Summer in Newcastle: What to Do When the Sun Comes Out

Newcastle summers can surprise people who arrive expecting permanent grey drizzle. The city sits far enough north that long evenings run until 10pm in June and July, and when the weather is good, the whole city moves outdoors. The Quayside fills up, the Ouseburn beer gardens become destination venues, and the coast – 20 minutes away by Metro – becomes a genuine option. Here’s how to spend a Newcastle summer.

Quayside Sunday Market

Running most Sundays from spring through to autumn, the Quayside Market stretches along the Tyne riverside from the Tyne Bridge toward the Millennium Bridge. The mix of street food, artisan produce, crafts, and vintage items makes it one of the better Sunday markets in the North of England. Arrive for 10am for the best food stall selection. The atmosphere on a warm Sunday morning – the river, the bridges, the buskers – is one of Newcastle’s seasonal highlights.

Whitley Bay

Twenty minutes from Monument station on the Metro, Whitley Bay is the nearest beach to Newcastle and has undergone a regeneration over the past decade that has made it more worth visiting than at any point since its Edwardian heyday. The Spanish City has been restored as a food and entertainment venue, the Spanish City Dome is a striking landmark, and the beach itself is a proper sandy beach with the North Sea doing its Atlantic-facing thing. Take the Metro, arrive by 11am for a summer weekend.

Tynemouth

Also on the Metro, Tynemouth is slightly more upmarket than Whitley Bay and has its own market in the priory grounds at weekends – one of the best outdoor markets in the North East covering everything from antiques to street food. The beach at Longsands is popular with surfers and the coastal path toward Cullercoats is a good afternoon walk.

Outdoor Bars on the Quayside

In summer, the Quayside operates as a continuous outdoor drinking venue. The bars on the Newcastle and Gateshead sides extend onto riverside terraces and the whole waterfront becomes one long outdoor social space. On a warm Thursday evening, the Quayside is genuinely one of the best places to be in the North of England.

The Town Moor: Hoppings Fair

Every June, the Town Moor hosts the Hoppings Fair – one of the largest travelling fairs in Europe. It runs for a week and the scale of it, set against the open common north of the city, is genuinely impressive. A Newcastle summer institution.