Entertainment in Stafford

One of the top entertainment options during your stay is a trip to the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre. You’ll find the stunning Victorian theatre right in the heart of town on Eastgate. The main auditorium is more modern than you’d expect, particularly when you compare it to its nearby contemporaries, such as the Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall, two pillars of the Stoke-on-Trent entertainment scene. The Gatehouse puts on a diverse programme of theatre, dance, opera, ballet, music, family shows and comedy nights. There isn’t a bad seat in the house, and within the complex you’ll also find the MET Studio, a more intimate studio theatre with cheaper tickets that nevertheless books brilliant shows, including superstar comedy acts who want to test out new material.

Why not pay a visit to Stafford Showground? We have a lot of guests staying at our Stafford hotels before they go to see an event at the 70-acre site of exhibition halls and outdoor spaces. Without doubt, one of the most popular weekends of the cultural calendar is the Staffordshire County Show, which takes place in spring and attracts more than 65,000 people with dog shows, live entertainment, antique and craft fairs, as well as innumerable stalls of country clothing, furniture, plants, gifts, accessories, and a food hall that’ll have you wishing you wore something with an elastic waistband.

Petrolheads won’t want to miss the Stafford Classic Bike Show, which takes place twice a year in April and October at Stafford Showground. It’s the world’s largest classic motorcycle show and features a huge autojumble, trade stands, and one of the best bike auctions on the planet.

There’s only one Ben Foster, one Ben Foster – unless, of course, you count the eight-cap-winning England international goalkeeper’s magnificent lifesize wax statue in Mumbai. Big Ben ranks among the, admittedly, single-figure list of famous names to have played for Stafford Rangers F.C., our local football team here in Stafford.

Sadly, Rangers are only a semi-professional club. Nevertheless, if you’re staying at our Stafford North (Hurricane) hotel or Stafford North (Spitfire) hotel and you want to see some football, make your way down to their home stadium on Marston Road. It’s just a five-minute drive away and tickets are around a tenner for adults, and even less for senior citizens, students and juniors.

When it comes to live music, V Festival used to be quite the feather in Stafford’s cap. The weekend festival used to take place at Weston Park in August welcoming more than 150,000 festival goers. Over the years it attracted some of the world’s superstars, such as Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kings of Leon, Eminem, Arctic Monkeys, and Pulp. Sadly, 2017 was the final year of V Festival. Which means, if you want to catch a gig, you’ll have to travel elsewhere in Staffordshire. Your best bet would be to pay a visit to Wolverhampton, which is just a 15-minute train away. Take a look at our local guide to Wolverhampton entertainment and see what’s on at places such as Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wulfrun Hall, and The Slade Rooms.