NOVUM Festival Returns: Newcastle's Free Summer Takeover, 7-9 August

If you are looking for a free day out with the children over the summer holidays, NOVUM Festival is one of the best options on Gosforth's doorstep. From Friday 7 to Sunday 9 August, the streets, squares and unexpected corners of Newcastle city centre burst into life with a free, family-friendly programme of outdoor spectacle, playful installations, creative workshops, live music and performance — all under the banner "the city is our playground".

Best of all, it is a genuinely easy trip from Gosforth: hop on the Metro from Regent Centre or South Gosforth and you are in the middle of it in minutes, with no parking to worry about.

Dominoes: the headline spectacle

The festival's centrepiece is Dominoes Newcastle by Station House Opera, taking place on the Sunday afternoon (9 August, from 2.30pm). Thousands of breeze blocks are arranged into a vast moving sculpture that snakes across the city centre before cascading through the streets in a slow-motion chain reaction. It is a genuinely mesmerising piece of live art, and it is completely free to watch.

Things to make and do

Beyond the headline, more than thirty events run across the weekend, most of them drop-in and family-friendly. A few to look out for:

• Colour Outside the Lines — a giant outdoor colouring experience at the Civic Centre, designed by North East artists Josie Brookes and Tom Madge.
• The Secret Parade — a family art trail starting at Brunswick Place that uncovers Newcastle's hidden medieval history.
• A Room in Bloom — a striking installation of fresh flowers and paper art inside High Bridge Works.
• The Creative Family Zone — a drop-in hub packed with hands-on activities for children and families.

Many events include accessibility features such as audio description and BSL interpretation, and the whole programme is free.

Planning your visit

The full line-up, timings and a downloadable programme are on the NOVUM Festival website. The festival is delivered by NE1 and Newcastle City Council, supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

If the weekend gives you a taste for making things, our guide to summer art workshops in Gosforth rounds up the local studios and holiday courses closer to home. And you can always find more days out on our events calendar.

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NOVUM Festival runs 7-9 August 2026 across Newcastle city centre. Entry is free.