Milton Keynes tourism body announces theme for 2026 #LoveMK Day

Destination Milton Keynes (DMK), the official tourism organisation of the city, has announced its theme for 14th annual #LoveMK Day on Thursday 30 April.

The organisation has said local people from Milton Keynes can get involved by providing their Top Tips for visiting the city.

Over the last decade, #LoveMK Day has become the biggest one-day social media celebration of all things Milton Keynes, helping to promote the city as a leisure and business destination. This year, DMK said that they want to hear about the most useful recommendations for anyone visiting, staying over or maybe who just wants to get out and explore their own local area.

To help you get started, DMK have come up with a few Top Tips to inspire people, such as:

• Learning your Hs & Vs! The horizontal and vertical main grid roads help you navigate the city super-easily.
• The free Midsummer Festival on 21 June celebrates the summer solstice in the city; with a day of performances, creative workshops, live music, art installations, street food and more.
• Take a bike ride through the beautiful Ouzel Valley from Caldecotte Lake in the South to Willen Lake in the north – no need to venture on to a road, use the iconic redways.
• Explore the hidden gem of market town Newport Pagnell which tells the story of craftsmanship through time, from the cast-iron marvel that is Tickford Bridge to the Aston Martin Heritage Centre.
• Check out the huge new floor-painted art installation in Station Square, you can’t miss it with the vibrant colours and bold patterns.
• Take a trip to Bletchley Park, home to the famous WW2 codebreakers and now a truly fascinating heritage museum.
• Make the most of the good weather and enjoy a picnic in Campbell Park; how many public artworks can you spot?
• There’s a thriving independent restaurant and coffee shop scene; a few to note – Maaya Indian Kitchen & Bar, Nonna’s, Italian Sul Lago, The Greedy Italian, Bogota Coffee Company, Canal Street Coffee, Milks & Beans and so many more.
• Discover Fred Roche Gardens right in the heart of the city centre, hidden away behind offices and apartments, it’s a green, calm oasis if you want a moment to yourself.
• For your next night out, how about some live music? Head to The Stables, Craufurd Arms, MK11, Unity Place, or maybe for a whole day, check out the larger festivals coming to The National Bowl later this year.

Anyone with any other Top Tips can get in touch with DMK via their social media channels.

On #LoveMK Day itself, people of the city can help spread the love by sharing the hashtag on your social media posts and you can get creative with it – why not paint it, sew it, bake it, make it out of flowers, you name it .

There’ll also be a number of #LoveMK Day competitions running throughout the day from 8am to 8pm on the DMK social media channels, so make sure you’re following them to enter.

Carys Underwood, Marketing Manager at Destination Milton Keynes, said, “#LoveMK Day is a reason for everyone to celebrate what they love about this amazing place, but we also want to help visitors and locals discover some maybe less well-known ideas for things to do, places to visit or activities to try – so help us by sharing your Top Tips on how to make the most of this fabulously quirky city.”