A UNIQUE Christmas event will give Tyneside shoppers the opportunity to get into the festive spirit and enjoy a great night out at the same time. STACK Newcastle is hosting a seasonal night market for the first time, bringing together more than 60 unique sellers offering a range of special goods. The Night Market UK is known for hosting spectacular evenings around the country and has returned to STACK Newcastle after a successful event earlier in the year. This time round the

MULLED wine, giant nutcracker soldiers and cocktails themed around iconic Christmas films will mark the official launch of Newcastle’s newest bar next week (12 Nov). Christmas at Grey Street – the former Leila’s Lily’s – will re-open on Thursday 12 November for the festive period only. And the launch night has been timed to coincide with the city’s Christmas lights switch on, making the opulent, glamorous venue the ideal place to kick start Christmas celebrations. From 4pm to

The ultimate Christmas gift of rest and relaxation goes on sale today (2 November) as an award-winning North East spa turns Santa. Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa near Durham has unveiled a sack full of festive voucher packages, ideal for anyone wanting to give a loved one the perfect seasonal treat. And to make the gift even better, the gift vouchers can last long after the festivities are over as they are valid up until 31 March 2027. Among the deals on offer: Ench

Indian food with a serious twist. Date night just found its new home. We were invited to Tantara in Jesmond last weekend and came away majorly impresed, and I don't say that lightly about an Indian restaurant. (as a girl that lived in India for 6 months). This is Indian food but not as you know it. The menu is creative, the cocktails are incredible and the whole place has a really elevated feel to it. We went striahgt in on a prawn starter, and a chicken cheese ball - sounds

The mini salon that's about to be on every North East mam's radar We went to the opening last week and honestly? Renae was in her element. Be that girl is the newest venture from the team behind Blossom Pamper Parties in Gateshead, and if you know, you know. They've brought that same energy into a proper kids walk in salon space at The Crescent, Metrocentre. Think mini pink chairs, pedicures, nails, make your own lipgloss, party packages & more. Renae is 5 and it was absolute

PART 1: NORTH EAST FAMILY EVENTS Northumberland The Alnwick Garden, Pumpkin Garden (Alnwick NE66 1HB) 10 Oct to 1 Nov. 10am-5pm until 23 Oct, then 10am-4pm. From 24 Oct there is a scavenger hunt and harvest games. Included in entry. Adult Garden £17.90, under-17s free on a standard Garden ticket (up to four per booking). Online is cheaper, standard tickets are non-refundable. Lilidorei, Spookydorei Days and Nights (Alnwick NE66 1HB) Days: 10 Oct to 1 Nov, 10am-5pm. Dress-up,

Bonfire Night is Thursday 5th November 2026. Most displays run across the surrounding weekends: Sat 31 Oct, Sun 1 Nov, Fri 6 Nov, Sat 7 Nov are the big ones. Best value, family of four Barnby Dun and Kirk Sandall Rec, Doncaster (Sat 7 Nov): £8 including parking Rising Sun, Whitwood (Thu 5 Nov): £10 Scholes CC, Cleckheaton (Sat 7 Nov): £14 Huddersfield Round Table (Sat 7 Nov): £14 Holy Trinity Idle, Bradford (Sat 7 Nov): £10 family ticket (sales opened 9 Oct at 7pm, sells out

The Details Standard Ticket: £6.00 per person (plus booking fee) Children in pushchairs (under 3): Free Saturday 7th November 2026, gates open 4pm, fireworks at 8.15pm, last fairground ride 9.30pm Address: Gateshead International Stadium, Neilson Road, Gateshead NE10 0EF This has become our go-to for Bonfire Night, and honestly, it's grown into one of the best organised firework events we've been to in the region. Gateshead Stadium Firework Frenzy is right on our doorstep, ru

The Details Tickets from £10.00 per person (price rises in release tiers as the date approaches) Family ticket (2 adults + 2 children): £26.00 Children under 2: Free Two dates for 2026: Thursday 5th November and Saturday 7th November, 4pm - 11pm Address: Lintz Hall Farm, Lintz Lane, Burnopfield, County Durham NE16 6AS This is Bonfire Night on a genuinely bigger scale, one of the region's biggest firework extravaganzas, and with two dates to choose from this year it's easier t

My kids might be a little crazy but if one thing can keep there attention and keep them chilled its LEGO. so when I seen a brand new Lego cafe opened up here in the North East I was absolutely thrilled. Bricks and Brews is exactly what you think it is, a cafe dedicated to all things lego where you actually build and the kids can get creative with free play or pick from hundreds of sets and build a full design. If like me your lego structures end up breaking, collecting dust o

Visit Rexys Dino Store Rexys Reviews, better known locally as The Dino Den, bills itself as the UK's largest independent specialist dinosaur shop. Having relocated from South Shields to a new home in Dunston, it's part shop, part free exhibition, stacked with dinosaur toys, collectibles and Jurassic Park memorabilia for fans of every age. The lowdown: Where: Rear Unit, Forge Road, Dunston, Gateshead, NE8 2RB When: Daily, 10am–6pm. It's worth checking the shop's Facebook page

Visit Top Gear Karting Top Gear Karting is the North East's premier indoor karting venue, a fully enclosed 200 metre circuit on the outskirts of Durham city centre. Established in 1999, it's been a fixture of the region's motorsport scene for over two decades, offering everything from casual arrive-and-drive sessions to endurance races and junior birthday parties. The lowdown: Where: Unit 13, Rennys Lane Industrial Estate, Gilesgate Moor, Durham, DH1 2RS When: Term time: Mond

Visit Whitley Bay Whitley Bay's seafront has been home to classic amusement arcades for generations, clustered along the promenade near the landmark Spanish City Dome. It's the sort of unpretentious, pay-as-you-go fun that's been a staple of the British seaside for decades, 2p pushers, prize grabbers and the odd round of mini bowling. They've decided to take it up a notch by now having prizes that range from Stanley Cups, Labubu's and Squishies. The lowdown: Where: Several ar

NOW CLOSED! Peppa Pig: Surprise Party is a first-of-its-kind immersive experience for preschoolers, bringing Peppa's world to life across a 19,000 sq ft space inside Gateshead's Metrocentre. Designed for children aged 1 to 6, the 1 hour 45 minute adventure blends live puppetry, theatrical performance and hands-on activities as families help plan Peppa's biggest surprise party yet. The lowdown: Where: Metrocentre, Upper Green Mall (first floor, opposite Boots), St. Michael's W

Visit Air Trail Air Trail is the UK's biggest Sky Trail high ropes adventure course, standing 17 metres above the River Tees at Tees Barrage in Stockton-on-Tees. Spread across four levels, it offers 60 unique challenges including wobbly rope bridges, cargo nets, tightropes and swinging stepping stones, plus two full-length zip wires that span the entire length of the course, the only course outside the US to do so. The lowdown: Where: Tees Barrage International White Water Ce

Picnic Spots A good picnic spot needs a few things: somewhere lovely to sit, somewhere for a wild child to disappear for twenty minutes and burn off the sandwich, and ideally a decent view to enjoy while you're waiting for them to come back. The North East has this covered in every direction, from grand parkland estates to a genuinely wild gorge walk. Gibside, near Rowlands Gill A 600 acre Georgian landscape garden with sweeping views across the Derwent Valley, Gibside is one

Beach Days The North East coastline punches well above its weight, from Blue Flag beaches with lifeguards and cafés right on the doorstep to vast, wild stretches of sand where you can walk for an hour and barely see another soul. Here's a spread to suit every kind of day out. Tynemouth Longsands and Whitley Bay These two neighbouring beaches, along with King Edward's Bay next door, have held Blue Flag status every year since 1994, among a small handful of beaches nationally t

Best Splash Pads There is no finer way to occupy a wild child on a properly hot day than a splash pad, and the North East has a decent scattering of them, almost all free, dotted between Northumberland and Durham. None of them are enormous, but that's rather the point: turn up, get soaked, dry off on the grass, repeat. Ridley Park, Blyth An award-winning Victorian park with a genuinely popular water play area right at its centre, alongside two separate playgrounds for differe

Outdoor Swimming Pools Honesty first: the North East was never blessed with the lido culture you find further south, and most of our traditional outdoor pools closed decades ago. What we do have are a small handful of genuinely lovely spots, from a heated open air pool tucked into the Durham Dales to organised open water sessions on some of Northumberland's prettiest lakes. A little more planning is required than simply turning up, but the reward is well worth it. Haltwhistle

Flower and Fruit Picking There's something rather satisfying about handing a wild child a basket and letting them loose in a field, particularly when the end result is a punnet of strawberries or an armful of dahlias to bring home. The North East isn't short of proper working farms happy to let you do exactly that, from soft fruit fields near Corbridge to a flower garden growing in the shadow of a medieval priory. Here are a few of our favourites. Brocksbushes Farm, Corbridge