Newcastle hosts record-breaking Magic Weekend

Newcastle once again played host to the Magic Weekend at St. James’ Park, delivering record-breaking attendances in its 18th edition.

More than 64,000 supporters attended the event, up by over 10,000 from last year’s event that was hosted in Leeds. 

Sunday alone attracted 32,862 fans – the biggest crowd for a Magic Weekend Sunday since the event’s inception and beating the previous best of 30,793 set at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium, in 2013.  

Councillor Abdul Samad, cabinet member for culture, music and arts, said: “We were delighted to welcome more than 64,000 fans to St James’ Park across the two days of the Magic Weekend, and many more to the city itself.

“It was fantastic to hear that the event saw it biggest ever attendance on a Sunday, with everyone making the most of the Geordie hospitality on offer.

“The whole city was buzzing, with young and old enjoying the fanzone outside St James’ Park, and it showed that we are the city of the North, a city that continues to host significant events successfully.

“It was brilliant to once again showcase Newcastle on the national stage, helping bring in over £10 million to local businesses.

“We were very proud to host this event again and hope we can work with our partners to bring it back again in the future.”

Last weekend marked the eighth time Newcastle has staged the event, with four of the most successful Magic Weekends on record having been held in the city. 

While final economic figures are yet to be confirmed, previous editions in Newcastle have delivered between £6 million and £9 million for Newcastle’s local economy, with shops, bars, hotels and restaurants all feeling the benefit.

Stephen Patterson, chief executive of NE1 Ltd, which represents the interests of over 1300 businesses in Newcastle city centre and worked alongside Newcastle City Council and Newcastle United to bring Magic Weekend back to the city, added: “What an amazing weekend! 

“We are always delighted to welcome Magic Weekend back to Newcastle and this year’s record attendance figures prove that supporters love coming here.

“Magic Weekend’s unique carnival-style atmosphere spills out of the stadium and fills the city. 

“The fans deserve immense credit – they are a true asset to the sport and are warmly welcomed in Newcastle.

“We love the fancy dress, the good-hearted, friendly rivalry and all the action both on and off the pitch and look forward to hosting Magic Weekend in the future.”

Rhodri Jones, managing director of RL Commercial, added: “It’s been a successful and enjoyable return to Newcastle for the sport and the Betfred Super League competition, and we are delighted to have attracted our highest Magic attendance for seven years, including the best-ever Sunday crowd.

“Magic is about more than numbers and statistics – the warmth of the welcome we have received from Newcastle United, Newcastle City Council, NGI and NE1 has been appreciated by tens of thousands of Rugby League supporters who have travelled from all over the country to celebrate the sport, in a weekend which remains unique domestically and has now been replicated in Australia.

“As ever with Magic, we’ve added some new features in 2025, especially for fans in and around the stadium, and worked with Betfred on raising money for the MND Association through try celebrations – and also built on the elements which have proved so popular such as the Learning Disability Super League Festival in partnership with Community Integrated Care, and supported as ever by Sky Sports.

“We’ll review the weekend and look forward to making an early announcement about the 19th Magic Weekend in 2026.”

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