A South Asian arts and culture festival will be bringing film, music, and dance to North Staffordshire with a programme of events set across eight months.

Between July 2026 and February 2027, a range of events will be taking place across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme as part of the third annual Sensasian festival.

Organised by Appetite in partnership with the New Vic Theatre, The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery and Arts Keele, Sensasian will include a film screening, performances and an outdoor programme featuring dance, music, storytelling and hands-on creative activities.

Appetite director Emily Labhart said: "What makes Sensasian special is that it has been shaped alongside members of the South Asian community in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire since it launched in 2023.

"The festival creates opportunities for people to come together through shared cultural experiences – whether that's watching a film, seeing a performance, taking part in a workshop or simply spending time with others and discovering something new.

"We're particularly excited to introduce a dedicated Sensasian area at The Big Feast this year. It's a chance to bring the programme to even more people and celebrate the richness and diversity of South Asian arts and culture as part of one of the region's biggest free outdoor events."

Aunusthan from Pagrav Dance Company (image via Simon Richardson)

Sensasian begins during South Asian Heritage Month with a screening of Joyland, an award-winning Pakistani film exploring gender, sexuality and patriarchal family structures.

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The screening, which is free to attend, will take place on Friday 3 July at 7pm as part of The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery's Friday Twilight series.

There will also be an area dedicated to Sensasian at Appetite's flagship festival, The Big Feast, in Hanley from 11am to 5pm on Saturday 29 August.

Located at Smithfield, the Sensasian zone will showcase a range of performances and activities including storyteller Peter Chand, henna art with Cherrie Matharu, Indian block printing workshops with Jo Sumpter of Hello Tinka, and Nandita Shankardass's critically acclaimed dance production Roots to Rise.

The programme continues on Wednesday 18 November with a performance by the Inner Vision Quintet, led by virtuoso sitar player Baluji Shrivastav OBE, at Keele Chapel.

The ensemble – most of whom are visually impaired – blends Indian classical traditions with Middle Eastern, Western classical, jazz and folk influences

Sensasian concludes at the New Vic Theatre on Thursday 11 February with Aunusthan – A Celebration of Neo-Classical Indian Dance and Music from Pagrav Dance Company.

The production will showcase the North Indian classical dance style Kathak – which expresses stories through movement, footwork and facial gestures – with choreography, live music and performances by a cast of British Asian dance artists.

Booking is not required for the Joyland screening or The Big Feast.

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Tickets for the Inner Vision Quintet at Keele Chapel cost £16, with free admission for students and under-16s. Tickets for Aunusthan will be available from the New Vic Theatre from Monday 22 June, priced £20.