NE1’s Screen on the Green ranked as number 2 in The Times top 10 free family days out in the UK.
NE1’s hugely popular, Screen on the Green, a free open-air movie theatre returns for the summer on 3rd July, taking up its usual residence in Old Eldon Square in the heart of Newcastle until 3rd September. Ranked number 2 in The Times’ Guide to the Top 10 free family days out in the UK in 2022, the large outdoor screen and associated activities form one of the cornerstones of NE1’s Summer in the City events programme.
Each year, NE1’s Summer in the City programme gets bigger and better bringing the city to life with lots of free activities for all ages throughout the school summer holidays at sites across the city.
Screen on the Green kicks off the activities with three weeks of international sporting action with the Wimbledon tennis championships broadcast first on the big screen at Old Eldon Square, which will be decked out in the signature NE1 deckchairs, as well as picnic tables and colourful seating.
Later in the summer, on the 20th August, NE1 will be showing the women’s World Cup Football final at 11am following the huge success last year screening the Women’s European Championships in which England triumphed.
Movies return to the big screen in time for the school holidays on Monday 24 July through until 3 September, with 15 free films each week. Two films will be broadcast each day throughout the holidays, the first at 12pm and then at 3pm. This year, Thursdays will also be devoted to blockbuster screenings, with an additional film shown in the evening, at 6pm. Among the new releases and must-see movies lighting up this year’s schedule are Elvis, the long-awaited Top Gun sequel, Maverick, and loads of family favourites including Disney’s Encanto, Avatar: The Way of Water, Lightyear and Matilda the Musical.
Aardman Animations’, Shaun the Sheep movie will also be screened to tie in with the efforts of St Oswald’s Hospice and its charitable fund-raising Shaun the Sheep trail that will be highly visible across Newcastle city centre this summer. A survey conducted last year amongst visitors showed that 99% would recommend the open-air movie screenings to family and friends. 44% came in to Newcastle specifically to visit Screen on the Green, with an average spend of £35 per person, with people visiting shops, restaurants and generally increasing dwell time in the city.
To widen the programme’s appeal still further, and ensure that Screen on the Green is truly inclusive for all ages, there will be a new addition this year, Toddler Takeovers on Tuesdays. NE1 has invited the National Centre for Children’s Books, Seven Stories to host a weekly event at Screen on the Green, at 10.30am every Tuesday starting on 25th July. Designed for toddlers and young children, the interactive and immersive sessions will feature a toddler-friendly short film, accompanied by a Seven Stories story-teller reading the book as an accompaniment. Julia Donaldson’s famous Gruffalo is among the films that will feature in the new weekly slot.
As well as the action-packed movie schedule, returning for a second year this summer will be Play Rebellion, a free, outdoor artistic and buildable installation that allows children of all ages to play, construct, tunnel, or just chill amongst this interactive exhibition, which is made up of 16, 1 metre high building blocks
Teaming up with Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and artist Pippa Hale last year, the Play Rebellion installation was extremely popular in 2021 with all sessions from 10 – 5pm fully attended each day.
Screen on the Green and all the associated activities are part of NE1’s wider Summer in the City events programme, details of which will be released at the start of July.
Rachel Barlow, Marketing and Events Manager at NE1 Ltd said:
“We have an amazing Summer in the City schedule planned for this year, starting with our ever-popular, Screen on the Green. From sporting action to movie blockbusters – we have it all. We want everyone to enjoy what’s on offer, so we’ve added events into the schedule that will cater for even our youngest visitors with Toddler Takeovers and our new drop-in library and read-along sessions with Newcastle Libraries. Kids can also let off some steam and express their creativity with Play Rebellion when it returns to Old Eldon Square this summer so here’s hoping the weather is kind and we can all enjoy Newcastle and NE1’s free, open-air activities.”
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