Newcastle's Christmas Market - Social Media Freelance Opportunity
About the opportunity
Each winter, Newcastle transforms into one of the UK’s most magical festive destinations. The city comes alive with the sights, sounds and scents of Christmas: lights illuminating Grey Street, families wandering through market stalls, and a joyful buzz that draws visitors from across the region and beyond.
At the heart of this celebration are Newcastle’s Christmas Markets, jointly delivered by Newcastle City Council and Newcastle NE1. In 2024, the markets welcomed an incredible 1.76 million visitors, delivering an estimated £90 million of economic benefit to the city centre. More than three-quarters of traders came from within 20 miles of the city, making the markets a showcase of local craft, creativity and independent food and drink.
But Newcastle’s Christmas is about far more than the markets alone. Each year the city is alive with experiences; pantomimes, festive theatre, Fenwick’s famous Santa on the Roof, ice skating, magical light trails such as Northern Lights, and seasonal installations and performances. Newcastle City Council’s brand new Winter Festival will add even more reasons to visit in 2025, along with New Year’s Eve celebrations and family-friendly attractions across the city.
Our collective ambition is simple: to position Newcastle as one of the Christmas destinations in the UK - a place worth travelling to, staying in and exploring during the most special season of the year. Our digital channels, and in particular Instagram and TikTok, play a key role in inspiring that journey and converting attention into action, by encouraging people to plan their visit and explore newcastleschristmas.com.
What we're looking for
We are looking for a talented social media freelancer to take the reins of @newcastleschristmas on Instagram and TikTok throughout the festive period. This is not about producing a static strategy document - it’s about living and breathing the city at Christmas and turning that into authentic, daily content that excites and informs.
Our audiences want information that’s easy to consume and quick to act on. They come to our channels for clear “what’s on, where and when” updates, but also for behind-the-scenes content and festive feelings -the sparkle of the markets at night, the first sip of mulled wine, the delight of finding the perfect local gift. The successful freelancer will need to combine creativity with immediacy, capturing content on the ground and turning it around fast, so that our channels stay vibrant, timely and helpful.
Collaboration will be essential. You will work closely with Newcastle City Council, Newcastle NE1, and EVNT Inspirations (who deliver the Christmas Village and key market attractions such as The North Pole and Moosenwirt), ensuring our content complements rather than competes with partners and keeps the visitor experience at its heart.
Campaign Focus
Your content will celebrate three interconnected themes:
1. Newcastle’s Christmas Markets - Drive footfall to the heart of the markets - highlighting traders, food, gifts and festive entertainment, while linking back to newcastleschristmas.com for details and planning.
2. City Centre Christmas Experiences - Showcase the wider offer beyond the markets: pantomimes, festive dining, theatre, Santa visits, light trails and New Year’s Eve events.
3. Newcastle as the Ultimate Christmas Destination - Tell the bigger story of the city in winter - its streets, lights, skyline and atmosphere, inspiring regional and UK visitors to choose Newcastle as their festive day out or short break.
Key Deliverables
- Instagram & TikTok management
Daily/near-daily posts, stories and reels throughout November - December.
- Original content capture
Frequent on-site filming, including market build-up (from 6 November), opening weekend, the Christmas lights switch-on, and Saturdays/peak times.
- Collaboration with partners
Access to key venues and experiences to secure unique, engaging content
- Performance tracking
Regular reporting on growth, engagement and clicks to newcastleschristmas.com
Content types should include:
- “What’s On” style reels and scrolling event guides
- Vox pops and trader interviews
- Behind-the-scenes build footage and night-time city magic
- Human, shareable and occasionally humorous moments
Contract Value
The total value of the contract is between £3,600 - £4,500 depending on experience and proposed output. Please note, this is the total value from 1 November to 2 January.
Success Measures
- Meaningful growth in Instagram and TikTok followers and engagement.
- Increased traffic to newcastleschristmas.com.
- Consistent, timely and creative content output throughout the season.
- Positive partner feedback and seamless collaboration with city stakeholders.
Tender Process & Timelines
- Tender issued: 8 October 2025
- Submission deadline: 21 October 2025 (midnight)
- Interviews/presentations: 27 October 2025
- Start date: 1 November 2025
Submission Requirements
Applications for the opportunity must be sent to [email protected],which includes the following;
- Cover letter on why you would be suitable for the role
- Examples of Instagram and TikTok campaigns you’ve produced (especially destination or event-led)
- Your approach to fast-turnaround content and how you’ll keep channels dynamic day-to-day.
- Any periods of unavailability across November and December (including evenings and weekends)
- Proposed output and split between platforms
- Reporting style and metrics you will track.
For more information on the role and/or questions on submission requirements, please email Rachel Fenwick, Head of Marketing and Events at [email protected].
