Rob Pointon Paints Through the Dark Month

Plus service for Mike Lloyd (14/01), Queen by Candlelight (05/03), Apprenticeships Fair 2026 (07/02), Russell Howard (13/03) and Yule-Helm: The Viking Experience (until 12/01)

WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅

HIGHLIGHTED ⬇️ (FULL EVENTS LISTINGS BELOW)

• 🖼️ Painting to Brighten January. until 15/03, Brampton Museum. Artist Rob Pointon will attempt to complete a painting a day during January in a show entitled Painting Through the Dark Month. As soon as the painting is completed, it will gradually populate this exhibition. Keep returning to see Rob’s progress, but don’t touch the paintings as they might still be wet! More info here.

Rob Pointon will paint a pic every day in Jan; see the show at the Brampton

• 🎸 Celebrating Mike Lloyd. 14/01, 2pm, Stoke Minster. From rock and roll to orchestral music, the late Mike Lloyd believed all music mattered and that it should be shared. His many honours, including an honorary doctorate from Staffordshire University, an OBE, and the Freedom of the City, reflect a lifetime of service. If you want to pay tribute, attend this service to celebrate his life. The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the British Heart Foundation or Cancer Research UK. Donation boxes available in the church.

Music promoter Mike passed away just before Christmas aged 82

• 👱 Go Full Viking! 14/02, 11am-4pm, the House of Lawrence. An immersive family friendly maze, Yule-Helm: The Viking Experience features a variety of activities such as treasure hunts, sand pit digs, and creative activities. There’s no limit to how many times you complete the maze, either. Tickets from £3.
  

• 🎸 A New Take on Queen. 05/03, Victoria Hall. See one of the world’s most revered rock bands as never heard before at Queen By Candlelight. This show, which has played at venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, will feature some of the most iconic songs of all time, including Bohemian Rhapsody, It’s a Kind of Magic and We Are The Champions. Tickets from £32.

It’s a Kind of Magic: Queen by Candlelight on 05/03 at Victoria Hall

• Laughs with Russell Howard. 13/03, Regent Theatre. After breaking records with sold-out shows across the globe – he performed 10 consecutive sell-out shows at London's Royal Albert Hall, breaking Barry Manilow’s previous record of eight - Russell is back with a new show, Don’t Tell the Algorithm. Check out some of his funniest moments here. Tickets from £41.

Catch Russell on 13/03 at the Regent

• ☺️ New Year, New Apprenticeship. 12/03, 9am-3pm, University of Staffordshire. Sign up to meet employers, explore higher and degree apprenticeship opportunities and get direct insight into real career pathways at the Apprenticeships Fair 2026. Admission free but registration required.
  

• 🎉🎭 Cinderalla P*ssed Up Panto 13/02 & 14/02, 7:30pm, Mitchell Arts Centre. You’ve seen Jonny Wilkes and co do their take on this classic fairytale… now catch the ultimate adult panto. Expect innuendo, comedy routines, parodies of well-known songs and audience participation. Tickets from £25.

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

• Girls Who Walk Stoke, ongoing, various locations

• Queerquest, ongoing, Staffordshire Moorlands

• Open mic nights, various dates, Darcy’s + The Woodman, The Beehive Inn, The Windmill Werrington, Foxfield Arms, & The Victoria

• Potteries Centre Events Series, ongoing, Potteries Centre

• Throw a Pot and Pottery Painting, ongoing, Kiln at Number 12

• Throw a Pot Sessions, ongoing, LoveClay

• What’s In Store at the V&A Wedgwood Collection sessions, every Wednesday

• 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

• Honeybox Live, various dates and locations

• Yule-Helm: The Viking Experience, until 12/01, The House of Lawrence

• Little Dumpling King’s Vegan Menu, 07/01, Little Dumpling King

• The Crafty Chapter Stoke Crafting Afternoon, 10/01, Weston Heights Community Centre

• Back to the 90s, 10/01, Quarter @ Potbank

• Kings of Lyon and the UK Strokes, 17/01, Eleven

• An Evening with Stoke Legends, 26/01, Victoria Hall

• Frankenstein, 20/01, Middleport Pottery

• Northern Soul Alldayer, 31/01, Middleport Pottery

• Cabaret Extreme, 05/02, Victoria Hall

• Apprenticeships Fai 2026, 07/02, University of Staffordshire

• The Curious Case of the Masked Magician, 08/02, Mitchell Arts Centre

• Massaoke – Sing the Musicals, 12/02, Victoria Hall

• Cinderella P*ssed Up Panto, 13/02 & 14/02, Mitchell Arts Centre

• Winter Spectacular 26 – Cheer & Dance Competition, 14/02, Fenton Manor

• Bluey’s Big Play, 13/02-15/02, Regent Theatre

• Stoke-on-Trent Jobs Fair 2026, 13/02, bet365 stadium

• Ash, 14/02, the Sugarmill

• Pirate Takeover, 14/02-22/02, Alton Towers

• Witches and Wizards, 18/02, Gladstone Pottery Museum

• Gandeys K-Pop Dragon Circus, 13/02-01/03, Trentham Estate

• Shen Yun, 17/02 & 18/02, Regent Theatre

• Queen by Candlelight, 05/03, Victoria Hall

• Russell Howard, 13/03, Regent Theatre

For more events, check out our comprehensive What’s On list.

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