Festival of Thrift is returning for 2023 in a brand-new venue.
This year’s nationally recognised event championing sustainable living is taking place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 September 2023 and has relocated to a new location. The latest Tees Valley town to host the hugely popular festival is Billingham in Stockton-on-Tees, where the town centre and adjacent John Whitehead Park will be transformed for the Festival of Thrift’s unique and distinctive free weekend of arts, culture and celebration.
The festival team are busy finalising the programme for this year’s event, which will once again offer the thousands of visitors a fun, free weekend packed full of entertainment and inspirational ways to be creative everyday life. As well as the annual celebration, the team are working on some exciting year-round activities that will have the same playful joy people have come to expect from the festival while still imagining a better future together.
Festival of Thrift’s newly installed Creative Directors for 2023 are Dominic Somers and Tanya Steinhauser. Tanya said: “We are very excited to be launching in our new home in Billingham. The festival has a very clear vision to create positive, sustainable change in people and places and the programme we are developing aims to do just that by celebrating ways to live more sustainably and look after the planet we call home.
Dominic added: “We are looking forward to developing new relationships with local communities, businesses and partners, delivering a high-quality festival which inspires, brings joy and helps us to imagine a better future together.
“We’ll be making further announcements about the festival programme over the next few months so make sure you keep an eye out.”
Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the Festival of Thrift to the Borough this September – and Billingham certainly makes an ideal venue for the event.
“The festival draws in thousands of visitors from across the region and it will give a major boost to the local economy, whilst also spreading very important messages on sustainable living and looking after our planet.
“It’s also pleasing that the festival organisers are planning the year-round activities which are set to take place across the Borough.”
Cllr Shane Moore, Tees Valley Combined Authority Cabinet Lead for Culture and Tourism said: “This year’s Festival of Thrift will see thousands of visitors once again come together to learn about and celebrate sustainable living.
“Year after year this great event adds something truly different and special to our culture calendar, which draws people from far and wide to explore our region. Not only that, it complements the Combined Authority’s work to position the region as a clean energy powerhouse by highlighting how individuals and families can have a positive impact on the environment.”
Volunteer and get involved www.festivalofthrift.co.uk or follow the festival’s social media feeds @festivalofthrift on Facebook and Instagram and @FestoThrift on Twitter
Festival of Thrift is funded thanks to generous support from Arts Council England, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council and the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.
