Free Family Days Out in Newcastle with Tyne and Wear Metro

NE1’s summer of free fun things to do

We always plan a summer packed full of fun and free things to do here at NE1, and this year sees the return of our Summer in the City programme of events with tonnes of kid-friendly activities like family yoga classes, music workshops and storytelling sessions on Newcastle’s Quayside. We’re introducing a brand-new event this year too with Quayside Carnival – an action-packed day of family fun featuring character meet-and-greets, arts and crafts, face painting, circus performances and a challenge zone.

Over at Old Eldon Square, there are free films to enjoy with our open-air cinema Screen on the Green screening up to three family-friendly movies day from 21^st July to 31^st August – with special events like our Toddler Takeover mornings on Tuesdays, a Shrek Bank Holiday Special and a Screen on the Green Closing Party with audience-picked films and arts and crafts. And let’s not forget that Old Eldon Square is also home to NE1’s Tiny Toon over the summer too – a miniature Newcastle play village where kids can even pretend to drive a mini Metro train!

Visit the city’s free museums

Newcastle city centre is home to two fantastic museums – the Discovery Museum and Great North Museum: Hancock – that are both free to enter. At the  Discovery Museum, families can learn about local innovations like Turbinia – the world’s first turbine powered ship – and visit its Steam to Green exhibition, an exploration of energy in the North East from the Industrial Revolution to today’s green technologies. They’ve got a few free kid-friendly events happening over the summer too!

Over at Great North Museum: Hancock, it’s all about natural history, archaeology and world cultures – ideal for inspiring young minds! Kids won’t want to miss out on seeing “Big Mike” – the museum’s towering replica of a T Rex skeleton – and they’re hosting some free drop-in sessions for kids this summer alongside Time Odyssey, an interactive learning experience taking families on a challenging quest throughout its galleries and objects!

Park walks and picnics

Newcastle is home to some gorgeous parks perfect for a summertime wander with little ones and you could even make a day of it with a picnic. Of course, you’ll have to rustle up some picnic eats at home but throw in some sarnies, juice cartons and a few extra nibbles and you’re all set!

There’s Leazes Park – the city’s oldest park, in fact – with its lovely lake, bandstand and tree-lined paths and Exhibition Park which boasts an equally lovely lake home to ducks and swans, a play area, a skate park and tennis courts and large open spaces perfect for picnicking. And, just next door to Exhibition Park, there’s Newcastle’s Town Moor – a gorgeous expanse of green land where in summer you and the kids might just witness its famous cow grazing away!

Explore Newcastle’s art galleries

If you’d like to introduce your little and not-so-little ones to the world of art this summer, then you can’t go wrong with a trip to one of Newcastle’s free-to-enter art galleries. While admission charges apply to some exhibitions, the vast majority of collections at Laing Art Gallery are free to see – including its permanent exhibition Northern Spirits, a collection of works celebrating artists, manufacturers and makers from across the North East

A short walk away, there’s the Hatton Gallery located on Newcastle University’s campus. It’s got some great exhibitions on display, plus a series of free drop-in workshops this summer, covering everything from collages to painting that are ideal for keeping creative kids entertained during the school holiday.

Enjoy a day at the Newcastle University campus

Hatton Gallery isn’t the only fun to be had at the Newcastle University campus this summer with even more arty delights to explore with the campus’s outdoor sculptures – from Anthony Gormley’s Clasp to Joeph Hillers’s three sculptural heads.

The campus is also home to the Farrell Centre, a space that’s dedicated to the roles that architecture plays both locally and globally and also offers a range of free events this summer aimed at kids, including its popular Virtual Builders: Minecraft Club sessions.

Bookworm fun at Newcastle City Library

If you’ve got a brood full of bookworms to keep busy this summer, there’s no better place to head than Newcastle City Library. Membership with the library means you can borrow everything from books and audio books to even toys and board games.

Over the summer, the library is hosting a free ‘Story Garden’ series of events too, featuring everything from campfire storytelling sessions and bug meet-and-greets to a ‘We Love Disney Paty’ – enough to keep little ones entertained all summer long!

Mela in the City & Newcastle Mela

If you’re looking for some family-friendly fun over the August bank holiday weekend, then you can’t go wrong with Newcastle Mela’s festivities – a colourful explosion celebrating Pakistani, Bengali, Indian and other South Asian cultures.

The funs kicks off with Mela in the City on Saturday 23^rd August around Grey’s Monument with exciting performances, before Newcastle Mela takes over Exhibition Park on Sunday 24^th August and Monday 25^th August with singers, musicians, delicious food, crafts, activities and stalls selling all kinds of goods – basically three whole days of multi-cultural fun for the whole family!

We’re all tightening the purse strings at the moment, but there’s still lots of budget-friendly fun to be had in Newcastle this summer and getting into the city has never been easier (or cheaper!) thanks to Tyne and Wear Metro.

To find out more out Tyne and Wear Metro’s Kids Go Free scheme, visit nexus.org.uk/metro/kids-go-free-metro

Main image: Miniature Tyne and Wear Metro train at NE1’s Tiny Toon, Photo by Tynesight Photography

Leazes Park image: Leazes Park Lake, Newcastle upon Tyne / © Copyright Andrew Curtis and licensed for reuse under CC BY-SA 2.0

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