the Winter Gathering
Winter Arts Festival | 14 December 2024
The Winter Gathering was a town centre arts festival in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent on 14th December 2024. It was a day filled with family-fun activities, free street theatre, music performances and Morris dancing, storytelling in local cafes and Longton Central Hall, craft workshops and a finale parade and fire show.
The programme included performances from local and national arts organisations, including KiLNE, Thingamajig Theatre, Pif-Paf Theatre, Restoke and Eye of Newt and was created alongside the community of Longton and Stoke-on-Trent through 8 weeks of workshops with Urban Wilderness.
The Winter Gathering was produced by Urban Wilderness, funded by Stoke Creates with funding from Arts Council England, and UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund administered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Many partner organisations and indivduals supported this event, including Longton Central Hall, Longton Victorian Market, Longton Exchange, The Morrocan Cafe, Britannia Cafe and Longton Fire Service.
Film by Picta Productions. Soundtrack by KiLNE.
THreads of kindness
Alongside The Winter Gathering, Urban Wilderness developed the Threads of Kindness Challenge alongside cafes in Longton Town Centre.
Town centre visitors were invited to collect a friendship bracelet kit from cafes in town to create and gift to someone special to share some kindness.
Each cafe had it’s own colour scheme and a total of 215 kits were collected!
At The Winter Gathering on Saturday 14th December, there were storytellers at The Moroccan Cafe and Britannia Cafe to spin a yarn for patrons.
We also installed signs with positive affirmations such as ‘You’re Amazing’ along footpaths in the town centre to spread some joy and kindness to visitors. The positive affirmations were written by our Art Club members, aged 8 - 17.
Meet the Team
URBAN WILDERNESS
Event Producers
Urban Wilderness are Laurel Gallagher, Isla Telford and Jenny Harper; three women with a driving belief that place-based creative interventions can make significant changes personally, environmentally and economically.
They are the Event Producers for the Winter Gathering, responsible for organising, management, funding and creative direction.
StREET KiLNE
Parade & Finale Band
Formed by professional musicians Danny Shaw & Ben Oakes, KiLNE is a contemporary nu-marching band made up of equal parts brass and drums, with a mission to spread positivity and inclusiveness through the joy of music.
StREET KiLNE is back in Longton for the Winter Gathering with their parade version of the Techno show with an Arabian twist. They first performed live at Longton Carnival in April 2024 as part of our Pig Walk Parade.
CIRCUS IN A BOX
Fire Performers
Longton-based Circus In A Box are a family run group of performers and workshop leaders with an incredible variety of circus skills.
Circus In A Box will be amazing us at The Winter Gathering with an awesome fire show!
Image Credit: Thinganujig Theatre
THINGAMUJIG THEATRE
Kit and Caboodle
Thingumajig Theatre creates and performs innovative puppet plays and interactive giant puppet street acts. They are bringing their family-freindly show, ‘Kit and Caboodle’ to The Winter Gathering.
A pack mule with its beautiful burden of tales is joined by two well-travelled companions. Bags and cases open to reveal stories and songs of remarkable journeys from the staggering sojourn of a butterfly to people past and present who set out in search of a better life.
Image Credit: Arts by the Sea
PIF-PAF
TOAST
Pif-Paf is a wildly ambitious theatre company creating top notch performance and sculpture and taking it to the places it doesn’t normally reach. Pif-Paf are performing their wonderful show ‘TOAST’ at The Winter Gathering.
An ambitious, beautiful, growing, communal celebration of food, song, story, dance and fire.
Expect flying pancakes, singing, maybe some dancing, a bit of eating and drinking, laughing and lots of new friends.
Image Credit: Eye of Newt
EYE OF NEWT
Stone Soup
Eye Of Newt are three women, making magical stuff happen, often with loud cackling. They create engaging, interactive theatre for parades, festivals and events. Eye Of Newt are bringing their inspiring show, ‘Stone Soup’ to The Winter Gathering.
A wandering stranger holds the secret to making delicious soup, fit for the finest folk in the land. But can they really make soup with just a stone?
JOSEPH’S AMAZING CAMELS
Joseph and Rebecca started Joseph’s Amazing Camels in 2000 doing camel racing and camel hire across the UK.
They now have eighteen camels, the largest camel herd in the UK. One of their amazing camels is coming to the Winter Gathering and will be ready to greet visitors from 1pm at Star Corner (outside St Gregory’s Church).
POPPY BLOND
Stoke’s dynamic rising star, Poppy Blond, is here for the WOW factor. Performing with her band, Poppy brings her love of Northern Soul
music and dancing to experimental Pop and Soul to create her own unique twist that you will love. Especially for a pre-Christmas crowd, Poppy has a new
Christmas single ‘Santa Freed My Soul’ which she is performing live for the first time!
DOMESDAY MORRIS
Domesday Morris are an energetic border morris team (sticks not hankies!) from the ancient village of Penkhull. You’ll remember them performing at Longton Carnival & Pig Walk Parade in April.