Newcastle Arts Centre is one of the most active independent arts centres in England. The Centre shows exhibitions, music and theatre and hosts studios making architectural glass and graphic design. There’s also a gallery, bar and conference rooms.
Ceremony, religion and symbolism are the focus of the Baltic’s new exhibition from Newcastle-based artist Mani Kambo.
free entry
This spring, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art presents Ali Cherri’s first institutional exhibition in the UK.
free entry
Experience the art of Abbot Hall in a hands on and creative way with their monthly Sketch and Stroll tours.
from £0.00
Get literarily lit with Gary Wigglesworth and the Leeds Literary Festival 2025 quiz at Hyde Park bookclub.
from £7.50
Lancaster Literature Festival, or Litfest to its friends, is rolling out its 46th programme, having created a variety of events for its audiences since 1978.
from £3.00
Leeds live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited poets – this month the headliners are Helen Ivory and Luke Samuel Yates.
free entry
Leeds International African Arts Festival partners with Hyde Park Picture House this summer, with a pair of films scheduled as part of the cinema’s ongoing Cinema Africa! strand.
free entry
Slow Knife perform a brand new live score for Dario Argento’s iconic giallo as part of Leeds Jazz Festival.
from £11.50
Flip Vintage American Clothing is Newcastle’s longest established vintage store, importing genuine American clothing since 1978.
Tyne Theatre & Opera House is ‘a Theatre for everyone’ built during a time of heavy industry when life was hard.
Blackfriars restaurant has gone from strength to strength. Andy and his wife, Sam, founded it in 2001 and developed it in the following years, so much so that they have come to use more and more of the old monastery buildings for baking lessons, wine tasting and cookery courses, all bookable through their website.
In the heart of Newcastle on Grainger Street can be found the Grainger Market. This covered market was the largest covered market in the world when it was built and still holds a special place in the heart of many in Newcastle.
Dance City provides teaching, performances and talks all on – you guessed it – dance! Having been established for over thirty years, Dance City has helped to put the North East on the map for all types of dance from ballet to breakdance.
A stone’s throw from Newcastle’s Central Station, and around the corner from Newcastle’s Castle, is The Lit and Phil. Only a few years younger than Manchester’s, The Lit and Phil is the second oldest literary and philosophical society in the United Kingdom.
Situated behind Central Station in the Stephenson Quarter, you will be able to find the Crown Plaza Hotel. The Stephenson Quarter is named for George and Robert Stephenson, the famous father and son inventors who built the Rocket Steam engine and designed many of Britain’s railways.
This live-music venue in Newcastle fundamentally was born out of a desire to host local talent.
In an unassuming building, not far from the Discovery Museum, is one of the best up-and-coming theatres in the United Kingdom. The Alphabetti Theatre is an independent theatre, set up not-for-profit, but instead to add and develop creative talent in the North East of England.
An award-winning visitor attraction in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne .
Retro is a popular, quirky vintage shop selling one-off, unique pieces in a slinky interior close to Newcastle town centre. It’s renowned for its individualism, putting into the town an eclectic and varied shopping experience for fashion that it would otherwise be missing.
When it comes to central Newcastle, you cannot get more central than Motel One in the heart of the city centre. Motel One’s building has been refurbished into a modern affordable hotel with all that one would expect for a comfortable night in the city centre.
Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.
We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.
We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring.
Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.
Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month
Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.
