The 2024 Etruria Canals Festival will have the theme of the ’50th Anniversary of the Reopening of the Caldon Canal to Navigation’ The two day festival will feature a gathering of historic and interesting narrow boats moored along the Caldon Canal, Shirley’s 1857 Potters’ Mill in steam, music, dance, arts events and more.

The free 2-day festival will celebrate the Caldon Canal and the communities that live alongside it, with planned activities including sharing archive photography, film and audio of life on the Caldon and the reopening in 1974; a chance to have a go at traditional canal crafts including spider embroidery and rag rugging and performance inspired by the last five decades of work and life along the Caldon.

Shirley’s Bone and Flint Mill, which manufactured materials to enable potters to produce the fantastic, decorated ware that Stoke-on-Trent is renowned for, will be in steam and operating from 12.30 to 4.30 with the engine started on the hour.  It is the only operating steam powered Potter’s Mill in the world. Admission is £10.00 per adult, under 16s free when accompanied by a paying adult.

A huge amount of volunteer work went into the re-opening of the Caldon back in 1974, alongside telling these stories, the festival will celebrate continuing community acts of renewal, with attendees being invited to try and take part in 50 actions across the weekend.

Internationally renowned puppetry company The Fetch Theatre will be bringing some of their stunning puppets related to myths and legends surrounding water.  Across the weekend they will be giving walkabout performances, running drop-in scrunch puppet workshops and holding mini-water creature parades around site.

Leek-based company Fern and Fables, who run forest school, storytelling, workshops and events focusing on nature, connection and wellbeing, will be in residence in the triangle space (next to the museum).  Inviting attendees to re-imagine how the site can be used running a pop up playground using reclaimed objects.

B arts Climate Café volunteers and artists will be running different eco-arts activities, including hosting a swap shop, and running upcycled fashion workshops and catwalk show.

To help us recycle the waste at the event, B arts Studio and New Producers have created a ‘Recycle Arcade’ Attendees will be invited to bring us their festival recycling in exchange for a tin can token to play traditional arcade games.

Alongside the arts programme there will be lots of other family friendly activities:

Visitors will have a chance to take part in hands on clay workshops with Etruria Artists. Blacksmith Charis Jones from Sculpted Steel will be doing demonstrations in the on-site forge. There will be a number artisan, craft and charity stalls, street food and Lymestone Brewery beer tent, alongside a programme of music and dance, with headline performances from Vox Americana (Saturday) and Captain Stingray’s Groove Machine (Sunday).

Due to essential work by Severn Trent, on site parking is limited. Stoke on Trent College have kindly agreed that visitors can use their car park. It is situated on Stoke Road, Shelton ST4 2DG and is approx. 15 minutes walk away. A shuttle bus will be running from the College to the Festival site every 15 minutes from 10.45am to 5.45pm.