Newcastle's Christmas Market - Social Media Freelance Opportunity

Would you like to help tell the story of one of the UK's leading Christmas destinations? We're looking for a creative, proactive social media freelancer to capture the magic of Christmas in Newcastle, creating engaging content that inspires millions of people to visit, explore and experience everything the city has to offer during the festive season.

Opportunity at a glance

Role: Freelance Social Media Content Creator (Instagram, TikTok and Facebook)

Contract period: 2 November 2026 – 3 January 2027

Contract value: £4,950

Application deadline: Monday 21 September 2026 (midnight)

Location: Newcastle city centre (on-site content capture required throughout the festive season) and agreed trader studios prior to launch

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 and the surrounding city centre, families wandering through market stalls, and a joyful buzz that draws visitors from across the region and beyond.

At the heart of this celebration is Newcastle’s Christmas Market, jointly delivered by Newcastle City Council and Newcastle NE1. The market’s unique look and feel have been developed over the last five years and attracted an incredible 2.15 million visits in 2025, delivering an estimated £90+ million of economic benefit to the city centre. Over 83% of traders came from within 20 miles of the city, making the markets a showcase of local craft, creativity, and independent businesses.

But Newcastle’s Christmas is about far more than the market alone. Each year the city is alive with experiences; pantomimes, festive theatre, Fenwick’s famous Christmas Window, ice skating, magical light trails, festive dining, seasonal installations and family attractions. Alongside the markets, these experiences create a compelling festive destination that attracts visitors from across the UK.

Our collective ambition is simple: to position Newcastle as one of the UK's leading must-visit Christmas destinations – a place definitely worth travelling to, staying in, and exploring during the most magical time of the year. Our digital channels, particularly Instagram and TikTok, play a vital 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, TikTok and Facebook throughout the festive period.

We're looking for someone who notices the little moments of magic. The child meeting Father Christmas for the first time. Steam rising from a hot chocolate. A trader passionately telling a shopper about their products. Friends laughing beneath the lights. The best content won't just tell people what's happening – it'll make people wish they were here.

Our audience wants information that's easy to consume and quick to act upon. They come to our channels for clear "what's on, where and when" updates, but also for behind-the-scenes moments and festive inspiration – the sparkle of the markets after dark, the first sip of mulled wine, discovering the perfect local gift, or simply soaking up the atmosphere.

The successful freelancer will need to combine creativity with immediacy, capturing content on the ground and turning it around quickly so our channels remain vibrant, timely and useful throughout the season.

Collaboration will be essential. You will work closely with Newcastle City Council, Newcastle NE1, and EVNT Inspirations (who deliver the family-friendly Christmas Village on Old Eldon Square and key market attractions including the Moosenwirt bar and Monument-based North Pole), ensuring our content complements partner activity while always putting the visitor experience first.

Campaign Focus

Your content should celebrate three interconnected themes:

1. Newcastle's Christmas Market

Drive footfall into the heart of the market by showcasing traders, festive food and drink, unique gifts, entertainment and seasonal experiences, while encouraging visitors to explore newcastleschristmas.com

2. City Centre Christmas Experiences

Showcase the wider festive offer beyond the markets, including theatre, pantomimes, festive dining, shopping, family attractions, Christmas events and New Year's celebrations

3. Newcastle as the Ultimate Christmas Destination

Tell the bigger story of Newcastle in winter – its iconic streets, festive lights, and atmosphere – inspiring regional and national audiences to choose Newcastle for a festive day out, weekend break or Christmas shopping trip

Working Style

We are looking for someone who thrives in a live event environment. Christmas moves quickly, with opportunities emerging daily. The successful freelancer should be comfortable working independently, spotting content opportunities, attending agreed events without prompting, and turning content around quickly while maintaining consistently high production standards

Regular communication with the project team will be essential, alongside flexibility to respond to weather, event changes and other moments that shape the visitor experience

Key Deliverables

• Instagram & TikTok Management

Daily or near-daily posts, Stories and Reels throughout November, December and the early days of January

• Original Content Capture

Frequent on-site filming, including market build-up (from early November), opening weekend, the Christmas Lights Switch-On, weekends and peak trading periods, and other key seasonal moments

• Community Management

Monitor comments and messages, respond where appropriate and escalate customer service enquiries to the relevant delivery partner where required

• Collaboration with Partners

Work closely with Newcastle City Council, Newcastle NE1, EVNT Inspirations and participating businesses to secure engaging content opportunities and ensure a coordinated approach

• Performance Tracking

Provide regular reporting on audience growth, engagement, reach, video performance, website clicks and key campaign insights throughout the contract

Content should include:

• "What's On" style Reels and event guides
• Vox-pops and trader interviews
• Behind-the-scenes market build and preparations as well as traders in their business setting preparing for the markets
• Atmospheric day and night-time festive content
• Human, shareable and occasionally humorous moments
• Trending TikTok and Instagram content adapted to the Newcastle’s Christmas audience

Contract Value

The total value of the contract is £4,950. Please note this is the total contract value for the period 2 November 2026 – 3 January 2027.

Success Measures

• Meaningful growth in Instagram and TikTok followers and engagement
• Increased traffic to newcastleschristmas.com
• Consistent, timely and creative content output throughout the festive season
• Positive partner feedback and seamless collaboration with city stakeholders

Recruitment Timelines

• Call out issued: 2^nd September
• Submission deadline: 21^st September 2026 (midnight)
• Interviews/presentations: Week commencing 5^th October 2026
• Appointment confirmed: mid-October 2026
• Contract start: 2 November 2026
• Contract end: 3 January 2027

Submission Requirements

Applications should be submitted to [email protected] and include:

• A cover letter outlining why you are suitable for the role.
• Examples of Instagram and TikTok campaigns you have delivered, ideally destination, tourism or event-led
• Your approach to fast-turnaround content creation and how you will keep the channels dynamic throughout the festive season
• Your proposed content output and platform split
• Any periods of unavailability during November, December, or the New Year period (including evenings and weekends). Please note, the following dates are a requirement as part of the work and coverage will be required on these dates:
• 12^th November
• 19^th November
• 21^st/22^nd November
• 31^st December
• Your reporting approach, including the metrics you will track and how performance will be communicated

For more information about the role or to discuss the submission requirements, please contact Rachel Fenwick, Head of Marketing & Events at Newcastle NE1, at [email protected].