Vegan festival coming to Hanley in jam-packed Christmas calendar

Hayley Parker

13 November 2024 at 10:56 am·2-min read

-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)

Vegans will be able to indulge in some delicious treats when a food fiesta arrives in Hanley. The city centre's first ever Winter Vegan Festival is to be staged next month.

The event will see stalls set up in Market Square on Saturday December 14 from 10am to 4pm. It is being organised by Stoke-on-Trent Animal Rights and Stoke-on-Trent City Centre bid.

A spokesman for the organisers said: "There will be delicious hot and cold food, lots of cakes and sweet treats, beautiful, unique gift ideas and cards. Our wonderful animal rescues and groups will also be there to talk about their work and raise much-needed funds.

"Entertainment for the day will be provided by a fantastic DJ, talented face painter and Santa and his Elf with treats for the children! Please tell your friends and family and come and join us."

News of the Winter Vegan Festival comes as Winter Wonderland returns to Hanley for 43 days of festive fun. The Christmas extravaganza gets underway on Birch Terrace car park on November 22. It ends on January 5.

Meanwhile, a Santa parade will be staged on November 23. The event will boast festive floats, live music from choirs and brass bands to a performance from popular Stoke-on-Trent band Thunder Hammer.

Visitors will also be able to watch vibrant balloon shows, and meet festive characters including Santa Claus himself plus a mischievous visit from the Grinch.

Alongside the festive fun, families will also be able to enjoy a funfair for the kids, face painting stations, stilt walkers and storytelling sessions. The streets will also be lined with Potteries Artisan Market Christmas stalls selling delicious delights and gifts.

The parade route will start at Smithfield at 11am and end at The Potteries Centre entrance, where a snow machine will transform the area into a sparkling winter wonderland, setting the perfect stage for Santa’s grand arrival as he officially opens Claus’ Cabin.

The stage will then be set at Fountain Square for live acts and performances throughout the day until 6.30pm. Festive fashionistas who show up in their jolliest Christmas jumper also have the chance to be picked by Santa to win Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Gift Cards up to the value of £50.

BID CEO Richard Buxton said: "We are delighted to be raising our game with Christmas in the city centre this year. To have such a wide variety of acts and activities speaks to the vibrancy and diversity of talent in our local community and beyond. From classic rock to classic characters - we cannot wait."

Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you - it’s FREE

Bromley News Shopper
Woman 'repeatedly sexually assaulted' by another woman on Elizabeth line
Police have released a CCTV image of a woman they want to speak to in connection with a sexual assault on the Elizabeth line.
Sky News
Missing woman 'disappeared voluntarily', police say - after dad took own life when he failed to find her
Hannah Kobayashi, 30, missed a connecting flight from Hawaii to New York in Los Angeles on 8 November and vanished days later after sending "alarming" texts to her family. Overnight, police said Hannah wanted to "step away from modern connectivity" and was last seen crossing into Mexico with her luggage. Los Angeles police chief Jim McDonnell said there was no evidence Hannah was trafficked or a victim of a crime and classified her disappearance as a "voluntary missing person".
People
Mo. Man Who Killed, Sexually Assaulted 9-Year-Old Girl Is Executed
The body of 9-year-old Rowan Ford was found in a sinkhole near Powell, Mo. in November 2007
Evening Standard
How much money do stars make from Christmas songs in 2024? From Noddy Holder to Shakin’ Stevens
Slade's Noddy Holder called Merry Xmas Everybody a 'retirement plan'
Digital Spy
Emmerdale confirms full Christmas and New Year schedule
Emmerdale has confirmed its scheduling details for the Christmas and New Year period.
Harrow Times
Thugs shouting 'f*** Israel' attack bus carrying Jewish schoolchildren
A bus carrying Jewish schoolchildren was attacked by teenage thugs who pelted it with rocks before boarding and shouting "f*** Israel".
The Telegraph
‘Hang’ teenage gangster who murdered my daughter, mother pleads with court
A teenage gangster who murdered a woman as she tried to protect her children during a turf war between rivals should be “hanged”, the victim’s mother told a court.
Sky News
Retired police dog on first walk since major surgery rescues missing man in East Sussex
A retired police dog who was recovering from major surgery has rescued a vulnerable man. Bear, a German Shepherd, was being walked by his owner and former police officer Julia Pope when he located the missing man in the Eastbourne area of East Sussex. The dog, who turned 12 on the day of the discovery, immediately "went into work mode" after sensing the lost individual and "started indicating towards an area of dense undergrowth," Ms Pope said.
The Telegraph
Nigerian pastor whose church was shut down over alleged £1.87m fraud loses deportation battle
A Nigerian pastor whose church was shut down over an alleged £1.87 million fraud has lost his fight against deportation, despite claiming it would breach his human rights.
Manchester Evening News
'You may consider yourself very fortunate…' mum avoids jail after drunken foul mouthed tirade on flight
Shirley Devine was held by police after the plane landed at Manchester Airport
The Daily Beast
‘They’re Eating the Cats’: American Woman Jailed in Ohio
An Ohio woman has been jailed for a year for killing and eating a cat. Allexis T. Ferrell’s arrest received worldwide attention after it was falsely used as proof of claims by Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating their pets. Ferrell, 27, from Canton, Ohio, pleaded guilty on Monday to cruelty to animals and was given the maximum prison sentence by Stark County Common Pleas Ferrell’s Frank G. Forchione, according to the Canton Repository.
CBC
Alberta RCMP officer charged with sexually assaulting 2 males in hotel room
An Alberta RCMP officer has been charged with sexually assaulting two males in an Airdrie hotel room in 2022. Leduc Const. Bridget Morla faces two counts of sexual assault. Morla was off-duty at the time of the alleged assaults, according to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).ASIRT announced the charges Monday following a two-year investigation. Morla, 39, has been a police officer for 13 years. She has been suspended with pay since the investigation commenced in late 2022, accor
Evening Standard
Granddad fights off Rolex watch muggers in central London by swinging takeaway bags
Christopher Harris was attacked by muggers in Paddington after he bought takeaway food
Sky News
Husband reveals wife's final words as drink-driver jailed for killing her on wedding day
Samantha Miller, 34, died still wearing her wedding dress, while groom Aric Hutchinson suffered a brain injury and numerous broken bones when Jamie Lee Komoroski smashed into the golf cart the couple had been riding in after their beach ceremony. Komoroski, 27, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2023 crash in South Carolina. Charleston County Courthouse heard how Komoroski had been drinking at several bars and was more than three times the legal limit.
The Telegraph
Chester FC fan accused of making racist monkey gesture found dead a day later
A Chester Football Club fan who was accused of making a racist monkey gesture towards a black player has been found dead hours after being reported to police.
BuzzFeed
This Former Women's Prison Inmate Let People Ask Her Anything About Her Experience, And It's Eye-Opening
"I got out in March of this year, went to a federal halfway house, and then my judge granted me a sentence reduction, so I got to go home, and now I'm just on federal probation. I'll answer any question about any of it!"
People
Wife Praised Husband for Support After Cancer Diagnosis. 5 Years Later, He Killed Her in Murder-Suicide
Brandy Manville was killed by her husband Charles Manville, who then died by suicide, per police
The Telegraph
Foreign criminals who avoided deportation committed more than 10,000 offences in a year
Foreign criminals who avoided deportation committed 10,000 offences in a single year, official figures show.
SWNS
Man arrested after taxi driver in his 80s is viciously attacked by passenger
A man has been arrested on suspicion of brutally attacking a taxi driver in his 80s after footage of the incident went viral. The elderly cabbie was repeatedly punched by a passenger along a busy high street in a Birmingham suburb on November 23. Police said the victim suffered "nasty facial injuries" after being attacked at around 4.15pm in the Kings Heath area of the city. West Midlands Police said a 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault yesterday (Sun) and has since been bailed.
PA Media: UK News
Woman appears in court charged with manslaughter of four paddleboarders
Nerys Bethan Lloyd was the owner of the Salty Dog Co Ltd, which operated the paddleboard tour.

Latest stories