounding event safety and compliance. Legislative changes are placing greater responsibilities on event organisers, requiring significantly enhanced safety planning and management. This has resulted in substantial cost increases across many events. One local event supported organised by the Council, for example, experienced safety-related cost increases amounting to several thousand pounds in the last year alone.
Recognising these sector-wide challenges, one of the Council’s staff members was recently selected to participate in a Home Office consultation forum examining the pressures facing event organisers. The same staff member has also authored professional guidance on navigating the changing legislative landscape and is scheduled to speak at a national professional conference on the subject next year.
To support local event organisers, the Council has also produced a practical guide to event safety management, with Newark Steampunk Society being the first organisation to receive it.
We note the recent indication from Newark Steampunk Society that they may no longer hold events in Newark. This is disappointing news, particularly after several years in which Steampunk events have grown significantly in popularity and helped establish Newark’s strong reputation within the Steampunk community.
Newark Town Council remains supportive of Steampunk events continuing in the town. Through our close working relationship with Parvin Mannering, we recognise her exceptional passion, dedication, and enthusiasm for Steampunk, and we sincerely hope that she and her colleagues in Newark Steampunk Society will decide to continue hosting events in Newark in the future.
To provide additional financial context, Newark Town Council operates with an annual turnover of approximately £2.3 million, of which around £1.3 million is funded through Council Tax receipts. The Town Council receives approximately 5% of the total Council Tax paid by Newark residents.
Like many local authorities, the Council has experienced significant increases in operating costs in recent years. Inflation, nationally agreed local government pay increases, and rising costs for goods and services have all placed considerable pressure on the Council’s finances.
At the beginning of 2022, the Council’s medium-term financial forecasts projected deficits of approximately £600,000 by the 2027/28 financial year. Through a combination of difficult but necessary measures — including service reductions, staff restructuring, efforts to increase income from revenue-generating services, and reluctant Council Tax increases — the projected deficit has since been reduced to around £240,000.
These ongoing financial pressures have inevitably made it increasingly difficult for the Council to continue providing the level of financial subsidy previously available to Newark Steampunk events.
We do wish Parvin Mannering and her Newark Steampunk Society colleagues the very best for their future endeavours and if ultimately they conclude that Newark is no longer viable for their events, we like many Newark residents will miss the sight of their incredible outfits adding life and vibrancy to the streets of Newark during their event weekends.
