Smithfield to host ‘Gather & Glow’ Festive lights switch-on and lantern parade
Residents, local businesses and visitors are invited to kick off the holiday season this December with Gather & Glow – a festive celebration featuring a community lantern parade.
The free-to-attend event will bring the community together at Smithfield, in Hanley on Wednesday 2 December, from 4pm.
Local and creative organisation B.ARTS – who are based in Stoke town – will be leading two themed ‘Gather & Glow’ lantern parades at the estate, plus there will be live music, local food and drink vendors and a Christmas lights switch-on.
Developed in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Genr8 Developments, Smithfield serves as a central hub for living, working, and socialising—bringing together residents from Clayworks apartments, office workers from 1&2 Smithfield and Smithfield Works and guests at the Hilton Garden Inn.
(Images Smithfield)
Adele Simmons, Community Manger at Smithfield, said: “Gather & Glow is all about bringing people together to celebrate the festive season.
“Smithfield was created as a place for people to live, work and socialise in Stoke-on-Trent and hosting events like this allows us to connect our Clayworks residents, office workers, hotel guests and local Stokies.”
Adele added: “We are also delighted to partner with B.ARTS for the lantern parade and cannot wait to welcome everyone to light up the estate together.
“In the build up to the parade B.ARTS will be running lantern making workshops with our Smithfield Works business community, as well as with residents at Clayworks – which is a great and a brilliant way for us all to come together and collaborate for Smithfield’s festive event.”
Rebecca Frankenberg, Co-artistic Director at B.ARTS, said: “We are so excited to partner with Smithfield for Gather & Glow and lead the community lantern parade.
“At B.ARTS we believe in the power of creativity to bring communities together and there is something particularly magical about lanterns – with people coming together to make a shared celebration.
“We like to make each of our lantern events a little different – at Smithfield the event will start with two parades – ‘Glow’ led by a shooting star lantern and ‘Gather’ led by a shimmering moon lantern, which will then come together in the centre.
“It’s shaping up to be a really lovely winter event and we cannot wait to see everyone on the day.”
Gather & Glow is free to attend and will take place in the public realm at Smithfield, in Hanley from 4pm on Wednesday 2 December. Visitors are asked to register their place via the Gather & Glow Eventbrite page HERE
For more information and updates please find Smithfield on Facebook @SmithfieldST1 and Instagram @smithfield_stokeontrent or visit their website here
Event schedule:
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4:00 PM — Event Opens: Festivities commence with seasonal live music alongside a selection of local food and drink vendors across the estate.
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4:30 PM — Gather & Glow Lantern Parade: An illuminating community procession hosted in collaboration with B-Arts, a registered charity and Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation dedicated to using creativity to bring people together.
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5:15 PM — Official Christmas Lights Switch-On: The main moment of the evening, illuminating the heart of Smithfield for the festive season.
