Christmas 2025: A Yuletide Guide to Newcastle

Newcastle’s Christmas Markets @ Grey’s Monument / Grey Street / Grainger Street / Old Eldon Square / Nelson Street

Newcastle’s Christmas Market are back bigger than ever before for 2025, opening on Saturday 15^th November and running right through to the day before Christmas Eve. As ever, the market will take over Grey Street and Grey’s Monument, Old Eldon Square, the east section of Grainger Street and this year extends into Nelson Street for the first time. The stalls will focus on seasonal gifts, food and drink and there’s even more fun to be had around the markets at The North Pole, Moosenwirt and Newcastle’s Christmas Village… but more on that below!

Winter Wonderland @ Utilita Arena

Festive fairground Winter Wonderland makes a welcome return to the Utilita Arena car park from 5^th December to 28^th December. Packed with fun rides – plus Grinch stilt walkers, free face-painting and tickets available to visit Santa in his Grotto – it’s a Christmas must-do in Newcastle. Better yet, admission is free on Tuesdays and Wednesdays after 5pm too!

Newcastle’s Christmas Village @ Old Eldon Square

After a hugely popular debut last year, we’re happy to report that the aforementioned Newcastle’s Christmas Village will be back at Old Eldon Square this festive season too. Alongside the return of the much-loved Santa Stories, Rockin’ Reindeer stage and traditional carousel, there’ll be new additions and events like Mrs Claus’ Bakery and even a Ferris wheel! With so much packed into one space, it’s one-stop shop for festive family fun in Newcastle this Christmas.

Christmas Lights Switch On @ Grey’s Monument 

Another major indicator that the festive season is upon us has to be the Christmas lights switch on. Happening as ever around Grey’s Monument, this year the big flip of the switch will be on Thursday 6^th November. There’ll be live music, Christmas favourites, games and festive nonsense and the word has it that this year’s lights are going to be better than ever. Even if you miss the big switch on, there's nothing quite so festive as a meander under all those twinkling lights while you're shopping at Newcastle’s Christmas Markets or strolling the city streets!

Northern Lights, Leazes Park 

The enchanting and popular illuminated trail that is Northern Lights returns to Newcastle’s Leazes Park for its third edition this festive season, from late November to New Year’s Eve. Stretching for a mile through the city’s prettiest park, the trail uses a heady mixture of state-of-the-art technology, projections, lights and original music to create a magical experience right in the heart of the city. This year, there’ll be several new illuminations to enjoy and its Christmas Village – an area packed with fairground rides and delicious food and drink – will also return. To find out more and book tickets, read our article Everything You Need to Know About: Northern Lights.

Enchanted City @ Northumbria University

Brand-new for 2025, Newcastle City Council is joining forces with Northumbria University this winter to take you on an intergalactic adventure with Enchanted City. From Thursday 11^th December to Sunday 14^th December, the university campus will be transformed into a cosmic wonderland with awe-inspiring interactive installations, projections, light art, performances and creative workshops designed to inspire families and kids to discover the magic and mystery of the universe. We know we’ll be going along – see you there?

Life Science Centre’s Ice Rink @ Times Square

It doesn’t matter if you’re a budding ice dance champion or as unsteady as a newborn-calf, the ice rink at the Life Science Centre is a big part of a Tyneside Christmas. The rink opens on Saturday 8^th November and stays in place until Sunday 4^th January, opening at 9.30am daily. Booking is essential due to its popularity, and there’s even a few special events including Karaoke on Ice and a Sam Fender-themed skate off. Find out more with our official guide to ice skating at Life Science Centre.

Fenwick Christmas Window @ Fenwick, Northumberland Street

There’s a great deal of excited anticipation each year ahead of the big reveal of the Fenwick Christmas window (it even gets streamed online these days). But even if you missed grabbing a spot for its big reveal on 2^nd November, the display is still a wonderful thing to take your kids too (or even for adults to enjoy!). The theme for 2025 is Charles Dickens' festive classic A Christmas Carol and brought to life by author and illustrator Chris Riddell who also created last year's window theme, The Twelve Days of Christmas. Make sure to have a stroll past – it really is a quintessential part of Christmas in Newcastle.

Moosenwirt @ Grey Street

Also opening on Saturday 15^th November is the aforementioned Moosenwirt, a cosy Alpine-style pop-up bar that’s proved a big hit in recent years. Open until New Year’s Day, the bar is housed in a huge yurt (made in Hexham of all places) complete with a logwood bar, fire pits and igloo domes available to hire. It’s open from 10am ‘til late every day, dogs are welcome and kids can enter up until 8pm.

The North Pole @ Grey’s Monument

Just a hop skip and a jump away from Moosenwirt, you’ll find even more amazing spaces to hire with The North Pole – a cosy community of igloo pods located on a raised platform around Grey’s Monument with fantastic views over Newcastle’s Christmas Markets and the twinkling Christmas lights above. It’s in place from Saturday 15^th November until Christmas Eve and is perfect for a unique festive experience with family or friends.

Lazy Bear Tipi Bar @ Central Station 

With Moosenwirt representing pop-up bars at one end of Newcastle, at the other end, outside Central Station, you’ll find the Lazy Bear Tipi Bar, back for its fourth year. Open now and running throughout the festive season, the bar is open from 12pm to midnight on weekdays, from 11am to 1am on Saturdays and between 11am and 11pm on Sundays. It serves up all kinds of festive drinks – from mulled wine to hot chocolate – alongside beers, spirits and the like. There’s live music seven days a week too!

New Year’s Eve Howaymanay @ Newcastle Quayside

Also new for 2025 is Howaymanay, a New Year’s Eve extravaganza set to be Newcastle’s biggest yet. The fun kicks off with a free firework display at 6pm perfect for families, but the shenanigans really begin at 8:30pm with a ticketed event that’ll transform the Quayside into a party village with live music, roaming performers, food stalls and bars before another epic firework show when the clock strikes midnight. Tickets are available to purchase for £6 and you can find out everything you need to know with our official guide to Howaymanay.

Whether you want to skate in the moonlight, gasp at light sculptures in the park, shop for gifts at the city's biggest Christmas market yet, Newcastle's festive calendar has something for literally everyone with tonnes of unmissable events. So wrap up warm and head out to do something fun and festive in the city!

Main image: Newcastle's Christmas Markets & The North Pole

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