Tiny Toon Returns to Old Eldon Square in Newcastle for a Summer of Miniature Fun in the City
It may be small, but Tiny Toon is mighty. The multi-award-winning mini play village returns to Old Eldon Square on Monday 20th July with brand-new miniature businesses to explore, alongside some returning favourites, on board for another amazing six weeks of role-play fun until Monday 31st August.
Tiny Toon transforms part of Old Eldon Square into a free, destination play zone for families and young people to enjoy throughout the summer with over 105,000 people visiting last year. The play village sits alongside NE1’s Screen on the Green and the Stay and Play Zone, bringing the whole space to life with colourful seating, free films, games, and relaxation areas. Families can enjoy the range of free activities on offer while exploring the city and its businesses. Last year’s event delivered a huge economic impact for businesses in the city centre, with an estimated £2.3 million spend driven by visitors.
A miniature version of some of Newcastle’s most iconic, historic, and landmark buildings and businesses, Tiny Toon provides endless hours of pretend play with themed props, branded dressing-up outfits and scaled-down buildings. Children get to enjoy the fun space pretending to be adults for the day, living, working, shopping and travelling around their very own city centre, filled with instantly recognisable small-scale shops, buildings and businesses.
The seven iconic key businesses and landmarks joining Tiny Toon this year are:
Tyne & Wear Metro will return for its third year at Tiny Toon, with its hugely popular, mini-Metro train. Children love to pretend to drive the train wearing hi-vis Metro vests and hats or take a ride in the Metro carriage creating the perfect photo opportunities.
Newcastle Building Society, following the recent launch of its new headquarters, just around the corner from Old Eldon Square on the corner of Grey’s Monument, Newcastle Building Society was keen to join Tiny Toon for the first time this summer. Bringing all things banking into the mix, children can get behind the desk of the bank, get hands-on with financial games or try and crack the code on the safe, introducing young people to the world of finance from an early age.
Eldon Square is another of the Tiny Toon originals, with its signature shop window and mini clothes shop. Visitors get the chance to try on outfits, pretend to be mini-stylists with a host of accessories, work behind the till, or shop just like the adults.
Pink Lane Bakery is a newcomer to this year’s Tiny Toon. In celebration of the new artistic installation on the ‘real’ Pink Lane, which has seen the introduction of an overhead, pink gateway installation and lighting , a beautiful recreation of the Pink Lane bakery will give young people the chance to get behind the counter and pretend to bake and sell pretend baked goods, or grab a coffee and a croissant.
Dakwala is another newcomer this year. The award-winning Indian street food restaurant will be joining Tiny Toon with a scaled-down version inspired by its own unique restaurant interior. Whether it is pretending to dine at the restaurant or cook in the kitchen there will be lots of props to play with to serve up the perfect meal.
Tyneside Cinema will be opening its new box office and cinema screen at this summer’s Tiny Toon for the first time. Kids can pretend to be front-of-house ticket sellers, take a seat for an imaginary film show, or even star in their own movie on the miniature stage. Endless hours of creative fun to be had.
And last but by no means least the iconic and historic Tyne Bridge, will return. Painted in its signature green, looking fresh for the summer. Children can walk across the bridge, have their photos taken and enjoy this famous replica landmark right in the heart of their own mini city.
Kitty Brown, NE1’s Marketing and Events Manager said: “Tiny Toon is a fan-favourite here at NE1. We love creating miniature versions of Newcastle’s businesses, buildings, and landmarks for youngsters to enjoy. The activity transformed Old Eldon Square when it was introduced three summers ago and created a real destination for families to come and spend a whole day and to keep returning throughout the summer holidays. Now, we couldn’t imagine a summer without it. Tiny Toon works so well with Screen on the Green and our Stay and Play Zone, allowing families to move between the three zones, keeping kids entertained for hours, and all for free.
“We’re excited to work with all of our new and existing business partners to bring Tiny Toon to life for another year. It’s a fantastic opportunity for our businesses to connect directly with the public, and we can’t wait to welcome families back for a summer of imaginative play.”
Sarah McCourt, Head of Communications and Marketing at Nexus: "We are delighted to once again be part of this amazing family experience that offers so much excitement over the summer period. As Kids Go Free with fare-paying adults on Metro, it's brilliant that families from across the region can enjoy a fantastic free day out where kids can play and pretend to drive a Metro train - and travel there and back on the real thing."
Nichola Henderson, Head of Branch Network at Newcastle Building Society said: “We’re really proud to be part of Tiny Toon for the first time this summer, especially following the opening our Monument branch just around the corner. Supporting our high streets and the communities we serve is at the heart of everything we do, and Tiny Toon is a great way to bring that commitment to life in a fun and imaginative way.
“We’re looking forward to seeing families use the space as a starting point for conversations about money, saving and making positive financial choices from a young age. We hope lots of youngsters will take away happy memories and maybe even the beginnings of good savings habits too.”
OPENING HOURS
Tiny Toon launches on 20th July and runs every day until Monday 31st August
Monday: 10am - 5pm
Tuesday: 9:30am* - 5pm
Wednesday: 10am - 5pm
Thursday: 10am - 5pm
Friday: 10am - 5pm
Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Sunday: 9am* - 4:30pm
*Tuesdays: Opens half an hour earlier for Toddler Takeover
*Sundays: Opens an hour earlier. Tiny Toon hosts quiet sessions between 9 – 10am for visitors who prefer a slower more relaxed environment.
