Young people help develop new art commission for East Midlands festivals

Commissioned by Junction Arts and First Art, the Post Office of Possibilities (P.O.P.) is a mobile, interactive art installation that blends street theatre and community engagement. The piece will premiere at the Chesterfield Children’s Festival (26–27 July 2025, Queen’s Park) before travelling to The Full Shebang Festival in Mansfield town centre on Saturday 6 September 2025.

The P.O.P. is a nostalgic reimagining of the classic British post office and is being created by Buxton-based outdoor theatre specialists the Babbling Vagabonds, in collaboration with young people from Boza Youth. It will be packed with tactile, hands-on features such as drawers to explore, noticeboards to read, and compartments brimming with surprises. Visitors will be invited to pen postcards of positivity and letters to their future selves, with playful prompts that spark conversations around hope, wellbeing, aspirations, and what it means to live a good life.

Colourful, costumed characters from the “Department of Dreams” will roam the festivals, animating the space with skits, games and interactive encounters.

Phil Coggins from The Babbling Vagabonds said: “The Department of Dreams and their Post Office of Possibilities is here to deliver joy, curiosity, and connection. This pop-up show will blend playful performance with hands-on creativity. We want to reignite the joy of slow, tangible, human connection in an increasingly digital world.”

The installation promises to be theatrical and thoughtful, shaped by the views and hopes of young people from Bolsover. The Babbling Vagabonds will work closely with Boza Youth, Bolsover’s volunteer-run youth club for 11–17-year-olds, over the coming months to co-create the piece.

The P.O.P. is the result of a public call-out, with the commission decision guided by Boza Youth.

Jemma Burton, Project Manager at Junction Arts, said: “The young people were instrumental in selecting The Babbling Vagabonds and shaping the direction of the project. They wanted something that spoke to their age group — something fun, creative, and inspiring. The P.O.P. is all of that and more: a space for positive expression and joyful interaction.”

Steph Andrews, Project Coordinator at First Art, said: “We can’t wait to see what the combined imaginations of the young people and Babbling Vagabonds create and look forward to bringing the work to The Full Shebang. It’s so important to have artwork that is relevant to local communities, that represents local voices.”

The Chesterfield Children’s Festival is a free, family-friendly celebration of arts and culture, now in its third year, showcasing storytelling, theatre, music, dance and hands-on activities for children aged 0–16.

Now in its sixth year, The Full Shebang Festival brings some of the UK’s best outdoor arts to Mansfield town centre. A free one-day arts festival for all ages, the event has a strong emphasis on accessibility and inclusion and aims to delight and surprise with a mix of outdoor performance, circus, dance, street theatre and more.