Newcastle is celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June, with a programme of events to mark her 70 years on the throne.
Families are invited to gather for picnics on the grounds of St Thomas’ Church on June 2 from 6pm ahead of a ‘spectacular’ night of entertainment at Newcastle Civic Centre’s Ceremonial Way hosted by BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Alfie Joey.
Starting at 7.15pm, there will be performances from the Shoeshop Quartet, musician Chris Cowan, the Northern Monkey Brass Band, street theatre show Spark, a piper, and a bugler. More than 1,500 beacons will be lit across the UK and the Commonwealth in the evening, building on the long tradition of lighting beacons to mark major royal events.
A beacon-lighting ceremony will take place at the Civic Centre at 10pm and it will be lit alongside scores of others along the route of Hadrian’s Wall to celebrate its 1900th anniversary. Local choir Sing United will also sing a song for the Commonwealth called A Life Lived with Grace.
In the West of the city, Urban Green Newcastle will be holding an evening of family fun events at Hodgkin Park in Benwell between 8pm and 10pm. Carnival workshops and performances from Hannabiell Sanders, community stalls, street food from the Newcastle Foodbank working with the Dialogue Society, and Beelines NE craft activities will be among the entertainment before the lighting of the park’s beacon at 9.45pm.
In the East, the Ouseburn Trust has teamed up with the Cumberland Arms to hold a Hadrian’s Wall Beacon Party from 4pm to 11pm. A storytelling event will take place at the newly refurbished story circle by the pub, while there will be live music on the terrace and food from a local vendor.
Revellers will also be able to enjoy an exclusive Roman beer brewed by Northern Alchemy, performances by the Kingsmen, and a light and music show before the lighting of the beacon at 10pm. As part of the wider Jubilee celebrations across the city, houses, pubs, and businesses will be decked out with flags and bunting.
Landmarks including the Civic Centre and the Tyne Bridge will be illuminated red, white, and blue. And communities will be decorating their streets in bunting and dusting off the trestle tables as they come together to hold street parties.
Meanwhile, Newcastle City Library will be hosting a variety of Royal exhibitions throughout May and June, with smaller displays going on show at other branches. Each branch will also have Jubilee-themed story times and craft activities for young people.
Further information
- Click here for information, maps and apps for visiting and getting around in Newcastle
- Click here for information about other events in and around Newcastle and the North East celebrating the Platinum Jubilee
- Click here for national information about the Jubilee