Tourism and travel

Enjoy a short tour along The Close and Newcastle and Gateshead's historic riverside with seasonal refreshments at St. Mary's Heritage Centre. 

Walk must br prebooked

Meet at Guildhall at 2pm.

One hour informal walk crossing the Millenium Bridge with seasonal refreshments at St. Mary's Heritage Centre.

Walk must be prebooked.

Meet at Guildhall at 2pm.

A great chance to pick up something different for a Christmas gift. With lots of handmade crafts to choose from in a lovely setting it will be a perfect excuse to start your Christmas activities. Refreshments available. Free entry.

Come on a festive visit to meet Father Christmas in his cosy woodland grotto. Warm up by the fire and open an early present!

For your eyes only, to finish off the Christmas season we’re inviting you to our exclusive Black Tie Casino Night in Monte Carlo.

Not only will you be able to try your hand on the casino tables, but you can also experience a thrilling drive in a Formula 1 simulator. Grab a Martini at the bar, shaken not stirred and if our casino tables aren’t enough to keep you entertained there will be a disco throughout the night to get you in the party mood.

Join us on a guided winter walk with a warden, make a reindeer snack for Rudolph and create a wooden animal (one per child). Then head to Santa’s cosy cabin where the big man himself will listen to all the children’s Christmas wishes and present them with a gift.

Booking is essential and cost is £10 per child/£5 per adult, including admission.  Please visit the centre, call 0191 416 5454 or email info.washington@wwt.org.ukfor booking and payment.

Christmas at Belsay has always been a special occasion; the Middleton family first moved into the then brand new Hall here at Belsay on Christmas Day in 1817. Learn about Prince Albert’s influence in popularising the Christmas tree, and discover the origins of crackers, mince pies, carol singing and pantomimes. You can also shop for unique Christmas gifts and sample English Heritage’s own range of liqueurs and seasonal treats.

Come along to our first Christmas party, as we go back in time to celebrate the era we all fell in love with. We are honouring not one but four individual musicals with their most memorable songs and dance moves.

We’ll give you the time of your life as you relive Dirty Dancing, Saturday Night Fever, Mamma Mia and Grease like you've never seen them before. Each set showcases the most popular songs and scenes from the movies.

Your night includes a two course meal and for the dancing queens there’s a disco after the acts are finished. We’ll be hopelessly devoted to providing you the best Christmas party night you’ll attend this year!

Why not join Santa and his staff aboard 'the Fortuna' on a cruise down the River Tyne.

Take time out from the hectic preparations for Christmas to spend time on a great value family fun cruise - a great way to experience unrivalled views of the river.

The cruise takes you under the magical Gateshead Millennium Bridge then downriver as far as the river mouth.

Sailing from and returning to our boarding point on the Quayside
Three-hour cruise along the River Tyne
Fun activities for the kids, including a chance to meet Santa and disco
Christmas quiz
A festive treat for the adults - mulled wine and warm mince pies
Gift bags for the children
Refreshments and fully stocked bar available

In 2014, André Rieu’s colourful and fun concerts, a musical journey around the world, enthused ten-thousands of fans in the UK. Now the King of Waltz has announced that he will return to tour the UK in 2015.
 
André Rieu: “I am looking very much forward to returning to the UK! It’s wonderful to see how people from all over the world  dance, sing along with us and have a lot of fun, no matter if they’re young or old, from the UK, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Scandinavia…. We celebrate a big party every night together. I see so many happy faces each night in front of me and this proves that classical music is for everyone and that we were able to reach our audiences hearts!  So I hope you will all join us for another very special evening – see you in December.”

Get your tickets for an evening full of humor, music and emotion for young and old. Immerse yourself into the most romantic melodies, or get out of your seat and dance in the aisles on one of the catchy waltzes and tunes from opera and operettas, film music and well known folk songs. Experience the magic of André Rieu at a festive and memorable evening and come see why André Rieu is one of the most popular live acts in the world! Over 35 million sold DVDs and CDs , 411 platinum and 171 gold records, more than 1,5 million Facebook fans  and annually about 1 Million concert goers speak for themselves: André Rieu is the most successful classical touring artist worldwide and appears continuously in the Billboard Chart’s Top Ten for ten years. Asia, Australia, North America, South America, South Africa, Europe – there is no continent where André Rieu does not fascinate the audience with his waltz.

For many people worldwide a concert by André Rieu is the highlight of the year.      

Tickets costing from £40.00 will go on sale 9.00am Friday 27th February 2015 and are available online, from the booking hotline number 0844 493 6666 or from 10.00am in person from the Metro Radio Arena Box Office.