Newcastle's Christmas

Between 2017 and 2019 NE1 trialled a series of interventions to grow the city’s festive experience, including city centre fairground rides as well as events including the cultural advent calendar 24 Doors of Christmas and the popular Search for Santa trail, the latter of which continues to this day.

Post-Covid, in 2021, NE1 started working more closely with Newcastle City Council to improve the quality and the scale of Newcastle’s Christmas Markets, which are a key attraction in the festive calendar of many cities. The duration was extended, from two weeks to six weeks, and a hyper-local focus on traders was adopted. 2022 saw Newcastle’s Christmas Markets extend into Old Eldon Square and, in 2025, they attracted over 2.8 million visitors.

The partnership between NE1 and Newcastle City Council has further strengthened the city’s festive offer with the introduction of a New Year’s Eve light show, Laser Light City, in 2021 – which brought over 25,000 people to Newcastle’s Quayside in 2023 – and, more recently, Newcastle's Howaymanay, a ticketed New Year's Eve event with live music, roaming performers, food stalls, bars and a firework display. In addition, Moosenwirt, a pop-up Christmas bar delivered by local business owners, has been in residence on Grey Street throughout the festive period since 2022. 

In 2024 EVNT Inspirations, who deliver Moosenwrirt, expanded their activities to include a family-friendly area at Old Eldon Square featuring festive shows, storytelling from Santa Claus and a traditional carousel ride, as well as The North Pole - a collection of luxury igloos around the base of Grey's Monument offering a brilliant vantage point to see the Christmas Markets. The following year, EVNT Inspirations added a Ferris wheel to Old Eldon Square, which proved a huge success with visitors.

As a key priority in NE1’s 2024-2029 Business Plan, we will continue to work with Newcastle City Council and other partners to continue to improve Newcastle’s Christmas and New Year offer to make sure it is commensurate with a city of Newcastle’s size and standing, and ensure it gives people even more reason to visit during the festive period.