- Play Hard
- 8th Jul 2026
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Free events, summer garden afternoon tea and a supper club – what’s on at The Biscuit Factory
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Whether you’re after a free night out, a lazy afternoon tea or a proper sit-down dinner celebrating the best of Northumberland’s larder, The Biscuit Factory has a summer line-up worth getting excited about.
Here’s what’s on in Newcastle’s favourite independent gallery over the coming months.
GOLDEN HOUR: SUMMER EXHIBITION LAUNCH PARTY
Friday 10th July
Cost: Free
There are few better ways to spend a Friday evening than with a glass of natural wine in hand, surrounded by art. The Biscuit Factory is throwing open its doors for Golden Hour – a free summer exhibition launch party running from 7pm to 9pm, and it promises to be a good one.
The evening marks the opening of A Fleeting Presence, a headline exhibition by award-winning painter and printmaker Emerson Mayes, inspired by the golden-hour magic of a summer sunset – that particular quality of light when everything softens and time seems to slow.
As well as browsing new collections from over 200 artists and makers, you can catch pop-up talks from artists Mike Pinkney at 7.20pm and Anny Hsieh at 8pm, snap something gorgeous in the photo booth with Studio Social North, soundtracked by a vinyl set from DJs Deja Brew.
NORTHUMBERLAND SUMMER SUPPER CLUB
Friday 10th July
Cost: £65
If you’re heading to the Golden Hour launch, why not make a proper night of it? On the same evening, The Factory Kitchen is hosting its Northumberland Summer Supper Club – a four-course menu by Head Chef Ross Parker that’s all about the very best of the region’s seasonal produce.
Tickets include wine pairings throughout. Supper Club guests can also access a VIP preview of the gallery from 6pm, giving you a head start on the evening before the doors open to everyone else at 7pm.
The menu has our mouths watering already. Think North Sea white crab on an English crumpet to start, followed by honey-spiced duck breast with carrot and ginger purée, then a mille-feuille of English strawberries with basil sorbet to finish.
Veggies, you’re not left out; there’s a vegetarian option at every course too, and the wine pairings – a Chilean unoaked Chardonnay with the starter, a French Pinot Noir with the main – have been chosen to complement each dish.
SUMMER GARDEN TEA
Sunday 28th June, Sunday 26th July and Sunday 30th August
Cost: £30
Running on the last Sunday of June, July and August, The Factory Kitchen’s Summer Garden Tea is the kind of afternoon that demands absolutely nothing of you except showing up and enjoying yourself. Tickets include a £5 donation to St Oswald’s Hospice, so every scone you eat is doing some good in the world.
The menu gives us a taste of summer harvest – roast chicken and tarragon mayo sandwiches, courgette and Northumberland cheddar quiche, cherry scones with house compote and Chantilly cream, raspberry and white chocolate blondies. It’s generous, seasonal and very much the stuff of a perfect slow Sunday.
The tea is also connected to the city-wide Peter Rabbit: Tales on the Tyne art trail (more on that below), with the menu drawing inspiration from Peter’s adventures in Mr McGregor’s garden. The children’s menu has had a sweet seasonal update too – Flopsy’s French Toast, anyone?
PETER RABBIT: TALES ON THE TYNE
Wednesday 15th July – Sunday 14th September
Cost: Free
The Biscuit Factory is hosting three Fluffles – Little Peter sculptures decorated by local schools – as part of St Oswald’s Hospice’s Peter Rabbit: Tales on the Tyne public art trail. Entry is free, and alongside the trail there are children’s activities and creative workshops taking place throughout the summer.
The wider trail is a big deal for the region. Following the success of Great North Snowdogs, Elmer’s Great North Parade and Shaun on the Tyne, this is St Oswald’s Hospice’s fourth major public art trail – timed to celebrate both the charity’s 40th birthday and the 160th anniversary of Beatrix Potter.
Oversized Peter Rabbit sculptures, each one uniquely designed by regional and national artists, will pop up across Newcastle and North Tyneside from 15th July to 14th September, with a trail map and app to guide you round.
It’s free, it’s family-friendly, and it’s one of those things that’ll make you glad to live here. When the trail ends, the sculptures go to auction to raise vital funds for the hospice.
Rachael Ellis
Head of Content
After gaining a first in her BA Media and Journalism degree at Northumbria University, Rachael worked at Newcastle’s leading regional newspaper with her stories being picked up in national and global newspapers. She spent two very successful years giving a voice to those communities across the North East who otherwise…
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