Ho, Ho, Ho! Santa Claus is Coming to Hanley

Get ready for Santa's arrival in the city, festive market fun at Ford Green Hall and Stone High Street plus Bluey pops up at Alton Towers and some cool crafting events

WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅

HIGHLIGHTED ⬇️ (FULL EVENTS LISTINGS BELOW)

🥙 Catch Santa’s Arrival Parade. 23/11, 10am-6pm. Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and The Potteries Centre are bringing Santa’s arrival parade back to Hanley. The event will boast festive floats, live music from choirs and brass bands to a performance from Stoke rockers Thunder Hammer. What else? Balloon shows and a mischievous visit from the Grinch. Check timings here. Admission free.

Get in the Christmas spirit with the Santa parade and live music up Hanley

🎵 Scratch Night at B arts. 22/11, 7.30pm. Providing a platform for work that hasn’t been shown before, you can expect stand-up comedy, poetry and theatrical performances at B Arts’ Scratch Night, which will be hosted by B arts volunteer performer group ArtsHill Performers. Volunteer performers from across Staffordshire and Stoke are also welcome to get up on stage. Pay as you feel.

🤶 Christmas Frost Fair at Ford Green Hall. 17/11, 11am-3.30pm. It’s Ford Green Hall’s 400th anniversary this year, and the 17th century museum is hosting a fair packed with handmade gifts that are perfect for Christmas. Admission free.

🎄Festive Market Fun in Stone. 17/11 & 08/12, 7.30pm, Stone High Street. Shop for artisan gifts and food and drink for Christmas against the inviting backdrop of Stone’s independent shops, cool bars and cute eateries. Admission free.

🎅 Bluey Comes to CBeebies Land. 29/11-05/01. Magical Days Out at Alton Towers are back, and Bluey will be making his first appearance, plus you can catch Hey Duggee Live: The Christmas Badge with the fam. This year also sees the return of the Resort’s popular Santa Sleepover Experience. Day tickets from £18, overnight stays from £70 per person, Santa Sleepover from £90 per person.

Celebrate Christmas with Duggee and Bluey at Alton Towers

🎨 Free Access To Ceramics Studios. 30/11 & 22/02, 10-4pm. Embrace your creative side: The British Ceramics Biennial’s event, ‘Open Source’, will give the public free access to two professional studios, with experienced digital and ceramic artists on hand to guide and support creative activities.

🏃‍♀️Park Runs At Hanley And Trentham. Every Sat at 9am until 28/12. Commit to a weekly dose of exercise before you indulge over Christmas by donning your running shoes for the Park Run at either Hanley Park or the Trentham Estate. Walk if you want.

🕯️ Craft Your Own Christmas Centrepiece. 05/12, 6.30pm-8pm, Kiln At Number 12. Have a cool yuel time making a festive centrepiece at the Parsley & Sage Christmas Decoration Workshop at Kiln At Number 12 in Longton Exchange. Price includes a Winter Berry cocktail and a mince pie, plus there’s a full bar. Tickets £45.

EVENTS LISTINGS

• Potteries Centre Events Series, ongoing, Potteries Centre

• Throw a Pot Sessions, ongoing, LoveClay

• Maurice Wade – A Painter from No. 57, until 16/01/25,
  Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

• 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

• Electric Tentacle Electronic Music Open Mic, Multiple Dates, Captain’s Bar

• Ghost The Musical, 12/11-16/11, Stoke Repertory Theatre

• Kevin Bloody Wilson, 13/11, Victoria Hall

• Christmas Light Switch On, 14/11, Trentham Shopping Village

• The Best of Grohl, 15/11, The Rigger

• Ceramic Makers’ Market, 16/11, Gladstone Pottery Museum

• B Arts Christmas Makers Market, 17/11, B Arts

• Christmas Frost Fair, 17/11, Ford Green Hall

• Stone Christmas Markets, 17/11 & 30/11, Stone town centre

• The Stylistics, 19/11, Regent Theatre

• Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny, 20/11, Regent Theatre

• From Gold to Rio, 20/11, Mitchell Arts Centre

• The Longest Yarn, 21/11-05/12, Stoke Minster

• Scratch Night, 22/11, B arts

• Masterchef pop-up, 23/11, Potteries Centre

• Santa Arrival Parade, 23/11, Hanley town centre

• Chicago, 25/11-30/11, Regent Theatre

• A Christmas Carol, 27/11, Middleport Pottery

• The Zutons, 28/11, Keele University

• Magical Days Out, 29/11-05/01, Alton Towers

• Winter Light Trail, 29/11-31/12, Trentham Estate

• Santa Sleepover, 29/11-24/11, Alton Towers

• Candelight: Tribute to Queen, 30/11, Stoke Minster

• Candlelight: Hans Zimmer’s Best Works, 30/11, Stoke Minster

• Luminate, 29/11-31/12, Shugborough Estate

• Christmas Decoration Workshop, 05/12, Kiln at Number 12

• Absurd Person Singular, 10/12-14/12, Stoke Repertory Theatre

• Abdulrzak Gurnah reading and book signing, 11/12, Keele University

• Sam Ryder, 13/12, Victoria Hall

• Bat out of Hell, 30/06-05/07, Regent Theatre