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ARTS AND CULTURE ORGANISATIONS BREATH LIFE INTO NEGLECTED CITY CENTRE AREA

Tuesday 5 January, 2016

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, FRIDAY 29TH JANUARY 2016, 7pm – 11pm

The creative and cultural organisations of Pilgrim Street, Market Street and New Bridge Street West open late for a showcase block party.

Within the confines of just 1 city centre block, 17 organisations and dozens of artists are coming together to showcase the creative work housed in the East Pilgrim Street area. From theatre companies such as Alphabetti Theatre, to art galleries like The NewBridge Project, and community venues such as ¡VAMOS! Social, this quarter of the city centre has become a vibrant hub for artistic and cultural organisations, experienced by many thousands of people over the past few years.

East Pilgrim Street, once the “gateway to Newcastle", had fallen into disuse over the past decade. Both loved and hated buildings such as the Odeon Cinema and Commercial Union house have become commercially uninhabitable whilst awaiting demolition as part of the East Pilgrim Street regeneration project, which will eventually feature shops, offices, accommodation and leisure facilities. Owned by the Reuben Brothers, one of the most successful property developers in the country, the area will eventually become on the largest development projects that Newcastle has seen in many decades.

Whilst the area is awaiting redevelopment, many of the empty buildings have been occupied by cultural organisations and house a diverse range of arts, education and social enterprises. This has taken the area from an empty boarded up shell to a populated cultural draw with a high density of some the city's oldest and newest arts producers.

On the 29th January the venues and organisations of the Creative Quarter will be opening their doors late to create a block party with a vast array of culture on offer, all for free. The evening kicks off at 7pm and comes to a close at ¡VAMOS! Social for late night music and dancing. Highlights include music from Haythem and Yoko Pwno at Alphabetti Theatre, the opening of a new second installation by Gareth Hudson as part of his extremely popular series at The Globe Gallery, a video game workshop by local developers Nosebleed Interactive at Bamburgh House, dance company FRESH North East launching their new brand Moving Art Management at Space Six and the opening of a group exhibition of local and international artists who have worked in the East Pilgrim Street area over the past year at Abject Gallery.

With such a tight footprint, the free arts and culture on offer for the evening within just 3 streets will mean visitors can experience some of the best and most diverse the city has to offer with no more than a few steps door to door.

More programme information will be available at blockparty.breezecreatives.com

“A mutually beneficial relationship between the Reuben Brothers and numerous arts organisations of the city has seen the cultural sector of Newcastle thrive at an exponential rate". Daniel Gibson, Co-Director, Breeze Creatives


A full list of participating organisations is as follows:

Abject Gallery
Alphabetti Theatre
Arcadea
B&D Studios
Broadacre House
FAD
The Globe Gallery
Inspired Support
The NewBridge Project
The Northern Charter
Nosebleed Interactive
Space 2
Space Six
Tyneside Film School
¡Vamos! Social
Vane

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Information for editors

For media enquiries contact Zoe Anderson on 07533 195512 or email info@breezecreatives.com.

Press images can be emailed upon request.



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