- Play Hard
- 17th Jul 2026
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Newcastle’s free summer festival is taking over the city this August – here’s what you need to know
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NOVUM Festival returns to Newcastle city centre this August, bringing three days of world-class art, live music, spectacle and community joy to the streets, squares and spaces of our city. Best of all? Almost everything is completely free.
From 7–9 August 2026, Newcastle city centre becomes a living, breathing festival venue as NOVUM transforms familiar streets into something altogether extraordinary. Whether you wander in for half an hour or spend the whole weekend exploring, there’s something waiting around every corner.
Now in its third year and delivered by Newcastle City Council’s Cultural Events Team, NOVUM has grown into one of the most exciting free festivals in the North of England – co-created with local communities and featuring artists from across the region, the UK and the world.
The headline moment: Dominoes Newcastle
The festival’s unmissable finale is Dominoes Newcastle by internationally acclaimed company Station House Opera – the first time this breathtaking spectacle has ever come to the North East. On Sunday 9 August from 2.30pm, hundreds of volunteers will build a monumental sculptural line of dominoes stretching east to west right through the heart of Newcastle. Then, at 4.30pm, it all falls in one extraordinary chain reaction.
It’s a collective, once-in-a-lifetime moment that has previously wowed audiences at St Paul’s Cathedral, the Royal Swedish Opera House and the National Museum of Denmark. You’ll want to be there. It runs from 2:30–5pm on Sunday 9 August – follow the route as it takes shape, then hold your breath for the fall.
A city transformed
Across all three days, the programme is packed with performances, installations and experiences that invite you to see Newcastle differently. Portals – a series of bold, large-scale gateway installations dotted around the city centre – will make it impossible to miss the festival spirit as you explore.
A Room in Bloom at High Bridge Works invites you to step inside a larger-than-life floral wonderland, while Colour Outside the Lines offers an Instagrammable installation at Newcastle Civic Centre that all ages will love.
On Grey Street, the acrobatic performers of BLOCK will make jaws drop, and over on Northumberland Street you can catch Possê – a joyful explosion of live percussion, dance and theatre. Bird Rave at Northern Stage is exactly what it sounds like, and the brass-band energy of Mr Wilson’s Second Liners Live will get the whole street dancing on Saturday.
Stories of Newcastle, told by Newcastle
NOVUM is built with the city as much as for it. You Are Here: NOVUM is a free, ticketed audio walking experience starting at Grainger Market, where theatre company The Six Twenty will guide small groups through the streets to uncover hidden voices, local memories and the stories that make Newcastle what it is. Sessions run at 11.30am, 1pm and 2.30pm on both Saturday and Sunday (plus 4pm on Saturday).
Meanwhile, Reshaping the Toon at Newcastle City Library brings community creativity indoors with a craft installation and workshop inspired by the city’s own identity – and all 26 of Newcastle’s wards have contributed flags, banners and bunting that will dress the city throughout the festival weekend.
Perfect for families
NOVUM is very family-friendly, with dozens of events designed for all ages. Right to Play at Newcastle Civic Centre is a giant hands-on adventure playground running both days, 11am–5pm. The Swings brings aerial performance to the Civic Centre, Gigantic Bubble Fun is exactly the chaotic joy it promises, and Festival Facepainting will keep little ones entertained throughout the weekend.
String and Strong’s Great Big Gameathon features curious characters on a mission to learn how humans play, and The Turkey & The Caterpillar is a charming outdoor performance for families to stumble across.
Performances for everyone
Among the free outdoor programme, Fabric of Us joins Motionhouse and co on Grey Street with a joyful dance piece celebrating community through movement, and it’s a show for all ages.
There’s live music running through the whole weekend too, from street performances to DJ sets, adding another layer to the festival’s free, drop-in energy.
For those wanting a bit extra, the Red Herring Silent Disco Walking Tour offers a fresh, headphone-clad way to see the city and is perfect for all ages. It’s ticketed, and organisers have hinted at more ticketed additions to come as the programme rolls out further.
The fun kicks off Friday 7th August, with the main programme running Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August, 11am through to evening each day. Most events are free and drop-in, so there’s no need to book. Just turn up, get stuck in, and see where the weekend takes you.
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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