You may have spotted some psychedelic posters dotted around the City lately, proclaiming that Tour de Moon is coming to the city. What is it, we hear you cry?! Well, it's an immersive moon-themed celebration of nightlife, science and art, all rolled up into a weekend of free activities! Here's all you need to know...
What is Tour de Moon?
Tour de Moon is a FREE immersive art and science festival taking place as one of ten creative projects commissioned by UNBOXED: Creativity taking place across the UK this year.
The Tour is travelling to three cities – Leicester, Southampton and Newcastle – on board the Moon Convoy, arriving here in Newcastle on May 27th for a weekend of events, installations and activities across the city.
Planned by UNBOXED to be a ‘celebration of creativity designed to reach millions and bring people together’, what that means for you is four days of fascinating and exciting activities.
When is it taking place?
Tour de Moon is running from March to October in locations across the UK, with the Newcastle events running from Friday 27th to Monday 30th May.
What can I expect?
There’s so much going on that it’s worth your time exploring the website – there’s cinema and gigs and club nights and science installations and digital art and a whole lot more, all with a moon theme. And while you’re having fun, it’s worth remembering that everything also has a more serious side, promoting science, raising awareness of various causes, championing youth creativity and the like. So it’s not all giant squids.
(The Moon Convoy: Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios for Tour de Moon)
What is the Moon Convoy?
That’s the name given to a traveling caravan of floats and vehicles containing everything from a recording studio to a venue, a huge rotating moon and a 9-metre replica of Archie The Squid (the original lives in the Natural History Museum). The Convoy will set up in Nelson Street (a couple of minutes’ walk from Monument) and will host gigs, science exhibitions and interactive displays (including Luna – an artificial intelligence interface that lets you talk to the moon!)
What is Moon Music?
Moon Music is taking place at the legendary World Headquarters in Carliol Square. Moon Music Live happens on Friday and Saturday from 7pm til midnight, with Friday’s bill including Alannah Lamb, Georgia May, Nadedja, Becky Woodcock and Weston either DJing or playing live. Saturday has RENOK9000, Hannabiell & Midnight Blue Collective, Knats, PDT and Westy. Both nights will also include an appearance from Arkestra (a newly-formed, Sun Ra-influenced nine-piece band travelling with the Moon Convoy) and all sorts of other craziness!
After Saturday’s gig, it’s time for the Moon Music Afterparty hosted by APE, Spin City and WHQ which runs until 5am.
What are the Moon Talks?
Every day there’ll be some Moon Talks, taking place at World HQ, Discovery Museum and The Star & Shadow (check the website for individual details). The talks aim to ‘engage and rouse’ via some panel discussions about nightlife and creativity with a host of guests including Ruby Kearney, Jack Heath, Nicola Mantalios-Thompson, Tom Bailey, Geoff Kirkwood, Lee Kyle, Scott Turnbull, Richard Little (aka Faux King Dik), Gabriel Day, Sammy Dobson, and Dami Fawehinmi among others.
What else is happening?
There are also Tour de Moon events and installations taking place out of the city centre: Moon Experiences will be taking over some unused buildings in the Ouseburn for some timed and ticketed ‘immersive experiences’ while Moon Games over at Walker Activity Dome has a host of activities across the weekend. Finally, the Star & Shadow Cinema in Sandyford has Moon Cinema, a weekend of short films showing in several sessions.
Do I need to book?
Many of the events are ticketed but they’re always free, just head over to the Tour de Moon website and you can book everything. There’s a two-ticket limit for each event per booking.
Are there any age restrictions? Are all ages welcome?
Some of the events are 18+ only - Moon Music, Moon Cinema, Moon Experiences – but the rest are open to all ages.
So there you have it - everything you need to know about Tour de Moon in a nutshell - get amongst it!
