Newcastle is promising “bigger and better” Christmas and New Year celebrations this winter.

Plans in the works for the city’s festive celebrations in 2024 include an expanded Christmas Market and a “spectacular” New Year’s Eve show.

City leaders will be asked next week to sign off on funding for the yuletide events, which are thought to have boosted the Tyneside economy by almost £57 million last year.

The main changes to this year’s offer include a larger Christmas Market than in 2023, with stalls and an as-yet-unannounced “unique hospitality offer” set up around Grey’s Monument.

Stalls will also be set up along Grainger Street and Grey Street, while Newcastle City Council has also promised a new, free-of-charge, family entertainment area on Old Eldon Square – including a Santa’s grotto and a stage for a series of holiday performances.

The city centre’s Christmas lights switch-on has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 12, with the Christmas Market running from Saturday, November 16, until Christmas Eve.

A council report ahead of a cabinet meeting next week also teases an “improved, state of the art, spectacular installation and light show for New Years Eve” that will build on the Laser Light City shows staged on the Quayside in recent years.

Labour councillors will be asked next Monday to sign off on spending up to £500,000 of the council’s cash reserves to fund the events, alongside awarding a grant of up to £250,000 to city centre Business Improvement District company NE1. 

The council said that, on average, around 1.4 million Christmas market shoppers spent £23,44 per visit last year – with a total estimated £56.8 million spent in the wider city centre as a direct result of the Christmas market.

Coun Abdul Samad, the council’s cabinet member responsible for culture, said: “Newcastle’s Christmas is growing and improving year on year and the plans that are due at cabinet further demonstrate this. These will not only transform the heart of the city into a festive wonderland they will also benefit our city in other many ways.

“We remain committed to adding social value by providing residents with free and accessible events throughout the year. Our Christmas offer provides something for everyone, and opportunities to enjoy time with family and friends.

“As a major core city, it is also essential that Newcastle attracts visitors at this time of year, showcasing our fantastic city and supporting the local economy. The 2023 Christmas market attracted over 1.375 million visitors to the city with a total spend of nearly £57million as a direct result of the market.

“And as the Christmas market, mainly made up of local traders, and Grainger Market remain integral to our plans, local businesses are supported and can maximise their revenue during the busy festive period.”

The council added that 95% of the Christmas market’s traders were local in 2023 and that this “will be mirrored again this year”.

Civic centre bosses previously tore up a multi-year contract with a Nottingham-based firm to run the city’s Christmas market, amid uncertainty sparked by the Covid pandemic and following complaints from independent Tyneside traders that 2019’s event took vital income away from them.

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Full details of the city’s programme of festive events for 2024 and who will be trading at the markets will be announced towards the end of October.

Stephen Patterson, chief executive of Newcastle NE1 Ltd said: “It is essential that cities continue to evolve and change, and never more so than in the golden six weeks before Christmas, which is such a key period for the city’s businesses.

“The Christmas market and the expanded plans for this year will attract scores of visitors into the city at this important time, and we are delighted to be working alongside Newcastle City Council to ensure Newcastle has a Christmas experience befitting of its position as the region’s capital.”