Food for the Soul: Hanley Gears up to Host Outdoor Arts Festival The Big Feast
Plus Stoke's first-ever Youth Festival, Dracula at the House of Lawrence, catch the Christians at the New Vic and Blood Brothers is back at the Regent next month…
WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅
HIGHLIGHTED ⬇️ (FULL EVENTS LISTINGS BELOW)
🤹♀️ A Cultural Feast. 22/08 & 23/08, 11am-5pm. Performers from the worlds of music, puppetry, circus and dance are among the entertainers at outdoor arts festival The Big Feast. Organised by Appetite, performances will take place at 14 locations across the city centre including the Potteries Centre, Piccadilly and Bethesda Chapel, with highlights including drag-fuelled dance extravaganza Big Fatt Dance Party and See Saw by Reallynice, a sensory circus experience created for young people with SEND. Download a brochure or just turn up to see what’s on. Admission free.
🧛♂️ Dracula Comes to Stoke. 03/09-06/09, 7pm, The House of Lawrence. Celebrate Hallowe’en early and prepare to be scared by this classic gothic horror tale and epic battle between good and evil. Adapted exclusively for the black box theatre at The House of Lawrence, you can look forward to plenty of cool special effects and there will be spine-tingling illusions to sink your teeth into as well. Tickets from £8.
🧁 Make & Bake. 21/08, from 11am, Mitchell Arts Centre. There are still three weeks of the holidays to go so get those diaries filled up. This self-led drop-in session at the Spitfire Cafe Bar lets the kids cook and create. Admission free.
🎶 Catch the Christians. 06/09, 7.30pm, The New Vic. The 80s chart toppers will be running through an acoustic set featuring all of their greatest hits including Forgotten Town, Hooverville, Ideal World and Born Again and, naturally, they’ll be playing their biggest song, Harvest for the World. Tickets from £35.
🎉 Stoke Youth Festival. 07/09, 11am-4pm, Northwood Stadium. A celebration of all things youth organised by the Stoke-on-Trent Youth Collective, this is the first event of its kind in the city. Get ready for a day filled with sports, music, arts, wellbeing and more. Admission free but you’ll need to register for tickets.
🚶♀️Walk for Someone Special. 13/09, 3.30pm-630pm, Shugborough Estate. Organised by Katharine House Hospice, Walk to Remember is a chance for you to celebrate the life of someone special with a 5k walk along the rivers Sow and Trent and past Shugborough Hall. The step-free pathways mean that everyone can take part, and there will also be a special display where you can make a dedication to your loved one. Register here, entry £15.
🧍♂️ Blood Brothers is Back! 23/09-27/09, 7.30pm, Regent Theatre. Widely acclaimed as one of the best musicals ever written, Willy Russell’s feel-good play is the moving tale of twins separated at birth, who grow up on opposite sides of the tracks only to meet again with fateful consequences. Tickets from £15.00.
EVENTS LISTINGS
Parkrun, every Saturday at 9am at Hanley Park; Trentham Gardens; Cannock Chase; Lower Milehouse Lane, Newcastle; Birchall Playing Fields; Isabel Trail, Stafford
Heritage Walks with the Red Haired Stokie, various dates
Make & Bake, ongoing, Mitchell Arts Centre
Open mic nights, every Thursday, Darcy’s
Potteries Centre Events Series, ongoing, Potteries Centre
Throw a Pot and Pottery Painting, ongoing, Kiln at Number 12
Throw a Pot Sessions, ongoing, LoveClay
Lunch at Stoke Minster, every Thursday
Guided Walks in the Peak District, Various, Multiple (Peak District)
Titanic Brewery Tour, multiple dates, Titanic Brewery
Spitfire Comedy Open Mic, multiple dates, Old Post Office, Burslem
World of Wedgwood Artisan markets, every second Sunday of the month
Electric Tentacle Electronic Music Open Mic, multiple dates, Captain’s Bar
Daydreaming, until 31/08, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
DJ Summer School, until 31/08, Sydney Works
Jasperware at Wedgwood, 31/07; 29/08; 25/09; 31/10; World of Wedgwood
For the Love of Stoke: a Centenary Exhibition, 09/07-10/08, Spode Museum
Self-Care Sundays, 27/07-31/08, Trentham Estate
Tales in the Park, 29/07-15/08, various locations
Hula Land Workshop, 07/08, Mitchell Arts Centre
The Time Traveller’s Adventure, 05 & 06/08, New Vic
Dane Narrowboat Cruise, 09/08, Middleport Pottery
Three Counties Open Art, 09/08-30/08, Fenton Town Hall
Northern Soul & Motown Disco, 09/08, Middleport Pottery
Arthur Berry Sense of Place Exhibition, 09/08-21/09, Barewall Art Studio
Arthur Berry Weekend Walking Tour, 10/08, Ford Green Hall
A La Puppet Show, 14/08, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
The Wizard of Oz, 16/08, Bolton Gate Farm
Arthur Berry Weekend Walking Tour, 17/08, Burslem
August Bank Holiday - Wakes and All, 19/08, Mitchell Arts Centre
Summer Evening Social Walk, 20/08, Hem Heath Woods
Make & Bake, 21/08, Mitchell Arts Centre
A Night at The Darts, 22/08, Kings Hall
The Big Feast, 22 & 23/08, Hanley city centre
Arthur Berry Weekend Walking Tour, 23/08, Middleport
Macbeth, 24/08 & 25/08, Trentham Estate
Bill Bailey, 28/08, Regent Theatre
Dracula, 03/09-06/09, The House of Lawrence
Ibiza Orchestra Experience, 05/09, Hanley Park
Sausage & Cider Festival, 06/09, Hanley Park
The Christians, 06/09, New Vic
Summer in Nashville, 07/09, Hanley Park
Stoke Youth Festival, 07/09, Northwood Stadium
Jimmy Carr, 10/09, Regent Theatre
Walk to Remember, 13/09, Shugborough Estate
Dara Ó Briain, 17/09, Regent Theatre
Fenton Folk Day, 20/09, Fenton Town Hall
Blood Brothers, 23/09-27/09, Regent Theatre
Strange But True Crime, 26/09, Victoria Hall
Potters ‘Arf, 28/09
Keele World Affairs, 02/10 onwards, Keele University
For more events, all the way up until October, check out our comprehensive What’s On list.