Swing into Summer at Newcastle’s Jazz & Blues Festival this July
Plus Made of Stone 100km cycle, free shows for kids and young adults at the New Vic, and get to your local library to sign the kids up for the summer reading challenge
WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅
HIGHLIGHTED ⬇️ (FULL EVENTS LISTINGS BELOW)
🧑🎤 Calling all Cool Cats. 25/07-27/07, 11am-7pm, Hanley Park. With more than 70 performances across more than 20 venues, highlights of year's festival include disco, funk and soul band Funky Junction at Yates's (26/07, 8.30pm), the Goodfellas Blues Band at Hogarths (26/07, 8pm) and college rockers Taking Back Tomorrow at The Foyer (27/07, 8pm). Full line-up here. Tickets £6.50.
🚴♀️ Made of Stone 100 km. 29/06 Start & return at PAU Cafe, Trentham. Knotters who are cyclists: up for a challenge? This extensive gnarmac route covers some of Staffordshire’s finest lanes and gravel tracks, with feed stops, post-ride food, and a relaxed, inclusive atmosphere. You’ll also get a commemorative tee, mechanical support and a celebratory beer on the day. Registration link here.
🌮 Castle Food & Drink Fest Returns this Weekend! 21/06, 11am-4pm, Newcastle town centre. Building on the success of last year’s debut, this free festival will once again transform the Ironmarket and Newcastle High Street into a vibrant hub of local culture and cuisine. Expect artisan traders, family fun and fab food. More info here. Admission free.
🎭 FREE Theatre Seats for Kids & Under 26s. 05/07-24/07, New Vic Theatre. Love a show? Check out heart-warming production Big Big Sky from Tom Wells (The Kitchen Sink) about family, friendship, love and loss that’s set in a cafe popular with birdwatchers overlooking the North Sea. Tissues at the ready… Tickets from £15; under 16s and under 26s go free
📚Summer Reading Challenge for Staffs Kids. 05/07 onwards. Prise the kids from their devices and get their noses stuck in a book instead with the Summer Reading Challenge, which is available at your local library. One of Staffordshire Libraries and Arts Service’s most popular activities, almost 10,000 children and young people took part in last year’s challenge. For more info, visit the website.
Get to your local library for this summer's reading challenge! 🧑🎤 Catch Some Folky Pop. 04/07, 7pm, Artisan Tap. Acclaimed US singer/songwriter Juliet Lloyd is currently touring her 2024 album Carnival. She’s received comparisons to Patty Griffin, Grace Potter, Carole King, and Chris Stapleton for her signature blend of soulful, roots-infused folk/pop. Tickets £5.50
👩🦱 Life in Jane Austen’s Era. 06/07, 1pm-2.30pm, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. This talk from Meredith Towne, creator of Bad Girls & Bonnets, explores pleasures and pastimes in Jane Austen’s era, be that hushed conversations in the shrubbery or playing cards in the parlour. Clothes historian Lucy Adlington will showcase fab original fashions for sport and dancing and amuse you with some droll readings from Austen’s novels. Tickets £15 (includes a cream tea).
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
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
An Evening with Lord Ian Botham, 20/06, Bet365 Stadium
Castle Food & Drink Fest, 21/06, Newcastle town centre
Arthur Berry - Theatremaker, until 28/06, New Vic
Electric Six, 28/06, The Sugarmill
Made of Stone 100km, 29/06
Juliet Lloyd, 04/07, Artisan Tap
Jasperware at Wedgwood, 04/07; 31/07; 29/08; 25/09; 31/10; World of Wedgwood
Ragged Victorians, 05/07, Gladstone Pottery Museum
Toby Carvery on the Canal, 05/07, Middleport Pottery
Big, Big Sky, 05/07-24/07, New Vic
Ladies of Leisure: Pleasures and Pastimes in Jane Austen’s Era, 06/07, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery
Disco Bliss Daytime Party, 12/07, King’s Hall
Six Towns Carnival, 13/07, Hanley Park
Newcastle Jazz & Blues Festival, 25/07-27/07, Newcastle town centre
For more events, all the way up until October, check out our comprehensive What’s On list.