Last minute work was under way at Frate this week ahead of the big opening night for the city's new outdoor container site.
The shopping container set-up is preparing to launch on Friday, just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend, and first guests are invited to pop in to enjoy a night of music, food and drink - if they can find it. Described by co-owner Rob Clarkson as "being hidden in plain sight", the new venue is actually right in the centre of Newcastle but in a tucked-away spot which needs tracking down.
Frate has been taking shape in a space behind Grey Street, in a former car park in a back lane off High Bridge, overlooked by Barluga's roof terrace. The team behind it - who also run Maket Shaker, which backs onto it, as well as Blues Cafe and The Dog & Parrot - had originally tried out the area as a pop-up during lockdown restrictions. They then acquired permission to use it for Frate, which involved removal of an old three-storey office building, and the result is a surprise new space with an upper level area to house a DJ.
