Festival of Thrift announces return dates for 2023 in new location

The Festival of Thrift returns in 2023 at a brand new venue.

This year’s nationally recognized event promoting sustainable living will take place on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th September 2023 and has moved to a new location.

The newest town in the Tees Valley to host the hugely popular festival is Billingham in Stockton-on-Tees, where the town center and adjacent John Whitehead Park host the Festival of Thrift’s unique and distinctive free weekend of arts, culture and celebration be transformed.

The festival team is busy finalizing the program for this year’s event, which will once again offer the thousands of visitors a fun-filled free weekend of entertainment and inspiring opportunities to get creative and economize everyday life. Alongside the annual celebration, the team is working on some exciting year-round activities that will have the same playful joy people have come to expect from the festival, while still envisioning a brighter future together.

The newly installed Festival of Thrift Creative Directors for 2023 are Dominic Somers and Tanya Steinhauser. Tanya said: “We are very excited to launch at our new home in Billingham. The festival has a very clear vision to create positive, lasting change in people and places, and the program we are developing aims to do just that, celebrating ways to live more sustainably and respect the planet we live in we call home.

Dominic added: “We look forward to forging new relationships with local communities, businesses and partners and hosting a quality festival that inspires, brings joy and helps us envision a better future together.

“We’ll be making more announcements about the festival program over the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled.”

Councilor Steve Nelson, Stockton-on-Tee Borough Council Member for Health, Leisure and Culture said: “We are delighted to welcome the Festival of Thrift to the borough this September – and Billingham is certainly an ideal venue for the event .

“Attracting thousands of visitors from across the region, the festival will give a major boost to the local economy while also spreading very important messages about sustainable living and protecting our planet.

“It is also gratifying that the festival organizers are planning year-round activities to take place across the district.”

Cllr Shane Moore, Secretary of State for Culture and Tourism at the Tees Valley Combined Authority, said: “This year’s Festival of Thrift will once again bring thousands of visitors together to learn about and celebrate sustainable living.

“This amazing event adds something really different and special to our cultural calendar year after year, drawing 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, highlighting how individuals and families can make a positive impact on the environment.”

To learn more, visit the Festival of Thrift website.

For Council updates, sign up for our My Councils newsletter straight to your inbox.