Festive fun for all with Stockton Sparkles: Everything you need to know!

Feel the Christmas spirit with the welcome return of the magical Stockton Sparkles festival!

The ever popular winter event promises to bring some Christmas cheer for all the family over two weekends, and celebrations get underway with the Christmas lights switch-on in Stockton town centre next week.

Yule be sorry to miss any of it, so here's everything you need to know to enjoy all the festive fun!

I'm excited - tell me more about what's in store at Sparkles 2024!

The countdown to Christmas begins with a launch night on Thursday 28 November packed full of entertainment, including the annual Christmas lights switch-on.

But there's so much more on offer this year and other festival highlights include a free Victorian Christmas Fair, Sparkles Christmas Market, Stories with Santa and festive singalongs, plus seasonal crafting, delicious food and drink, and face painting guaranteed to delight all the family!

The stunning Lantern Parade will also be back to brighten up a Sunday night.

What's happening on launch night?

For one night only, Stockton's famous Santa on Wheels bus will be rolling in to town to start our Sparkles Christmas Lights switch-on, before he returns on 30 November and 1 December for a very special Stories with Santa.

Stockton High Street will come alive for Sparkles launch night, with entertainment from 5pm and the moment everyone has been waiting for - the Christmas light switch-on!

Hosted by BBC Tees presenter Rachel Teate families can enjoy heaps of entertainment both on and off stage from Creature Feature, Markmark Productions, Poppins Presents, and A Bird in the Hand Theatre.

Expect music, magic, merriment, and an aerial hoop performance alongside Func on the Rocks, our stage house band. The Deputy Mayor of Stockton, Cllr Stephen Richardson, will switch the lights on at 6.30pm, with Walkabout Street Theatre continuing until 7pm.

Enjoy Stories with Santa!

Join Santa as he parks his Santa on Wheels Bus in the town centre for a special Stories with Santa. You can find Santa on Stockton High Street on Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December from 12pm to 5pm for free stories and festive singalongs, plus seasonal crafting, tasty food and drink, and face painting in our festive marquee! There will be BSL interpretation of stories and songs on the Saturday.

All the fun of the Victorian Fair

Ride the 50-foot Ferris wheel, carousel and more, all for free, at the fantastic Victorian Fair which will be on the High Street on Friday and Saturday, 6 & 7 December, from 10am to 6pm and on Sunday 8 December from 11am to 5pm.

This year the Victorian Fair has moved to the Sparkles Christmas Market weekend so people can enjoy the fair and get some lovely things to eat and drink while shopping for Christmas gifts too!

Find that special gift at Sparkles Christmas Market

The three-day Christmas Market runs from Friday 6 December until Sunday 8 December on Stockton High Street, offering tasty treats and festive goodies from local artists, makers and traders, all housed in traditional winter wonderland wooden cabins. The market is open from 10am to 6pm on Friday and Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.

Tell me about the Lantern Parade!

Our annual Illuminated Lantern Parade will bring the festive cheer when it returns to Stockton High Street on Sunday 8 December. Hundreds of school children and community groups will dazzle their way along the High Street from 4pm, sporting a glittering array of community created lanterns, supported by street theatre and atmospheric festive music.

What do councillors think about Stockton Sparkles?

Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, said: "The welcome return of our much-loved winter festival offers a wealth of fun festivities for all the family, and I'm sure both residents and visitors from further afield will turn out in force to enjoy themselves and help make this a magical Christmas to remember.

"Stockton Sparkles is one of our most popular events and it'll be great to see the High Street come alive with Christmas spirit once again. There's plenty to enjoy for young and old alike, so make sure you don't miss any of it!

"Once Stockton Sparkles has got you into that Christmas spirit you can then look forward to Santa's welcome return when he'll be travelling around the Borough from Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 December for his annual Santa on Wheels - with more details to follow!"

Where can I park and which car parks will be closed?

There are over a thousand parking spaces in Stockton plus Wellington Square car park. The Shambles car park will be unavailable from 4pm to midnight from Tuesday

26 November until Saturday 30 November, Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 December and from Friday 6 December until Sunday 8 December.

High Street Car Park North will also be unavailable from 6pm to midnight on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November and from Wednesday 4 December to Sunday 8 December. For a full list of parking options visit the car parking page. 

What road closures will there be and will buses be affected?

Some road closures will also be in place, including the High Street, for launch night (Thursday 28 November) and the Lantern Parade (Sunday 8 December). A full list of road closures can be found on the Enjoy Tees Valley website. This will also affect bus stops so visit the Connect Tees Valley website to help you find the best options for your journey.

Our regular Wednesday, Friday and Saturday markets will still be on during Sparkles, but traders will temporarily relocate between Shambles car park and the Town Hall.

This all sounds great! Where can I find out more?

For full dates and times and to see everything Sparkles has to offer visit the Tees Valley What's On website.