Newcastle City Hall


Its been a long time since I have been to Newcastle City Hall- the last time was probably about 20 years ago . Given that most concerts are held in Metro Arena, this was going to be almost a trip down memory lane.


**A (very) brief History...**


The City Hall was opened in 1927 and the Harrison and Harrison Organ was added in 1928 to give Newcastle its first dedicated concert venue. Since then it has prided itself on showcasing acts from around the world, including Rock, Pop, Comedy and Musicals.


**Location...**


The City Hall is situated in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne and is close to other amenities including shops bars and restaurants. It is one of the quieter places at night so whilst there is not a lot of parking close by, should you take the car then you will probably get parked. There is also plenty of public transport close by including buses and the Metro.


**The venue itself...**


The City Hall is in a large old building with a grand doorway and friendly staff at the door checking tickets- no bag emptying here. Once inside,its quite ornate with high ceilings and lots of ornate decoration. Doors lead to the stalls area and stairs to the upper level with the bar and some toilets situated downstairs. The bar is open from 6pm until 11pmand the bar itself is well staffed so no waiting around. There are plenty of comfortable seats and lots of standing area with bar stools and tables dotted around so it's a comfortable place for pre show drinks.


We were seated upstairs at the side of the stage so had a great view of the stage . the seats are easy to find and there is plenty of space along the walkways . when we found our seats I was pleased that there seemed to be more leg room than some of the seats in other venues. With the stage at the front and seating all around on the upper tier and right in front of the stage in the stalls area it is easy to see that the venue holds 2000 people but at no point did we feel squashed, even when leaving our seats to go to the toilet. Even in the interval because the walking areas are wide there is no bottle neck of people frantically trying to get to the bar.


There are 6 seating areas available for every show for wheelchair users. It is necessary for wheelchair seating to be booked in advance.


**Contact information...**


Telephone: 0191 2778030.

Website: www.newcastlecityhall.org

Address: Northumberland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8SF


**Verdict...**


I had a great night here. The acoustics are good, and we had a fine view of the stage- so much better than some larger venues where we find ourselves watching the whole show on the large screen.


Its very relaxed with friendly staff and even afterwards there were plenty of people waiting for the artists to come out of the City Hall and while we waited for our lift we noticed that no one was moving them on.


Recommended if theres ever a show you want to see. I will certainly aim to revisit.


Thanks for reading


Daniela xx