Light Up Winter with Appetite in 2026!

This winter we are bringing light to the darker months with three special, FREE events as part of our ✨ Light Up Winter ✨ series, which includes Light Up Middleport (21 & 22 Jan), Light Up Hanley (3 & 4 Feb) and Newcastle Under Light (4 March).

Featuring immersive artworks, projections and interactive installations, the ✨Light Up Winter✨ series will transform familiar spaces into glowing, playful places to explore after dark.

Each of the three events in the series will feature different artists and artworks, and a special vibe that reflects the community where it happens. We would love to see you at all three!

See your community in a fresh light

BSL at Light Up Winter

BSL Tours

Tours of the events with a British Sign Language interpreter are available at the each of the Light Up Winter events on the following days:

Light Up Middleport Wednesday 21 January

 Light Up Hanley Wednesday 4 February

Newcastle Under Light Wednesday 4 March

To book onto a tour, email us at askus@appetite.org.uk

The Appetite programme and Light Up Winter series of events is funded by National Lottery through Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme. With additional event funding from UK Government, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, Denise Coates Foundation, and Middleport Matters. Light Up Winter is delivered in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, Newcastle-under-Lyme BID, and Stoke Creates.

Light Up Winter partner, funder, consortium logos

Want to know what else is going on?

Visit the What’s On page for events and go to Get Involved for more opportunities. For regular updates, why not subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on FacebookInstagram, and YouTube.

GAME at Newcastle Common

GAME on!

Time to get your ‘A’ game on as celebrated comedy duo Hunt & Darton take over Appetite’s Newcastle Common and turn it into … a game shop!

Get ready for amazing, analogue fun as we ditch the devices to bring you all your favourite family games including:

🧁 ‘Not’ The Great British Bake Off

🕵️ Scavenger hunt

🕹️ DIY arcade experience

Come join in the fun

Come and sample some FREE fun suitable for everyone in the first big event at the all-new Newcastle Common!

We are open for antics on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December from 11am – 3pm.

Find us at 2-3 Lancaster Buildings, Newcastle ST5 1PG (in what used to be the Thomas Cook travel shop opposite the Guildhall and Boots).

Throughout the day you can expect:

THE DIY ARCADE

Get yourself some PLAY tickets (win or purchase) and get involved in our DIY Arcade. Enjoy, spin offs of much loved retro arcade games. H&D GAME brings you The Real Fruit Machine, Whack-a-Pineapple, and not Zoltar but They Speak, a slightly less enthused fortune teller. Good luck!

CARD TABLE

Challenge Hunt (reigning Snap champion) or each other to multitude of card games.

TEA & BISCUITS (and prize) BAR

Yorkshire, Double Bourbon! Born of Kids Business Longton enjoy the return of the Tea & Biscuit Bar with a Christmas twist because its Christmas. Also, exchange your WIN tickets for prizes.

SCAVENGE

A local scavenger hunt with some unlikely and Christmassy items.

DJING

Christmas DJing throughout from the H&D team. Because its Christmas!

A timetable of the day: 

GIANT CHOCOLATE GAME | 11.10am 

A massive, communal, classic, chocolate game! Roll a six, put on the hat, gloves, scarf, pick up the cutlery and try and eat as much chocolate piece by piece as you can. Someone else rolls a six then its their turn whether you got a piece or not!

THE NOT GREAT BRITSH BAKE OFF | 12pm 

Mimicking the much loved TV show but with zero baking skill required. Join a team to create a conceptual sugar sandwich. A plethora of ingredients are provided for you and your team to create your masterpiece. The ‘not bakes’ then go through rigorous judging before the winner is revealed and rewarded.

THE COLLABORATIVE CAKE | 2.30pm 

Join a super long production line to make a cake together. Maybe you are responsible for the sprinkles, the jam, the next sponge layer or the coveted squirty cream. Commentated and jeered by the H&D team to make sure that cake is built with speed and love. Then we all get to eat it!

LUNGE OFF | 2.50pm 

Join the ring for, not a dance off, but a lunge off. Go head to head to perform the ‘best’ lunge, not necessarily the biggest, or lowest but most stylish and unique! No lunging ability or experience required.

Coming to Newcastle Common

You can find parking information for Newcastle town centre on the borough council website. There are also a handful of accessible spaces on Merrial Street, and in front of the Art of Siam restaurant on the High Street.

There is one small step into Newcastle Common, though we do have an access ramp that can be used. Once inside, Newcastle Common is on one level and is fully accessible.

The closest public toilets are by the bus station, and there is a Changing Places toilet at Newcastle Library, in Castle House – both within two- or three-minute walk.

General information about Newcastle Common can be found in this Easy Read Word document or Easy Read PDF.

Want to know what else is going on?

Visit the What’s On page for events and go to Get Involved for more opportunities. For regular updates, why not subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook @appetite.stoke, Instagram @appetite_stoke, and X @appetitestoke.

Welcome back to Newcastle Common!

Welcome back to Appetite’s Newcastle Common!

We are so excited to be opening the doors to our new home on Sunday 26 November! Our new home is 2-3 Lancaster Buildings, ST5 1PG, in what used to be the Hays Travel shop opposite the Guildhall and Boots. And we’re inviting you to come along and share what you’d like to see from us next!

Join in the fun

Drop-in to from 12pm to 6.30pm when we’ll have some crafty and creative activities to take part in. Come share your thoughts and ideas on what you want to see happen in Newcastle Town Centre and what you’d like to see at Newcastle Common.  

While you’re with us try your hand at Hyped Up Badge Making with the hilarious Jenny Hunt! Get the sharpies, pencils and fine liners at the ready to design and make a badge to celebrate anything you value; chips, your dog, your town, you, your amazing jumper, the pub, slushies, The Muppets Christmas Carol, pimped up coffees, a brew, Bublé, baubles, Bublé wearing baubles, Bublé wearing baubles with a brew, your mum, dad, nan, kids, your car, Greggs sausage rolls, that you’re simply alive or Minecraft.

As the lights get turned on lets punch their air and hype anything or everything we love! Come along and take part from 12pm to 2pm and 3pm to 6.30pm

What else is happening on the day?

Luma by Air Giants. How often is it that you get to meet a big, beautiful, glowing snail? We’re really looking forward to bringing the glorious Luma by Air Giants to Newcastle BID’s Christmas Lights Switch On #LightUpCastle on Sunday 26 November. See Luma outside Caffe Nero on Ironmarket, Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1pm to 7.30pm.

Getting there

Parking is free on the night on council car parks, which you can find a list of on the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council website.

 

 

General information about Newcastle Common and the event can be found here in Easy Read format either in Word or Pdf.

Want to know what else is going on?

Visit the What’s On page for events and go to Get Involved for more opportunities. For regular updates, why not subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook @appetite.stoke, Instagram @appetite_stoke, and X @appetitestoke.