Winter Gathering
Saturday 14th December | 11am - 5pm
Join us for The Winter Gathering, a cozy and festive event to celebrate the season with friends, food, and fun!
The Winter Gathering starts at 11am on Saturday 14th December in Longton town centre. Get ready for a day filled with family-fun activities, delicious food, and holiday cheer.
Whether you're looking for a thrill at the fun fair, browse through handmade crafts at the Artisan Fair, or enjoy live music from the Bandstand Stage on The Strand, there's something for everyone at The Winter Gathering. Don't miss out on this opportunity to celebrate the season with friends and family.
A special indoor Free Family Theatre show will take place in the Methodist Central Hall from 2.00pm - 3.30pm. Click here to book your free tickets for this performance - www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1080306117679
We can't wait to see you there!
Getting to The Winter Gathering
GETTING HERE BY BUS
First Potteries buses 6, 6A, 6C, 11, 22 & 37, D&G buses 1 & 40 and Stantons of Stoke bus 50 all have a stop in Longton. Bus details and times can be viewed here - bustimes.org/localities/longton-stoke-on-trent.
GETTING HERE BY TRAIN
Longton train station is in the town centre, a 1 minute walk from The Winter Gathering. You can plan your rail journey and get live train times at Trainline.
GETTING HERE BY CAR - PARKING
Longton can be accessed off the A50. Free parking is available on Saturday 14th December at Chancery Lane car park (ST3 1GA) or Commerce Street car park. Free parking is also available outside Tesco/Argos/Next, accessed via Baths Road, ST3 2JB.
You can use this fuel price calculator and guidance to help you plan ahead for your journey and cut down on fuel use - www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/fuel-price-calculator/
THreads of kindness
This winter Urban Wilderness invites you to spread love and friendship in our community be participating in The Kindness Challenge.
Create a friendship bracelet from a kit you can collect from 4 cafes in Longton and gift your bracelet to someone special to share some kindness.
Each cafe has it’s own colour scheme and you’re welcome to collect them all and support our Longton businesses. You can collect your kit from The Moroccan Cafe, Britannia Cafe, Cafe Delight and The Moony Club.
At The Winter Gathering on Saturday 14th December, there will be storytellers at The Moroccan Cafe and Britannia Cafe to spin a yarn while you enjoy a cafe treat.
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.