10 Reasons to Visit Newcastle this Summer
Enjoy all Newcastle has to offer with our top ten reasons to visit the Toon this summer
Perhaps we’re a tad biased, but we think that Newcastle upon Tyne is an amazing place to live, work and visit – and that becomes all the more obvious during the Toon’s summer season!
Whether you’re a North East native or thinking about visiting Newcastle from further afield, here’s ten reasons why you should definitely make a trip into the city this summer.
Catch free films at NE1’s Screen on the Green
Every summer, the team here at NE1 plonks a giant open-air cinema – Screen on the Green – at Old Eldon Square. It’s a much-loved part of Newcastle’s summer calendar and even recently scooped Best Event at the Towns and City Management Industry Awards!
From July to August, the big screen will be showing up to three films a day – from family favourites to big blockbusters – alongside hosting Toddler Takeovers on Tuesday, screenings of Julia Donaldson book adaptations ideal for little ones.
There’ll also be special events to enjoy too, like the Bank Holiday Shrek Special showing all four films in the movie series on Monday 25th August and the Screen on the Green Closing Party featuring audience-picked films and arts and crafts.
And let’s not forget that over the summer, Old Eldon Square is also home to NE1’s Tiny Toon – a miniature Newcastle play village – and a brand-new stay-and-play space featuring sandpits and play walls too. Best of all, it’s totally free – so perfect for a wallet-friendly family day out!
Shopping sprees and free family activities at Eldon Square
Newcastle city centre is packed full of amazing shopping destinations, but there’s nowhere better than Eldon Square. Home to over 100 different stores selling everything from fashion and jewellery to gifts, homeware and tech, it’s ideal for a shopping spree whether you’re picking up summer holiday must-haves or shopping for back-to-school essentials for the kids.
Eldon Square has tonnes of free, family-friendly activities happening throughout the summer too – all perfect for keeping little ones entertained during the summer holidays. They’ve got pop-up events themed around princesses, superheroes, wizards, pirates and more happening at Grey’s Quarter plus an ongoing Adventure Trail running until 31st August that invites families to search for stickers hidden throughout Eldon Square and solve a magical puzzle. Complete the trail and kids will receive a certificate and a sweet treat, and the chance to enter a competition to win Disney On Ice tickets for parents who sign up to Eldon Square’s newsletter!
That’s not all either! Eldon Square is rounding out the season with a Summer Carnival (29th-31st August) featuring traditional games like hook-a-duck and whack-a-rat. Basically, it's the place to be this summer in Newcastle - find out more by reading our guide to Eldon Square's Summer of Fun!
Summer walks and picnics in the city’s parks
Newcastle is home to some gorgeous green spaces, all perfect for a summer walk perhaps teamed with a picnic if you’re peckish and want to make a day of it.
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.
Merging with Exhibition Park is Newcastle’s Town Moor, a gorgeous expanse of green land where in summer you’ll find its famous cows grazing. As for that picnic grub? Well, you could always rustle something up at home but there are plenty of places in the city centre just a short walk from its parks perfect for picking up some picnic eats.
The Food Halls at both Fenwick and Marks & Spencer are well stocked with breads, deli meats and cheeses and sweet treats and over at Newcastle’s iconic Grainger Market you’ll find bakeries, sandwich shops and greengrocers plus stalls selling everything from Greek and Korean street food to seafood and bao buns.
Enjoy free events and workshops with NE1’s Summer in the City
Screen on the Green and all the other Eldon Square fun aren’t the only events the team here at NE1 hosts over the summer. In fact, we’ve got a whole programme of other free events that we call Summer in the City.
Mostly focused around Newcastle’s iconic Quayside, there’s something for all ages to enjoy – from fitness classes and walking tours for the grown-ups to storytelling sessions, pop-up themed parties and music workshops for kids.
Summer in the City will also see the return of Dog on the Tyne, a totally paw-some event that made its debut last year with tonnes of fun for your four-legged friends with dog yoga, an agility course, dog walks and market stalls selling all kinds of canine treats!
And, brand-new for 2025, we’re bringing an action-packed day of family fun to the riverfront with NE1’s Quayside Carnival with character meet-and-greets, arts and crafts, face painting, circus performances and a challenge zone to enjoy. Did we mention it’s all free too?!
Al fresco drinks at Newcastle’s beer gardens and rooftop terraces
Summertime in Newcastle means one thing – it’s finally warm enough (or hopefully, at least!) to enjoy a drink or two at one of the city’s many amazing beer gardens and rooftop terraces.
Wylam Brewery – conveniently located in Exhibition Park and perfect for a post-picnic pint – boasts a lovely, leafy beer garden while down on the Quayside there’s The Broad Chare’s sun trap of a garden, with parasols and plenty of craft ales and bar snacks to try.
Over at The Bridge Hotel next to Newcastle Castle, there’s gorgeous spot out back in the shadow of the High Level Bridge with a select few picnic tables and spectacular views of the River Tyne and of course, we’ve got to give a shout out to The Old George Inn. It’s Newcastle’s oldest pub (and possibly haunted too!) and its cosy courtyard is great for a couple of brews.
When it comes to rooftop terraces in Newcastle, you’re spoilt for choice too! There’s Cuban vibes at Revolución de Cuba’s vibrant little terrace, classy cocktails, DJs and stunning views across the city at beyond at ABOVE and The Botanist with gorgeous views over Grey Street and patio heaters for when the summer weather isn’t that summery!
Experience the city’s legendary nightlife
And, if you’d like to keep the party going after a visit to Newcastle’s beer gardens or rooftop terraces, then why not stick around and enjoy the city’s legendary nightlife? Plus, it’s summer so what better time of year for a night out when the hopefully warmer weather means not wearing a coat actually makes sense? (IYKYK!)
If it’s a proper “out-out” night you’re after, you can’t go wrong with a bar crawl along Collingwood Street (aka the “Diamond Strip”) – home to places like ChachaBuchi, Manahatta, The Vampire Rabbit and Katie O’Brien’s. Or, for something a little more wild, head to Newcastle’s legendary Bigg Market for bars like Cosy Joe’s, Stein Bier Keller and Popworld for a night out you either won’t forget for a long time or won’t remember at all!
For the clubbers and lovers of dance music, Digital at Times Square and World Headquarters at Carliol Square are both a must with visiting big-name DJs, regular club nights and even the odd daytime clubbing event in case you’d rather arrive home a tad earlier than the small hours of the morning!
Wherever you end up on your night out in Newcastle this summer, you’re sure to have an amazing time – just don’t blame us if you’re suffering with a hangover the next day!
Let your hair down at fantastic music festivals
Here in Newcastle, we’re lucky enough that the city hosts some fabulous music festivals with many of them taking place over the summer season. And, no matter what kind of music floats your boat, there’s a festival for you!
Lost Minds, Newcastle’s annual dance music festival returns this July, with a brand-new location at Exhibition Park and a line-up that includes Egyptian trance duo Aly & Fila, Irish DJ and producer Bryan Kearney and the North East’s very own Schak – plus plenty of food stalls and bars to keep you refreshed throughout!
A newcomer to Newcastle’s festival scene, Come Together Festival is bringing two days of diverse musical talent to the Toon’s Town Moor on Wednesday 20th August and Friday 22nd August. Wednesday’s line-up sees the likes of local talent Andrew Cushin and Kaiser Chiefs take to the stage before headliner Robbie Williams takes over and on the Friday, headliners Kings of Leon are supported by acts including Courteeners and The Snuts.
Finishing out a season of summer festival fun is Noughty 90s at Leazes Park, perfect for those 80s and 90s babies who’d like to be transported back to the halcyon days of their misspent youths! With three stages featuring acts like Atomic Kitten, N-Trance and Darren Styles, a day of throwback fun is guaranteed!
Whether you’re raving it up at Lost Minds, rocking out at Come Together or reliving your youth at Noughty 90s, there’s no shortage of festival fun to be had in Newcastle this summer!
Get a taste of the city with NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week
The NE1 fun continues this summer with the August edition of our twice-yearly Newcastle Restaurant Week. Taking place from Monday 4th August to Sunday 10th August, it’s a celebration of the city’s buzzing food scene that sees restaurants come together to offer up delicious dining deals priced at just £15, £20 and £25 all week long.
This summer, a record-breaking 120 restaurants are taking part, cooking up everything from Thai food and tapas to Japanese, Middle Eastern and even Ethiopian cuisine – basically something to suit taste buds of all persuasions!
Just to give you a little taster (pardon the pun!) of what to expect, we’ve got everyone from acclaimed Restaurant Week regulars Blackfriars and 21 – who’ve been taking part since the very first event back in 2012 – on board, plus recently opened restaurants like Maki & Ramen and Colmans at Fenwick making their Restaurant Week debut.
And, as we're celebrating 15 years of Restaurant Week this summer, we're introducing a brand-new event - Restaurant Week Live. It's a pop-up cooking demonstration hosted by local lad and MasterChef semi-finalist Anthony O'Shaughnessy that will see five chefs cook up a dish from their Restaurant Week menu - all in front of your very eyes! It's happening on Thursday 31st July from 11am to 4pm on Grainger Street, just a stone's throw from Monument Metro - see you there?
Whether it’s lunch with your workmates, a feast with family or friends, or date night with your other half, NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week is the perfect excuse to enjoy the amazing food Newcastle has to offer – and all with unbeatable dining deals that won’t break the bank!
See Newcastle in a whole new light with a tour
You might be visiting as a tourist, or maybe you’re a local who’d like to learn more about your hometown or see it from a different angle – whatever the reason, there’s no better way to do that than with a sightseeing tour in Newcastle and the city has a whole host of options of choose from.
Newcastle City Guides host a series of tours throughout the summer exploring areas and landmarks like the Quayside Chares and Grey’s Monument that are perfect for history buffs and for the foodies, Triple A hosts some brilliant city centre food tours including one of Grainger Market and its “A Taste of Newcastle Tour”.
An open-top bus tour is, of course, a great way to see all the city sights and Go North East’s Toon Tours do exactly that! Operating from early May until late September, the bus takes passengers on an audio-guided tour of the Toon’s best-known landmarks – the Tyne Bridge, the Quayside and St. James’ Park included.
And, for the hardiest of Newcastle tour-seeking souls, why not challenge yourself to a tour of the Quayside and River Tyne bridges by kayak? Hosted by CBK Adventures, you’ll see the city from a whole different angle on their sit-on kayaks, paddling past the bustling Quayside and leaning fascinating facts about Newcastle from your guides along the way!
Immerse yourself in South Asian culture at Newcastle Mela
The Toon’s summer season is rounded off by some amazing events taking place over the August bank holiday weekend, but one of the biggest and best is Newcastle Mela – the annual celebration of city’s Pakistani, Bengali, Indian and other South Asian communities.
The whole shebang kicks off on Saturday 23rd August with NE1’s Mela in the City – a fantastic free day of events and activities happening around Grey’s Monument – before the official Newcastle Mela festival takes over Exhibition Park from Sunday 24th August to Monday 25th August.
At Exhibition Park, there’ll be stalls selling everything from hot and cold food, unique clothing, gifts and jewellery plus a whole host of arts and crafts activities to enjoy alongside entertainment in the form of circus acts and dance performances.
And that’s not forgetting some amazing acts performing on the Newcastle Mela stage that in the past have included the likes of Bollywood singer and songwriter Amar Chotai and Bengali singer Bona Talukdar. Swing by the official Newcastle Mela website for details of this summer’s line-up!
Newcastle is a vibrant and visitable city all year round, but especially during summer when the Toon comes alive with amazing events and activities to enjoy. So, take some inspiration from our suggestions above and get your next trip into Newcastle planned sharpish!
Main Image: NE1’s Relaxation Station on Newcastle’s Quayside / 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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