Stoke-on-Trent’s record-breaking Big Centenary Tea Party is returning to public view in a new free exhibition at Stoke Minster on Friday, 5 June 2026.
The Big Centenary Tea Party in Pictures Exhibition is part of Stoke-on-Trent Day, the annual celebration held on 5 June, marking the date city status was granted by King George V.
| Detail | What visitors need to know |
|---|---|
| Event | The Big Centenary Tea Party in Pictures Exhibition |
| Date | Friday, 5 June 2026 |
| Time | Start time has not been specified by the source |
| Venue | Stoke Minster, Stoke-on-Trent |
| Cost | Free |
| Audience | General public |
Stoke Minster hosts a city-wide memory
The exhibition will turn Stoke Minster into a multi-zone experience built around visuals, sound, storytelling and interaction. It revisits one of the most widely shared moments from Stoke-on-Trent’s Centenary year: the Big Centenary Tea Party, which brought people together across the city and beyond in 2025.
More than 15,000 people across 169 locations took part in that tea party. The event helped Stoke-on-Trent break the Guinness World Record for the largest cream tea party held across multiple venues.
The celebration stretched beyond the city, with people joining in from Erlangen in Germany and the House of Lords, as Stoke-on-Trent marked its 100th birthday.
Photography, film and recreated tea party scenes
Visitors can expect photography, film, sound and interactive displays rather than a static archive display. The exhibition will include animated images, stories from people involved in the record attempt, and recreated tea party scenes.
The format is designed to place visitors back inside the shared moment: a city-wide brew, tables set in different places, and thousands of residents becoming part of the same anniversary story.
The exhibition has been created by YMCA North Staffordshire, Stoke Minster, Carse and Waterman, and Pete Herbert of PH Productions.
Nichola Twemlow, CEO of YMCA North Staffordshire, said last year showed “the very best of Stoke-on-Trent”, with more than 15,000 people stopping, connecting and sharing a cuppa.
She said the achievement was about more than the record itself, pointing to community, kindness, belonging and the spirit of the city.
A Stoke-on-Trent Day stop for families and residents
The exhibition is likely to appeal to people who took part in the 2025 tea party, families looking for a free Stoke-on-Trent Day visit, and residents interested in the city’s Centenary story.
It also gives newcomers a simple way into the meaning of Stoke-on-Trent Day. The annual celebration is held on 5 June because that was the date King George V granted city status.
For readers planning other free cultural visits in the city, Beehive has also covered a separate Stoke-on-Trent display in its guide to the free Festival of Treasure.
What has been confirmed so far
The confirmed details are clear on the basics: the exhibition is free, it is at Stoke Minster, and it forms part of Stoke-on-Trent Day celebrations on 5 June 2026.
The source has not listed a start time, end time, booking process, venue address, transport advice or accessibility information. Visitors should treat those details as unconfirmed until published by the organisers.
Simon Drakeford, of Stoke Minster, said the Minster was excited to host the celebration of community and the city, adding that the images from the centenary tea party were a reminder of “what brilliant World Record Breakers we all are.”
Source: Stoke-on-Trent City Council
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This preview is based on the published Stoke-on-Trent City Council notice and the event details stated there.
- Confirmed the event name, date and venue from the source text.
- Checked that the exhibition is described as free.
- Kept missing time, booking, transport and accessibility details marked as unconfirmed.
- Verified the record context stated in the source: more than 15,000 people across 169 locat...
- Source
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- Scope
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Updated
- 2026-06-03 23:53
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