WILD by Motionhouse will be at The Big Feast 2026.
Image by Dan Tucker
Appetite Presents
THE BIG FEAST 2026
Fri 28 & Sat 29 August
Stoke-on-Trent City Centre (Hanley)
The countdown is on as your favourite FREE Stoke-on-Trent city centre bank holiday weekender is set to return big, bold and bursting with feel-good vibes.
Since 2014 our flagship two-day festival of arts and culture has been transforming Hanley into a stage with world-class performances popping up in its streets, buildings and spaces. And it’s almost time to once more discover inspiration amongst the everyday with a fresh new menu of artists, activities and uplifting experiences.
Find out more about how we make The Big Feast together with the people of Stoke-on-Trent on the Big Feast project page, and enjoy unforgettable moments from past years over on our Big Feast YouTube playlist.
2026 PROGRAMME
As always, we’ve worked with our community decision makers to cook up something special with a healthy serving of brand-new acts you’ve never seen before, but that we know you’ll love.
Here are a few for starters but watch this space for line-up announcements coming soon!
Here’s a sprinkling of what to expect:
Exceptional spectacles in physical theatre, circus and dance
Local talent and young creatives on The Piccadilly Stage
Playful puppetry, silly stories and plenty of family fun
New for 2026: Sensasian festival area
Strange creatures everywhere
More inclusion, more diversity, and more representation than ever before!
Images:
WILD by Motionhouse © Andrew Moore;
Caspian’s Storm by LAS Theatre © Alex Brenne;
Accelerate by Highly Sprung © Andrew Moore & Cheryl Revill
Stay in the know
Follow our socials
Feast up your feed, share with your mates, and join the discussion on our Big Feast Facebook event page.
New for 2026:
Sensasian Area at The Big Feast
Sensasian is a celebration of South Asian arts and culture delivered in partnership with New Vic Theatre and with input from members of local South Asian communities.
This year Sensasian will have a dedicated area as part of its wider programme featuring fantastic artists and performances such as Roots to Rise by Nandita Shankardass seen here.
So join us to immerse yourself in authentic music and dance, FREE henna and traditional block painting workshops, and more 11am - 5pm on Saturday 29 August at Smithfield.
Visit the Events page to keep up to date with all events in the Sensasian 2026 season as they are announced. Or find out more about how Sensasian is made on the Sensasian project page.
Image by David Levene.
Access at The Big Feast
Appetite events are for everybody!
Embedding access provision throughout The Big Feast and all of our events is one of our core values.
Our dedicated access page for The Big Feast 2026 is coming soon.
If you are interested in finding out more about how we support groups to come along to The Big Feast, visit the Working With Groups page or email our community engagement officer, Ruby, on ruby@appetite.org.uk
Our access provision may look like:
British Sign Language interpretation (BSL)
Audio Description (AD)
Bench seating
Hosted visits for groups that might otherwise struggle to come along
Access Stewards and access training for all members of the event team
Easy Reads
An accessible route marker and toilet locations listed in the brochure
Details of the closest on-street blue badge parking here on the web page
