NE1 hails record summer events programme

A business improvement district organisation is celebrating a record summer events programme.

NE1 says more than 215,000 people took part in a host of festivities across Newcastle during the holiday period, adding about £4 million to the city’s economy.

Bosses say the figure marks a best-ever performance.

The summer programme included the Newcastle Dragon Boat Race, which saw 55 teams and more than 950 competitors race on the River Tyne, with in excess of £42,000 raised for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation charity. 

It also saw more than 112,000 people visit Screen on the Green, the large, open-air movie theatre and activity venture in Old Eldon Square; Tiny Toon – the miniature Newcastle play village – and Dog on the Tyne, which attracted more than 5000 dog-lovers and their four-legged friends.

Elsewhere, more than 15,000 people attended NE1’s Quayside Carnival, breaking the record of 10,000 achieved at last year’s inaugural event, while NE1 Newcastle Restaurant Week saw £1.2 million generated for 134 participating eateries during the week-long event in August.

And the new Great North Runners Restaurant Weekend – alongside the Great North Run Company – saw more than 50 dining and food offers arranged exclusively for runners and their families at venues across the city. 

Rachel Fenwick, NE1 head of marketing and events, said: “This has been a landmark summer for NE1 with unprecedented numbers and impact from all our events.

“We’ve had an incredible response from visitors, residents and businesses to everything we’ve delivered.

“From Screen on the Green and Newcastle Restaurant Week to Dog on the Tyne, the Quayside Carnival and the Newcastle Dragon Boat Race, the city’s streets have come alive.”

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