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A pop-up venue of arts, culture and community events is continuing its tour of the city.
Preston City Council’s interactive mobile arts centre, The MET Tent, returns for a 2025 summer programme of creative arts, workshops, performances, cultural and wellness events.
The MET will be installed at St Bernard’s Larches and Savick Community Hub car park in Elswick Road, Larches, for four weeks in July.
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The 2025 programme has been co-produced with community facilitator Emma Caffery of St Benedict’s Larches and Savick Community Hub, primary community partners Let’s Grow Preston, and the Engagement and Community Team from Preston City Council, and Community Gateway.
Councillor Anna Hindle, cabinet member for culture and arts, said: “We’re incredibly proud of what the MET Tent has delivered in previous years – it shows what can be achieved through collaboration.
“It provides a vital function in delivering cultural events and a means to give local artists and performers a platform to showcase their talents and connect with the communities across Preston.”
The MET for the past two summers has been located in Ribbleton on the Blackpool Road Tesco car park.
John Chesworth, chair of Preston Towns Fund Strategic Board, said: “The MET Tent is a fantastic innovation that has enabled culture to be taken to the outskirts of Preston, bringing people together.
“Whether experiencing something new from another culture, providing an opportunity to develop a hidden talent or enjoying creative performances, The MET Tent is a valuable and unique cultural asset.”
The MET project was launched in 2022, following Preston City’s initial funding of £1million from the government’s Towns Fund for regeneration projects in the city centre.
Emeritus Professor Charles Quick, Professor of Public Art Practice at the University of Central Lancashire, concluded: “We have created a fully equipped mobile arts centre that can visit under-served places on the city’s periphery.
“It is a catalyst for cultural activity and social cohesion, bringing people together and amplifying and celebrating activities that already exist within communities. Each year, we reveal more hidden talent in Preston.”
MET events listed for this year’s programme include:
- Saturday 5 July, Ceilidh dance night, 7pm -11pm
- Wednesday, 9 July, Adult arts and crafts sessions – screen printing book creating, bird box and feeder making, 11am -1 pm
- Wednesday 9 July, One Voice Community Choir, 7-9 pm
- Saturday 12 July, Children’s film morning – Paddington in Peru with popcorn and drinks, 11 am-1 pm
- Saturday 19 July, Indian night at the MET – Indian music and food, 6-10 pm
- Tuesday, 22 July, Sandbags Veterans Café – Victory over Japan 80th anniversary celebration event.
- Thursday 24 July, Worldwise Samba Drummers, 7.30 pm-9pm
Most events are free but registration is requested via Eventbrite, you can book via the MET’s page on the Visit Preston site.
You can see the full line-up of events within Blog Preston’s event listings section too.
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