2014 - 2023
Bringing modern circus home to the birthplace of its founder.
The Homecoming
The Homecoming – an award-winning, one-day circus-inspired extravaganza in Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre – ran for six years from 2014 to 2019. It celebrated the life and legacy of local-born legend and ‘father of the modern circus’, Philip Astley.
Born in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1742 Astley, the son of a cabinet-maker, became a war hero and celebrated trick rider who brought together acrobats, clowns and riders into a 42-foot ring – the standard size of a circus ring still used today – to invent the modern circus as we know it.
The Homecoming was born from a desire to bring the circus back to Astley’s hometown with a day of outdoor performance by artists from the UK and around the world springing up throughout the town centre. From traditional and contemporary circus to dance, theatre and more, it was a joy-filled celebration of a local legend.
The Homecoming was delivered by Newcastle-under-Lyme Business Improvement District (BID) and Appetite in partnership with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. It was funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Without Walls.
Astley’s Homecoming 2023
In 2023 circus returned home again in a new incarnation: Astley’s Homecoming. We had a brilliant day full of the best performers who could be found variously at the top of very tall poles or floating around the streets in hot air balloons. The day programme was complimented by an open-air evening cabaret as the sun went down.
We again worked with BID and the borough council, and also Philip Astley Projects CIC, a local organising who promote and educate on the legacy of Philip Astley, culminating in the opening of the Philip Astley Centre in Newcastle town centre, which hosts regular events, talks and workshops.
