These family-friendly events include:
- 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.
- Light Night
Date: 29 and 30 January 2025
Time: Finale Performance 8.30 pm on 30 January
Venue: Selected streets in the Hirst Estate and The Rows. Finale performance at the Hirst Welfare Centre.
Come and meet our team as we kick start the New Year by lighting up Station Road and Ashington’s Estates with two nights of pop up interactive drumming and movement spectaculars. We’re joining forces with international street performers Spark! to bring dynamic lighting, choreography and eye catching special effects right to your front door. Put down that cuppa and draw back the curtains. We could be visiting your street.
- Pride of Ashington Torch Lit Procession
Date: Friday 21 March
Time: TBC
Venue: Hirst Park
We are inviting you and a local hero to join us as torch bearers in our flaming torch parade, celebrating those people who regularly go above and beyond for your community. From compassionate careers to tireless volunteers, we want to celebrate those little acts of kindness which take place in all corners of Ashington. Those people who go above and beyond, who are always there, come rain or shine.
Torch Bearers will participate in a dramatic procession through Hirst Welfare Park, ending their journey at a fantastic Feast of Fire finale celebration.
We are recruiting up to 500 torchbearers for this spectacular event. Come and make history with us in this Animating Ashington moment to remember.
Torch Bearers must be a minimum of 14 years of age.
For further details or to nominate yourself and your local hero please email [email protected]
Nominate your local hero and take part in a 500-strong torchlit procession
- Feast of Fire Garden
Date: Friday 21 and Saturday 22 March
Time: TBC
Venue: Hirst Park
Imagine Hirst Park as a dramatic, flame-lit garden. Full of wonder, burning bulrushes, fire-filled arches, flaming lotus flowers, local music and food! A sensory overload of light, sound and exotic tastes and aromas from around the world. 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 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.
