Salt & Smoke and Vintage Blyth Lead September's Blyth Celebrates

There is plenty to draw Blyth families into the town centre this September, with two very different highlights leading the latest strand of the free Blyth Celebrates cultural programme. An immersive theatre walk around the streets and a weekend of vintage nostalgia both promise a good day out without the cost of travelling further afield.

Salt & Smoke: Stories of Blyth

Novo Theatre's Salt & Smoke: Stories of Blyth returns after its 2025 premiere, inviting small groups to set off from the Market Pavilion, map in hand, and follow a trail of live performances through the town. Along the way, audiences meet stories drawn from 500 years of Blyth's past, from the 18th-century salt trade and two centuries of commerce and industry to the town's golden age of cinema.

The experience runs across two weekends, Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September and Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September, starting and ending at the Market Place. Each walk lasts a little over an hour and covers roughly a mile on foot, so wear comfortable shoes. Tickets are needed and can be booked through Eventbrite, and there is free entry for children aged 16 and under and for Blyth residents with an NE24 postcode.

Vintage Blyth

Earlier in the month, the Market Place is transformed for Vintage Blyth on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September, from 10am to 5pm. Expect classic cars, retro fashion, vintage stalls and live swing and rock and roll, with an easy, family-friendly atmosphere spanning the 1940s to the 1980s. It is a free drop-in event with no tickets required, so you can simply turn up and wander.

Best for:

Salt & Smoke runs 18 to 20 and 25 to 27 September and needs booking, with free places for under-16s and NE24 residents. Vintage Blyth is free and drop-in on 13 and 14 September. Details are on the Novo Theatre and Blyth Celebrates websites.

A busy month in the town centre

Both events sit within the wider Blyth Celebrates season, which also brings the Blyth Lifeboat 200 exhibition to the Market Pavilion in mid-September and creative workshops later in the month. For residents, it means a steady run of things to do close to home, and welcome footfall for the town-centre venues and businesses that benefit from the crowds.

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