'Nova' By Studio Vertigo

Croft Gardens (Tea Gardens)

The Nova sculpture is based on the mystical Star of the East, which astronomers now believe was actually a nova. As a spectator, you will feel like you are experiencing a nova or ”new” star - mighty and dazzling.

Launch: The Light Switch On

Town Square, Headland

The Light Switch On signifies the starting point for all programmed events of Wintertide 2025 to start, before the opening Parade. This year's theme is Constellations.

The Parade

Town Square, Headland

As night falls, Wintertide’s Opening Parade ignites the streets with glowing constellations of light, music, and movement. Inspired by ancient myths, celestial journeys, and dreams of the stars, our community gathers to weave a radiant story of unity and wonder, transforming Hartlepool’s Headland.

'Spiral Galaxy' by Periplum

Elephant Rock Arena, Hartlepool

Imagine a star falling on the shore, and another star falling, a thousand stars all drifting down to shine on the night waves landing. Take a journey to the heart of a spiral galaxy and make a wish upon the stars.

River of Hope

Heugh Battery Museum

River of Hope brings the sights, sounds, and stories of the River Tees to life. This powerful audio-visual installation explores rivers, myths, and environmental change. It brings together the voices and visions of over 600 young people from 16 schools across the Tees Valley.

Artisan Market

Headland Sports Centre

Discover creativity at the Wintertide Makers Market, where local artists, designers, and independent makers bring their brightest creations to the heart of the Headland.

Pause: Reimagined

Location Awaiting Confirmation

Pause: Reimagined blends cutting-edge technology with visual artwork created by Hartlepool residents. Using photography, printmaking and abstract mark-making, participants explored their connection with place and time.

Procession

Town Square, Headland

Come together and be part of Wintertide’s glowing constellation! As night falls, our community will move as one - a procession of light, creativity, and togetherness. Step into the story, bring your star and help us form a living constellation that celebrates the power of connection and imagination.

Wintertide Closing Concert

St. Hilda's Church

Join us for the closing concert of Wintertide Festival 2025, in the beautiful surroundings of St. Hilda's Church. We say goodbye to a weekend of creativity with the sounds of Hartlepool echoing across the Headland.

The Star Seekers - Imagination Tails

Town Square, Headland

Guided by the stars (and the audience), this comedic walkabout performance invites families to help the duo navigate their way using dot-to-dot star charts, bubbles, sea sounds and laughter.

Stories from the Headland: An Audio Trail of Stories

Hartlepool Borough Hall

Step into the streets of Hartlepool Headland and hear the voices of the people who call it home. As part of Wintertide Festival, artist Ben Phillips has worked with locals to capture their memories, myths and everyday stories, creating an immersive audio journey through the place we call home.

Little Silver Kiln Workshops

Hartlepool Borough Hall

We’re thrilled to welcome Carley from The Little Silver Kiln back to Wintertide for a dazzling, hands-on silversmithing experience! Guided by Carley’s expert touch, you’ll create your own cosmic-inspired jewellery, capturing the shimmer of starlight and the mystery of the night sky.

Stitching the Stars: Constellation Sewing Workshop

Hartlepool Borough Hall

Constellations have long guided sailors across the seas and inspired poets and artists to dream among the stars. In this hands-on workshop with textile artist Holly Capstick, you’ll create your own night-sky-inspired artwork — a beautiful 6-inch textile hoop piece that’s truly one of a kind.

Make a Wish, Take a Star with artist Sarah Harris

4 York Place

Decorate your own illuminated star, make a wish and add your message of hope or love and help us create a live constellation of stars in the Festival finale.

The Simon James Earthship

Town Square, Hartlepool

In 1977, the twin Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft were launched, and they are still exploring interstellar space where nothing from Earth has flown before. It was like a time capsule for extraterrestrials, and this workshop is your chance to send a message on the same journey through space.

Lads, Lads, Lads, 12 Trials of a Hartlepool Heracles

Location Awaiting Confirmation

Myth meets the modern North Sea in this powerful new project by SIDEQUEST. Reimagining the legend of Heracles through Hartlepool’s own stories of pride, friendship and everyday strength, familiar places become sites of modern myth. From boxing gyms to piers and car parks.

Ceramic Bows at The Art House @18

18 Beaconsfield Street

If you, or someone you know, loves bows as much as we do, join one of our 1-hour bite-sized bow-making workshops in the Art Studio.

Lino Printed Christmas Card Workshop at The Art House @18

18 Beaconsfield Street

Get into the festive spirit with our hands-on Lino Printed Christmas Card Workshop! Explore a variety of pre-cut Christmas lino designs and create your very own collection of unique Christmas cards.

An Introduction to Jesmonite at The Art House @18

18 Beaconsfield Street

In this demonstration, you will be introduced to the basic fundamentals of working with Jesmonite, including its unique properties and practical handling tips. We will also explore a variety of creative techniques.

Start Making Sense: Tribute to Talking Heads

Sandwell Chare, Hartlepool

To launch the Young Producers Project, following our opening parade, we'll start the Festival's music programme off with a bang! Start Making Sense is a passionate, high-energy Talking Heads tribute band made up of ten dedicated young musicians with an average age of just 18.

Murphy's Funfair

Headland Water Pump

Step right up and experience the magic of Murphy’s Funfair, a much-loved highlight of Wintertide Festival! Bringing colour, laughter and excitement to the Headland, the fair lights up the High Street with a nostalgic mix of traditional rides, thrilling attractions and family favourites.

We Could Build a Boat

Croft Gardens (Tea Gardens)

A glowing boat drifts through Wintertide. Its sail becomes a night sky of constellations, glowing in the dark above the crowd. Along the hull, phosphorescent sea creatures shimmer as though they’ve risen from the depths of the North Sea.

Constellations of Us by Rhonda Fenwick

Heugh Battery Museum

“Constellations of Us” is a large-scale illuminated installation that draws on the visual and symbolic language of the stars. It explores how our individual stories form a shared constellation of community life.

Live and Loud

Headland Social Club

Wintertide Festival continues its reputation for incredible live and loud music with an evening dedicated to some of the most talented artists around. Join us for an evening at Headland Social Club with Leaders of Men, Perfect Chicken, Moss and Lurcher.

Aries Moon Astrology Reading at The Art House @18

18 Beaconsfield Street

Your individual birth chart is as unique as your fingerprint. It is a personal cosmic blueprint that reveals your personality, purpose, and path in life.

Come visit us at Art at 18 and discover what the stars have in store for you!

History Walk with Roger Codner

Hartlepool Baptist Church

Join Roger Codner, a local historian known for his Hartlepool Mail photo feature, as he takes you around the heritage places across the Headland. This free, 40-minute walking tour starts and ends at the Headland Baptist Church, where you can get a warm drink from their cafe.

Creed & Cosmos

Town Wall

Inspired by traditional withy weaving and lobster creel techniques, the structure is draped with handmade and reclaimed fishing nets, including salvaged ghost nets, connecting craft, community, and care for the seas.

Where Hope Shines

Town Wall

"Emily Carter & Something Positive Solutions CIC

Where Hope Shines is a creative exploration of emotion and light, where students transformed words such as love, compassion, hope, and gratitude into luminous works of art.

Expressions United by Lily Rose Cockfield

Bath Terrace

Pupils from High Tunstall College of Science have come together to create vibrant, large-scale murals inspired by our Constellations theme. Each reflects personal stories, dreams and connections, combining individuality into a bold, unified vision.

In The Frame

Putting Green Marquee

Step into the world of Northern storytelling through a curated selection of short films created by talented local and regional filmmakers from across the North — celebrating the talent, culture, and creativity that make our northern communities so vibrant.