Gateshead celebrate #Angel20 at Late Shows
The Late Shows – supported by Port of Tyne – returns this weekend in NewcastleGateshead, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 May. There is plenty to look forward to this year with another packed programme of after-hours culture as part of national event Museums at Night.
Over 60 day-time culture and heritage attractions on Tyneside will open late into the evening to offer special activities at this award winning late-night culture crawl.
Across the two-night event, visitors can expect a wide range of exhibitions, open studios, workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, curiosities, music, dance, theatre, heritage, food and merriment.
The event this year has got a lot of people excited, with the popular tours for Victoria Tunnel and the Swing Bridge selling out within minutes of their release.
Bill Griffiths, Head of Programmes at Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and Project Manager of The Late Shows, said:
“I’m really looking forward to The Late Shows this year. To have over 60 venues taking part on this yearly after-hours culture crawl across NewcastleGateshead is fantastic.
I can’t think of anywhere else in the UK where people could visit over 60 amazing venues in such a concentrated area like in NewcastleGateshead. This is one of the reasons why I think The Late Shows is not only the ultimate late-night culture-crawl, but one of the best collaborative cultural events in the country.”
Gateshead Council have invested a lot of time and effort into The Late Shows this year to both show off all the great cultural venues in Gateshead, with more venues in Gateshead taking part than ever before. Many will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Gateshead’s iconic Angel of the North. Some venues taking part in Gateshead, will be providing activities and events inspired by #Angel20 including The Shipley Art Gallery, The Kiln Pottery Studio, The Nest Café & Community Rooms CIC, Bensham Grove Community Centre and LearningSkills Centre.
Lindsay Murray, Gateshead Council’s Service Director of Trading and Commercialisation said:
“The Late Shows have become increasingly popular each year and we’re delighted that more Gateshead venues are opening than ever before. It’s a great opportunity for us to remind people that Gateshead is a thriving cultural destination. We’re also excited that this year some venues will, with our support, use the Angel of the North as the theme for their events.”
Elsewhere in Gateshead, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art will also be open later for the public, in addition to Curious Arts’ event just outside in Baltic Square, where they have commissioned light artist Stuart Langley to set up a brilliant light installation, which will include an amazing light up display on Gateshead Millennium Bridge, an event also supported by Gateshead Council.
This year also sees a first for their new fringe event The Twilight Shows, where some Late Shows venues will be opening a little earlier with special events aimed at 12-17 year olds, running between 4pm and 7pm. The Twilight Shows line-up includes Tyneside Cinema, who will be providing a free showing of Love, Simon to those aged 18 and under, as well as Twilight Shows events at Seven Stories, Alphabetti Theatre, Dance City, The NewBridge Project: Gateshead, Laing Art Gallery and Space Six (in Commercial Union House).
Bill Griffiths added:
“We’re always looking for new ways to help young people visit venues, and provide them with fun and memorable experiences. We’re confident that The Twilight Shows, is going to be a brilliant way to encourage younger people to visit some of the great venues that NewcastleGateshead has to offer.”
The Late Shows begins from 7pm on Friday 18 May in the Ouseburn Valley only before Saturday 19 May’s where venues across Central Newcastle and Gateshead take their turn offering a large range of cultural activities and entertainment. Venues in Gateshead open an hour earlier on Saturday, at 6pm.
The fun continues into the small hours with The Late Late Shows, a fringe event that brings together a selection of venues that are already open at night including The Cumberland Arms, and Sage Gateshead amongst others.
Free bus services and accessible taxis will be available during the event to help visitors move between venues.
The full line-up for The Late Shows 2018 is available to view online at www.thelateshows.org.uk.
Follow The Late Shows social media channels for the all the latest updates:
www.facebook.com/thelateshows
www.twitter.com/thelateshows
www.instagram.com/thelateshows
