The Rugby League World Cup kicks off this weekend - and there will be celebrations galore in Newcastle city centre .
Newcastle will be centre stage for the biggest tournament in the Rugby League, with St James’ Park hosting the opening ceremony and first men’s group game. The opening game will see England take on Samoa to kick off the sport’s World Cup tournament from the heart of Newcastle.
NE1 and Newcastle City Council have teamed up with the Rugby League to bring celebrations to the Toon, so that locals can take part in the World Cup festivities in style. A Fan Village has been set up on the Quayside , stretching from the Tyne Bridge along to the Millennium, and has a jam-packed line-up of events planned for all the family .
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The Fan Village will be open from 2pm-11pm today (Friday 14 October), and from 11am-10pm the following day on Saturday 15 October. The Village is completely free to enter, and organisers have promised that even those who don’t know a thing about rugby can still come down and enjoy the fun.
Urban Garden will be serving up drinks, while there will be plenty of street food vendors to choose from including buns from Bao Down, burgers from The Hatch, Indian tapas from The Funky IndianWali and Caribbean favourites from The Calabash Tree. There will also be plenty of street entertainment, including a line-up of live music showcasing some of the best emerging local talent.
Eight-piece hip-hop band Hip Hop Hooray will be reworking favourites from the likes of Jay-Z, Eminem and Kanye West to get the Quayside dancing on Friday. Saturday will see several rising North East stars take to the stage including The Redroom, Courtney Dixon and Connor Haley, with Beth Macari headlining.
Visitors will be able to take part in a range of rugby-themed games and challenges, from an inflatable try-line tussle to a rugby ball-shaped mechanical rodeo bull. There will even be an official RLWC zip-line from the Tyne Bridge offering a brilliant bird’s eye view of the beautiful Quayside, which you can book here - if you’re feeling brave!
For the rugby fans, there will be a big screen showing the action unfold live from St James’ Park, as well as the Australia vs Fiji game. And the celebrations will come to a close with a stunning firework display over the Quayside at 9:45pm on Saturday night.
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