Hartlepool fireworks to feature residents’ woven sparks

Hartlepool’s fireworks display will feature residents’ woven sparks

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Free half-term workshops will turn individual woven creations into an illuminated community installation at Seaton Carew’s fireworks display.

By The Tees Editorial Desk · 21 October 2026

Colourful fireworks burst above Hartlepool’s 2025 public display at night. Image: Owen Tudor / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Image source Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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Hartlepool residents can help build an illuminated community artwork for this year’s free Fireworks Spectacular through a series of workshops during the October half-term.

Hartlepool Borough Council and community arts organisation BloomInArt are inviting people of all ages to make individual woven “sparks” from willow, sea grasses and reclaimed materials. The small forms will take their ideas from fire, light, the natural world and the coast.

How to make a spark

Four bookable workshops will run at Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre on Raby Road on Monday 26 October. The one-hour sessions begin at 10am, 11.15am, 12.45pm and 2pm. Each booking reserves a table for up to five people, rather than an individual place.

Adults can make their own pieces, while children and family groups are encouraged to work together. Participants will be shown simple basket-weaving techniques during the session, then given time to experiment with the materials and refine their finished form.

People who cannot attend the Monday sessions have two drop-in options, with no advance booking required. Hartlepool Art Gallery in Church Square will host a session from 1pm to 4pm on Wednesday 28 October. Community Hub Central on York Road will follow from 10am to noon on Thursday 29 October.

From workshop table to seafront

The individual sparks will be combined and lit to create a large installation at the Fireworks Spectacular in Seaton Carew on Sunday 1 November. The council says the completed work will form a focal point at the display and may also appear at future events.

The main event is free. Its official listing says thousands of people are expected on the promenade, with live entertainment, a children’s fairground, food stalls and a musical fireworks finale planned. A full timetable has not yet been released, so visitors should check the event page again before travelling.

The workshops are supported through Hartlepool’s Pride in Place programme. Rachel Laycock, co-director of BloomInArt, said the sessions are intended to bring different neighbourhoods and generations into one shared piece. Councillor Rob Darby, chair of the council’s Housing, Growth and Communities Committee, said the project gives residents a direct part in one of the town’s largest annual events.

Booking and practical details

Places for the four Town Hall Theatre sessions must be reserved through the Culture Hartlepool website. The booking covers a table for up to five people, and the activity is free. The later Art Gallery and Community Hub Central workshops are drop-in sessions.

The council describes the activity as open to people of all ages and abilities. Families choosing a drop-in session should allow enough time to learn the weaving process and complete a piece within the advertised opening period.

Cleveland Fire Brigade lists the Seaton Carew event among the area’s organised displays and advises people to leave fireworks to professionals. Its listing also notes that event arrangements can change, the need to check the organiser’s page before setting out.

The artwork offers a practical route into a public event: a small object made at a workshop will become part of a collective display seen across the seafront. For residents who want to contribute, the immediate next step is to book for Monday or attend one of the two drop-ins later in the week.