Wintertide Festival organisers ‘amazed’ as popular event returns to Hartlepool following two-year absence due to Covid and Storm Arwen

The much-loved festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, while last year’s event was curtailed due to Storm Arwen.

“Thousands of people” gathered on Hartlepool Headland where they could enjoy a wide array of music, carnival fair, craft workshops, storytelling and browsing the work of local artists at the craft market.

There were also giant illuminated creatures, created by second year students from The Northern School of Art's Middlesbrough campus, with creations including a stag, a huge eel, angler fish and giant dragonflies, while Santa himself also made an appearance at the festival’s Christmas grotto.

Organiser Rachel Laycock said: “It’s great to see the festival return and the thousands of people who have turned after the last two years of disruption. It has been so busy and the atmosphere has been buzzing.

"The market has been really busy and everyone has said they have had such a good time.”

Vicky Jackson led the organisation of the festival’s music, which included a choir, brass band and range of local groups. Vicky was also one of the children’s story tellers.

She said: “It’s amazing to see the festival return to Hartlepool and we are really pleased so many people turned up. The atmosphere has been fantastic and there are a lot of happy people wondering around with the items they have made at the craft workshops.

"Rather than having an outdoor stage, this year the local pubs and the Headland Social Club have been hosting all the acts as we wanted to support all these local businesses.”

Due to financial constraints, this year’s festival was reduced from three days down to one, and organisers have been gathering public feedback to hopefully ensure an “even bigger and better event next year”.

Rachel said: “People have been saying they want more of the same next year, although they want it over more days and want to see the return of the parade.”

The festival was organised with the help of Hartlepool based charity the PFC Trust as well as the Tees Valley Combined Authority who Rachel and Vicky said have pledged to help “scale up” the festival over the next four years.