Big Halloween Street Party

The Big Halloween Street Party takes over Hanley on Saturday 31 October, from 11:00 to 17:00. It's a free, family-friendly day run by the Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, and it's spread across the city centre, mainly around the Blue Clock and the Cultural Quarter. The whole thing is built around local creativity, with the Potteries Artisan Market setting up outside The Potteries Centre.

Throughout the day, you'll find live performances and street theatre from Circus in a Box and B-Arts, along with carnival-style games and workshops. There's a costume parade and competition, trick-or-treating, and creepy crafts for the kids, so it's the sort of afternoon where you can just drift from one thing to another. The BID has brought in partners like the Potteries Artisan Market, Circus in a Box, B-Arts, and Drop City Books to help fill the day.

There's something running up to the party, too. The Potteries Poltergeists window trail runs from Monday 26 to Saturday 31 October, turning shop windows across the Cultural Quarter into spooky scenes inspired by the city's industrial and cultural heritage. The illustrations are by local artist Chloe Breeze, who was a 2023 University of Staffordshire Young Business Person of the Year. You can pick up your entry sheets at Drop City Books, 74-78 Piccadilly, and completing the trail puts you in the draw for one of five prizes, with the top one reaching £100.

So, if you're out in Hanley on Halloween, you've got the window trail to work through during the week and the street party to hit on the day. It runs from 11:00 to 17:00, and it's free to attend.