🎅 Santa and His Sleigh Arrive Early in Hanley 🎅
Plus attend a Christmas Crafternoon at Love Clay, date of the Charity Toy Run announced, and a new LGBTQ+ arts trail now open in Staffordshire Moorlands…
WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅
HIGHLIGHTED ⬇️ (FULL EVENTS LISTINGS BELOW)
🎅 Ho, Ho, Ho! Meet Santa. 22/11; free appearances at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm; Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. Those of you who like to start the festivities early will be chuffed to know that Santa and his sleigh will be touching down in Hanley later this month. Take the kids along to meet the jolly red man, share their Christmas wishes, and receive a special gift. Admission free.
🤭 It’s Comedy Time. 21/11, doors 19:15, show starts 8pm; Fenton Town Hall. Fancy a laugh? Then don’t miss this Stand-up Comedy night. Presented in collaboration with Me & Mrs Jones Comedy, we suggest you grab those tickets now and end the year with a laugh. Tickets from £10.
❄️ Christmas Crafternoon in Clay. 29/11, 2pm-4pm, Love Clay. Make festive decorations, gift tags or place settings, then decorate them using coloured underglazes in the studio. Once you’re done crafting, unwind in the gallery with a glass of mulled wine and mince pies ahead of its Festive Light Switch-on at 4.30pm. Tickets £30 each (includes all materials).
🎅 Rev Up For the Charity Toy Run. 30/11, 11am, Bet 365 Stadium & King’s Hall. A cornerstone of Stoke-on-Trent’s community since 1977, the Star Bikers Charity Annual Toy Run has grown into one of the largest events in the City, attracting over 1.5k bikers and plenty of spectators. Once the parade concludes, the celebrations will continue at King’s Hall with live entertainment from the band Crosshair and DJ Bloke. Vendors include Art by Blackjack, Jacob Pizza, Taylor Motorcycles, Mark Tuck’s Shop and more! Riders to arrive by 10:15am with suggested donation of £2 per rider and one new unwrapped gift.
🏳️🌈 Explore New LGBTQ+ Arts and Heritage Trail. Open now. Celebrating LGBTQ+ stories, arts programme OUTSIDE has launched Queer Quest in the Staffordshire Moorlands, where you explore the area through geocaches, small hidden containers found using the free Geocaching app. Each cache contains an original piece of artwork by Emma Dawson Varughese and a short story inspired by local community voices and queer histories of the region. The trail follows the mythic path of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a medieval tale set in this landscape, reimagined through a contemporary queer lens. Trail information here or pick up a map from Leek indoor market.
🏺 Snap Up One-of-a-Kind Ceramics. 15/11, 11am-4pm, Gladstone Pottery Museum. Looking for some local, hand-crafted gifts this Christmas? More than 60 local and national ceramic makers will attend this upcoming market, including past contestants from the hit television series The Great Pottery Throwdown. Entry to both the market and the museum is free on this day.
🔪 Murder on the Disorient Express. 29/11, 7.30pm, Mitchell Arts Centre. With multiple sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, mystery maestros Highly Suspect are set to perform A Highly Suspect Murder Mystery: The Murder on the Disorient Express, where the audience must solve the crime. Tickets £14.
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
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
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
Upstart at V&A Wedgwood Collection: Clay Careers Workshop, 15/11, World
The Bodyguard, 03/11-08/11, Regent Theatre
Fenton Fireworks Display, 05/11, Fenton Park
A Christmas Comedy, 06/11-08/11, Middleport Pottery
Ross Noble, 06/11, Victoria Hall
Stories in the Dust, 07/11, Fenton Town Hall
Mrs Smith: 1,2,3 Eyes On Me, 07/11, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Alton Towers Ultimate Fireworks, 07-09/11, Alton Towers
Iron Ladies, 08/11, Stoke Film Theatre
From Flames and Ash: Diploma Students’ Exploration of Wood-Firing, 08/11-23/11, Clay College Gallery
European Halo Championship, 08-09/11, University of Staffordshire
Trentham Christmas Street Party, 13/11, Trentham Estate
Step into Christmas, 14/11, Victoria Hall
Nastee Chapel, 14/11, Fenton Town Hall
Ceramic Makers Market, 15/11, Gladstone Pottery Museum
Grace, 15/11, Stoke Minster
The Australian Pink Floyd, 18/11, Regent Theatre
The Psychopath Test, 20/11, Regent Theatre
Stand-up Comedy night, 21/11, Fenton Town Hall
Legacy and Continuity Ceramic Symposium, 21/11 & 22/11, Stoke Town Hall
Taylormania, 21/11, Victoria Hall
Free Tree Giveaway, 21/11, Apedale Country Park
Santa’s Sleigh, 22/11, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
The Dinosaur That Pooped A Rock Show, 23/11, Regent Theatre
City Songbirds Christmas Concerts; 24/11 & 25/11, Victoria Hall
Kinky Boots, 26/11-30/11, Regent Theatre
Christmas Crafternoon and Light Switch On, 29/11, Love Clay
Murder on the Disorient Express, 29/11, Mitchell Arts Centre
Christmas Wreath Workshops, 29/11, 30/11, 06/12, 07/12, World of Wedgwood
Eric’s Christmas Turkey, 01/12-13/12, New Vic
City Voices at Christmas, 03/12, Victoria Hall
Breakfast with Elsa and Anna, 06/12, 13/12 & 20/12, the Quarter@ Potbank
Lantern Parade, 06/12, Newcastle Town Centre
Step into Christmas with Anton du Beke, 08/12, Victoria Hall
John Kirkpatrick’s Carolling & Crumpet Christmas Show, 12/12, Fenton Town Hall
For more events, check out our comprehensive What’s On list.