A FREE TWO-DAY BIG FEAST in Stoke-on-Trent
THE BIG FEAST – a FREE two-day event is bringing world-class performances and art to the streets of Stoke-on-Trent city centre on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 August.
The Supper Club – residents of the city who come together to decide what Appetite events look and feel like – have once again contributed to creating the packed event line up. The programme runs from 11am to 5pm on both days and includes the aerial performance Castaway by Highly Sprung and the uplifting dance riot Frock by Stopgap Dance.
Audience members will be able to take the weight off their feet in the chilled installation Take Ten by Fluid Motion Theatre Company and can listen to The Hidden Music of Trees by Jason Singh. The Piccadilly stage is a showcase of music, dance and poetry with Ghetto Fabulous and the Kwanzaa Collective UK having ‘takeover’ hours on both days. The Six Town Tappers arrive following their performance as part of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Festival in July to the stage on the Friday line-up.
Appetite uses the streets, green spaces and venues of the city centre as the backdrop to The Big Feast with most shows, exhibitions or workshops taking place outside. This year the team have put in place even more to make sure the event is accessible to everyone, including BSL, Audio Described tours and some dedicated hosted visits. There is a dedicated Big Feast access web page listing all the provisions available plus there will be Access Stewards on hand to help people.
2022 is Appetite’s 10th year of delivering new and exciting experiences in Stoke-on-Trent and to help celebrate on Saturday 27 August Appetite presents Dizzy O’Dare’s Cabaret of Curiosities taking place at the Mitchell Arts Centre. The KIDS show begins at 1pm with an After Hours adult alternative version from 8pm. Tickets are free but need to be booked in advance through Eventbrite which can be accessed through the Appetite website. At the event, audience members will be asked to Pay What They Decide with donated funds supporting Appetite in its work to inspire even more people in the area through arts, culture and getting together.
The Big Feast is delivered by Appetite, the Arts Council England funded Creative People and Places National Portfolio programme led by the New Vic Theatre in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, and Without Walls – a consortium of festivals and organisations dedicated to raising the profile of UK outdoor arts to reach diverse and new audiences across the country.
Appetite Director Gemma Thomas said: “The Appetite team, Supper Club and our wonderful partners and consortium are excited to be bringing The Big Feast 2022 back to the city centre. The event is a huge team effort from our team, artists, freelancers, suppliers, and all our partners including the city centre businesses, funders and volunteers. We’re looking forward to dancing, laughing, cheering, crying and creating new memories right on our doorsteps.
We want everyone in the city to know the event is created with, for and by people who care about it and to come for the first time, and again every time! We have lots of our team available if you want some extra support when you get there. It’s all free, and we can’t wait to see you there.”
Richard Buxton, Stoke-On-Trent City Centre BID Manager said: “As always, we are excited to be hosting The Big Feast in our city centre. It is one of the highlights of our events calendar and the quality of the artists that will be performing will again bring excitement, passion and fun to our streets. Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and our businesses look forward to welcoming everyone to this amazing event.”
Councillor Lorraine Beardmore, Cabinet member for Culture, Leisure and Public Health, said: “The Big Feast promises to be two full days of the best entertainment for the whole family this August bank holiday weekend. We are delighted to be welcoming Dizzy O’Dare’s Cabinet of Curiosities to the Mitchell Arts Centre, to help mark 10 years of Appetite”.
The full line-up, details of the Piccadilly Stage programme and partner events, including events at the Airspace Gallery’s The Fool exhibition, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, and Open Air Cinema nights at Smithfield, can all be found at www.appetite.org.uk.
Follow BabaBaboon on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Read more LOCAL News on BabaBaboon here & please sign up to our Newsletter
