By Stephen Patterson, Chief Executive NE1
As I write this, the team at NE1 are in a celebratory mood. We came out of our successful BID ballot in October, which secured our future for the next five years and ringfenced £11.5 million of investment for the city centre, straight into Newcastle’s Christmas and New Year festivities.
Newcastle does Christmas well. The unveiling of Fenwick’s famous Christmas window kickstarts the celebrations and the excitement and festive energy builds from there. The Christmas markets led by Newcastle City Council, festive lights, and NE1’s events add up to a packed seasonal programme which will continue into the New Year with a newly refocused Laser Light City celebration. We are proud of the show we put on, but recognise that more needs to be done to enhance Newcastle’s Christmas appeal and to attract a larger audience from farther afield.
Over the last few years, we have worked hard and closely with Newcastle City Council to develop Newcastle’s Christmas offer and to put the city on the festive map.
Christmas is big business and can deliver a major boost for the economy and local businesses; it will be a key focus for us in the coming years. A strong and compelling Christmas offer brings visitors, from near and far, and generates revenue, both in the festive markets and in the city’s businesses.
There is so much more we can do to attract more Christmas tourists who are on the search for somewhere to visit. Newcastle should be considered amongst the top festive destinations in Europe, not just the UK. It is not unreasonable for Newcastle to aspire to be competing with the likes of Manchester, York and Edinburgh, and Berlin, Copenhagen and Budapest on the continent, who are streets ahead of us in the festive stakes.
Newcastle already has many of the elements to make a great Christmas destination; expanding markets, a pop-up festive-themed bar, an ice-rink and other seasonal fun, not to mention the city’s picture postcard iconic locations, stunning architecture, walkability, and our world-renowned all-year-round leisure and hospitality scene. To increase our appeal as a Christmas destination we need to increase the quantity and scale of our festive offer as well as increase our visibility. Newcastle needs to be on the radar when people are planning their next seasonal adventure.
Since 2021 and the first Christmas post-pandemic, Newcastle City Council has run the Christmas Market with help and support from NE1. 2022 was a year of real growth, helped by the addition of Old Eldon Square as a new area, and more stalls, which increased visitor numbers and spending. An additional 700,000 visitors came to the market against the previous year generating an on-site and in-city spend of £47 million, by those visiting specifically to go to the markets.
This year the market has more stalls and has managed to retain its local focus. A lot of hard work has gone into keeping the event local. Two-thirds of all the stalls are occupied by businesses from within just 10 miles of the city centre, and 84% are occupied by those within 20 miles, ensuring the city’s Christmas Market has a distinct North East flavour.
NE1 has also worked with Newcastle City Council and with BAFTA award-winning artist, Seb-Lee Delisle to deliver a revamped Laser Light City show for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. To return the attention and focus to New Year’s Eve itself, Laser Light City has been condensed into a one-night-only extravaganza. Three shows will be celebrated at 6pm, 9pm and midnight on the 31st December providing a major fanfare and restoring the sense of occasion and celebration. Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to descend on the city to ring in the New Year.
When all the festive celebrations are over comes a renewed focus on the year ahead and the exciting opportunities that await the city. 2023 was a year of much change within the city centre and we expect 2024 to follow the same exciting course.
Huge sections of Newcastle are either in the throes of redevelopment or are primed and ready for work to start. Building continues on Pilgrim Street with the construction of Pilgrim’s Quarter, the impressive new North-East headquarters for HMRC. Hailed as the largest office development in Newcastle’s city centre’s history and thought to be one of the largest single-occupier building projects in the UK, the complex is rapidly taking shape with the newly installed curved glass façade marking a major milestone in this landmark development. Neighbouring Bank House, another newcomer to Pilgrim Street, officially opened this year and welcomed its first occupants. The building has set the bar high for quality office space within this new commercial district.
2024 promises to be another year of major developments across the city with work continuing at the Helix, and at the Gateshead International Conference Centre, as well as at sites around Central Station and the Utilita Arena. For the next five to ten years, investment and growth will be hard-wired into Newcastle’s DNA with cranes visible on the horizon, and the fabric of the city changing before our eyes, it’s an exciting time.
It is fantastic to be starting the year in this position but it needs to be matched by a collective plan and vision for the city’s long-term success. A growing city will inevitably experience growing pains. Bringing more people into Newcastle whether for festive fun or long-term work and living will bring with it more problems. On the upside, more people means more economic growth and spending, but on the downside means more litter and other potential problems.
Recent transport issues with road, rail and public services have highlighted the need for a well-thought-out transport plan that addresses the city’s growth and the need for quality and efficiency to match the wider investment.
Major efforts have been made to attract people, investment and business to the city but this is just the start of the story, not the end. 2024 will be the year to focus on the next chapter, and with our destiny in our own hands, we will continue to drive for further success.
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