Animating Ashington

To see more about past events scroll to the bottom of this page

• Art-Works

January – September 2025

A series of community-inspired artworks will bring colour to the town centre as the exciting regeneration programme takes place. We will be working with a local artist and young and older residents to create art inspired by the Ashington Futures project.

• Pride of Ashington Torch Lit Procession 

Date: Friday 21 March   

Time: 6.00pm - 7.00pm

Venue: Hirst Park  

• Feast of Fire

Date: Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March  

Time: 7pm - 9.30pm

Date: Saturday 22 March  

Time: 6pm - 9.30pm

Venue:  Hirst Park 

Imagine Hirst Park as a dramatic, flame-lit garden. Full of wonder, burning bulrushes, a flower flamed arch, flaming lotus flowers, local music and food! A sensory overload of light, sound and exotic tastes and aromas. We’re teaming up with Full Circle to add some extra spice to our Fire Garden so visitors can enjoy homegrown and cooked food representing the diversity of residents they support. And we’re looking for choirs and local acoustic musicians to showcase their work in this dynamic, magical setting.

• Seeding the Future Week  

Date: 11 April 

Time: TBC 

Venue:  TBC

Renowned Land Artist James Brunt and friends will be holding workshops with local young people and older community members to participate in the creation of site-responsive pieces of land art.  He will spend time in the town researching the development of a large-scale land artwork inspired by conversations with Ashington young people about the environment and how they see Ashington in the future.  

• One Amazing Day

Date: Saturday 31 May   

Time: TBC 

Venue: Station Road/High Street 

Ashington Town Centre will be bursting with creativity for One Amazing Day. A carnival of music, street performance, arts and crafts. Where you might find a giant animatronic tortoise roaming around the smallest hotel in the world. Or a hypochondriac hippopotamus with a toothache  stopping passers-by to take his temperature. With have-a-go activities such as a Try Not Buy arts market, bhangra dancing and hip hop. It’s Ashington as never before, transformed into a festival of fantastical fun.  

• Powering the Future Parade  

Date: July – Day TBC 

Time: TBC 

Venue: The People’s Park 

Come and join our Powering the Future Parade alongside a true wonder of the Victorian Age, a full-size replica of Stephenson’s Rocket, as we celebrate the opening of the Northumberland line,  bringing passenger trains back into service between Ashington and Newcastle for the first time in 60 years. Two centuries after its creation we’ve redesigned The Rocket for the 21st century, a truly clean machine – fuelled not by coke but by old fashioned pedal power. Pulling first, second and third class carriages through Ashington’s Streets and making its way to the Town Fete in the People's Park. And carrying six horse passengers, relieved of their labour, by the advent of the steam engine and heading off on their holidays to Whitley Bay, dressed in their Victorian best hats, frocks and suitcases in their hooves. A celebration of transport, connectivity and renewable energy.  Why not come and join the parade! 

• Future Proofing  

Date: Tuesday 2 September 2025  

Time: TBC 

Venue: TBC

A day of reflection and learning with key stakeholders, businesses and community representatives. Looking back at Animating Ashington and focussing on the future.  

Keep coming back to this page or look out on our social media for more information and times of events.