How Blyth is Celebrating its Regeneration
A £95 million programme is regenerating Blyth and it's time to celebrate
Game-changing new development projects are taking place across the town, Blyth’s Market Place has been revitalised, and Blyth is fast becoming a leader in renewable energy thanks to the regeneration programme Energising Blyth.
Blyth Celebrates is marking all that in unique and engaging ways. From August 2025 to March 2026, the town centre will be buzzing with free events, live performances, hands-on activities and creative experiences for the whole family. Project Manager Cristina Armstrong describes Blyth Celebrates as ‘a cultural programme that really puts creativity at the heart of the town’s regeneration’.
Blyth Celebrates will bring people together through their events, festivals and experiences that aim to showcase Blyth’s past, present and future. ‘What’s been really poignant about our experiences working with the community is about how important it is to acknowledge the past, in terms of how it informs our future and our present experiences,’ says Cristina. ‘It’s been an opportunity to create a programme that offers opportunity for residents, artists and businesses to get involved so that together we can shape a vibrant, welcoming energy and lasting legacy for the town. That’s what’s really key because it’s such a fascinating place with so much going on.
‘The idea really was about bringing together a free, inter-generational, family-focused event in the largest town in Northumberland. Through the regeneration programme we’ve been able to identify some really great themes to build on.’
It all starts with a special launch event this August. ‘It’s very much been scheduled to coincide with the grand opening of The Market Pavilion, a new venue in the heart of Blyth town centre, on the Market Place,’ Cristina says. Designed to bring people together through film, events, and social experiences, The Market Pavilion boasts a state-of-the-art three-screen cinema operated by Jam Jar Cinema. ‘They’ll be bringing together a world-class cinema and film experience but they’ve also got really lovely creative spaces and a studio which is a flexible performance and events space,’ Cristina adds. ‘So there’ll be everything from music and comedy to markets and exhibitions. Outdoors on the Market Place, we’ve got a really exciting programme of live music, walkabout street theatre, creative workshops and a really exciting finale moment.’ The People Powered Parade, produced by Walk the Plank, will be led by a life-sized, bicycle-powered replica of Stephenson’s Rocket. ‘There’s a real sense of creative buzz with this mini festival over the weekend,’ Cristina adds. ‘The town centre has been under development for some time so this is a real opportunity to bring together a free, exciting, family-friendly mix of music and performances inviting people back into the town.’
A further 38 projects have been curated with support from the local community. Some have been selected by a panel of residents and others are aimed at artists and creatives. ‘I don’t want to spill all the beans but we have some really ambitious and exciting projects that I think will definitely showcase Blyth in a very different light, hopefully for audiences and residents to rediscover spaces in a different way,’ says Cristina. ‘That builds on our programme of live events and activities that are happening.’
In September, Vintage Blyth will see the Market Place filled with retro-style upcycled goods, live music and traditional funfair rides, and Salt & Smoke: Stories of Blyth, produced by award-winning, Northumberland-based company Novo Theatre (formerly November Club) will offer immersive walking tours with live storytelling focusing on Blyth’s past, present, and future. In October, visitors can immerse themselves in Luminarium, an inflatable sculpture featuring glowing tunnels and colourful spaces created by international artists Architects of Air, and Let’s Play will keep the kids entertained. Families can make their own puppets and join the spook-tacular Halloween Parade too. In November, the Earth, Wind & Fire Garden will light up Ridley Park – an enchanting fire garden produced by Walk the Plank, and a lantern parade created by Blyth-based Headway Arts. Then Blyth’s popular Christmas Lights Switch-On will return, accompanied by an Advent Trail across the town centre.
Blyth Celebrates continues into next year with the launch of the Blyth Film Festival in February and an epic finale – the Festival of Energy, with interactive exhibits and talks that shine a spotlight on Blyth’s global leadership in clean energy innovation.
‘The Blyth Celebrates programme really helps to put creativity and culture at the heart of a regeneration programme in a way that’s maybe unique to other programmes across the UK,’ says Cristina. ‘We’ve seen the decline in town centres of various scales and sizes. This has been about how we can better connect and create a vibrant town and we’ve done that by working closely with the community to develop projects. By working with and having an arts-led approach, that’s informed our colour palette, some of the language we use, and our events and festivals. It’s about reflecting on what’s important to the town and how the town wants to be seen by visitors. It’s a particularly proud place, with a rich heritage and a strong maritime and industrial past, but such an incredible and inspiring renewable future. Globally, we’re a leader in renewable energies; we just saw the opening of the Energy Central Learning Hub on the Quayside, and there’s a new [Energy Central] institute in development.’
