The Christmas decorations were not even packed away before NE1 Ltd turned its attention to preparations for next Christmas and started mapping out a calendar of events for Newcastle up to and including December 2019.
2018 saw the busiest summer and Christmas period in NE1’s history with the most projects ever delivered by the Business Improvement District Company, a programme that set the bar high and raised expectations for what NE1 will do next.
Curating events and activities in the city formed a key part of NE1’s business plan, which secured a successful revote for the BID company giving NE1 another five years to deliver for Newcastle city centre. What was clear from NE1’s re-vote consultations with businesses and the public was just how popular NE1’s events and activities are and how successful they have been for the local economy over the past 10 years.
NE1’s events have always been ambitious, engaging and focussed on delivering measurable business benefits for NE1’s members. Making sure they continue to deliver commercially for the city is crucial and is the starting point for considering whether events remain in the programme for 2019 and beyond.
With this as the starting point, the programme continues to grow and evolve, reflecting changing consumer expectations and the need to keep Newcastle vibrant, different and interesting.
These events are a highly visible and essential way of raising Newcastle’s profile, changing perceptions and making it stand out from its competitors. Having events and activities in the city centre also provides compelling reasons for people to visit, to come back frequently, to stay longer and spend more while they are here.
The team at NE1 are now gearing up to deliver the new, 2019 events calendar, which is already packed with the return of many of NE1’s annual favourites and with some new additions. One of the priorities for NE1 has been to continue to attract world class, major events to Newcastle, specifically those that deliver significant economic impact for the city including major sporting events and concerts at St James’ Park.
The first event in the 2019 calendar will be the return of NE1’s ever popular, and highly successful, Newcastle Restaurant Week. The event, which is held twice a year adds an estimated £1.1 million to the local economy each year, as well as providing added vibrancy to the city’s restaurant scene at traditionally quiet times of the year. The dates for January’s event have been set with restaurants gearing up for the bookings onslaught.
In February, NE1 is supporting the Chinese community to help expand the Chinese New Year celebrations, and in May 2019 will team up with Newcastle City Council and with NGI to deliver the Heineken and Challenge Cup fan zone when the final weekend of the rugby world cup is staged at St James’ Park on 10th and 11th May 2019.
St James’ Park has a proven track record of hosting major national and international sporting fixtures and NE1 says it is proud to be involved in staging what rugby aficionados declare will be the centrepiece of Europe’s festival of world-class club rugby.
NE1 has structured its events delivery on a twophased plan, the summer season running from May to September and winter from Mid-November to early January.
From July to September, NE1 ups the ante with its activity programme with major events scheduled to bring the city to life. In July, NE1 will again sponsor Northern Pride, the biggest free LGBT festival in the country and Screen on the Green will return for free, open air movies in the heart of the city both a sure sign that summer is on its way. 2018’s summer takeovers on both Blackett Street and Northumberland Street were well received and exciting plans are already afoot for this year. The pinnacle of NE1’s summer celebrations will be the Newcastle Motor Show weekend, the largest free, open-air motor show in the North. The event, which grows in stature and popularity year on year will have a number of new elements this year, involving more of the city and attracting what are expected to be record numbers of visitors.
August 2019 will see NE1 continue its support for Newcastle Mela which last year were extended into the city centre with an inaugural parade that kick-started the celebrations. After summer, the focus will shift to Christmas with NE1 looking to seize the commercial opportunity that the festive season provides and encourage people to think Newcastle when they think Christmas. Newcastle’s Christmas offer has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and 2019 promises to be even better.
For details of all that will be happening in the city over the next 12 months and beyond visit www.getintonewcastle.co.uk
