Sunshine, sustainability and smiles at Festival of Thrift 2025
THOUSANDS turned out to celebrate this year’s Festival of Thrift (September 20–21), braving Saturday’s rain before basking in the sun that shone brightly over Billingham on Sunday.
The UK’s national celebration of sustainable living transformed Billingham Town Centre and John Whitehead Park into a vibrant hub of creativity and community, with more than 80 different performances and installations, over 90 independent traders and makers and dozens of free workshops sponsored by Thirteen Housing aimed at inspiring visitors to live well while treading lightly on the planet.
Highlights of the free weekend event included world-class circus company NoFit State performing with spectacular sky-high bamboo sculptures; the World Kiosk outdoor café telling powerful stories from people across the world, including local Billingham residents; and Slow Fashion Alley showcasing conscious style choices.
Festival of Thrift’s own creative team premiered Mud Plant Rave, an immersive production combining poetry from award-winning poet Helen Mort and music by Newcastle-based sound artist Me Lost Me.
Families flocked to have fun at the interactive installations and performances and enjoyed the hands-on workshop activities exploring the natural world.
The festival’s ever-popular Best in Show awards crowned the most stylish festivalgoers.
Reflecting on the weekend, Festival of Thrift co-creative director Dominic Somers said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the spirit of everyone who came along, from those braving the rain on Saturday to the huge crowds basking in the sunshine on Sunday. Festival of Thrift is all about togetherness, creativity and resilience, and that was clear to see across the whole weekend.”
Festival co-founder Wayne Hemingway MBE added: “Over half a million people have attended Festival of Thrift since we launched it 12 years ago.
“It has grown beyond our expectations, supporting hundreds of small businesses, showcasing thousands of performances, and bringing real economic and cultural impact to the Tees Valley.
“Billingham has played a special part in that story.”
Organisers confirmed that plans for the 2026 Festival of Thrift will be announced very soon.
For more information and to sign up for updates, visit: www.festivalofthrift.co.uk
