Christmas 2021: What events are happening for families across Newcastle this festive season?

It may be dark and cold, but there is plenty to do around the city at this time of year.
Full Christmas festivities are returning to Newcastle this year.Full Christmas festivities are returning to Newcastle this year.
Full Christmas festivities are returning to Newcastle this year.

Halloween has come and gone, and now the build up to Christmas is underway. But what family events are going on in and around Newcastle this year?

Much like every year, the festive season kicks off on Tyneside with the turning on of Newcastle’s Christmas lights. This year the occasion went back to an in-person event after Covid restrictions cancelled the festivities last year and saw the area around Grey street packed with families.

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And now Christmas has officially begun, there is plenty for families to do in the build up to the big day.

No Christmas is complete without a trip to the panto, and the North East has plenty of options this winter. The pick of the bunch comes from Newcastle’s very own Theatre Royal where South Shields local Joe McElderry will star as The Man In The Mirror in the theatre’s production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Other pantos can be found in Whitley Bay and North Shields.

Newcastle’s Discovery museum is also getting involved in the festive fun with drop in Christmas craft sessions. Participation costs £1.50 with no appointment needed across 21 and 23 of December.

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Over at the Great North Museum, there is further fun to be had in the form of the site’s Christmas Ceilidh. For one night only you can try out the traditional Celtic dance in addition to enjoying food, drink and entertainment in the museum’s exhibition hall.

For those with younger kids, the Great North Museum is also hosting a silent disco where kids will be able to dance along to three channels among the site’s exhibitions. Entry for the 16 December event is £4 with an additional deposit needed for the headset.

The museum is also hosting NE1’s opening event of the 24 Doors of Christmas at their planetarium. The Concept encourages attractions across the city to open their doors allowing children to discover more about the city and wider world they live in. As the name suggests, this continues throughout December.