It's never too early to start planning for Christmas.
Some people may have already done their Christmas shopping in last year's sales, while others will have booked time off work months ago. And one of this year's first brand new festive events in the heart of Newcastle has been announced.
Northern Lights Newcastle is an 'immersive' light trail in Leazes Park, as the city's oldest park celebrates its 150th anniversary. Based along a mile-long accessible route with 10 - 12 light attractions, the trail includes audio compositions and choreography with the aim of creating a 90-minute magical experience for the whole family.
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Alongside the light trail, there'll be a Christmas village with food and drink stalls from local artisans, and vintage fairground rides throughout the illuminated parkland. Northern Lihgts is the brainchild of family-owned business 'From the Fields', the company behind Bluedot, Kendal Calling and Christmas at Bute Park.
Working in collaboration with Urban Green Newcastle, the light show will be produced by a combination of local and national talent, including Mandy Lights - based in Blaydon, and Ithaca studios - creators of headline installations for Kew Gardens, Netflix and Glastonbury. Organisers and designers have pledged to power the attraction using generators fuelled by refined vegetable oil, as well as using low-power consumption LED units for most of the lighting fixtures.
The whole trail is flat and paths are wheelchair-accessible, while special provisions will also be in place to reserve Access time slots, where quieter audio and reduced visitor numbers aim to support neuro-divergent visitors. Queue jump wristbands will also be available for those with additional needs.
Marian Chapman, enterprise director at Urban Green Newcastle, said: "December 2023 marks 150 years since Leazes Park, the city’s first public park, opened to the people of Newcastle. Northern Lights will be a spectacular way to commemorate this landmark anniversary and celebrate one of the city’s oldest and most treasured green spaces.
"Just as people came to Leazes Park 150 years ago to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, Northern Lights will give people a chance to immerse themselves in a magical world of colour, music and illuminations, right in the heart of the city centre."
Roxy Robinson, creative director at From the Fields, said: "We have big plans and cannot wait to deliver an experience like no other; one that welcomes everyone to come together and soak up the magic of Christmas through a trail of illuminations and audio, within the beautiful Leazes Park. We’re proud to have an incredibly experienced and talented team of creators behind Northern Lights, who will help make this an unforgettable experience for all while remaining as inclusive and accessible as possible."
The Northern Lights Light Trail opens on November 23 and runs for five weeks until January 1. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday July 4 - for more information visit the Northern Lights Newcastle website.
Have you made any plans for Christmas 2023 yet? Let us know!
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