18 music festivals in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Middlesbrough and Northumberland this summer
If you’re looking for a Newcastle festival with world-class headliners, heavy metal in rural surrounds, Durham brass belters or ‘90s festival throwbacks this summer, you’ve come to the right place.
LOST MINDS FESTIVAL
When? Saturday 29th April
Where? Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Who? Ben Nicky, W&W, Sub Zero Project, Aly & Fila, Dr Peacock, Sickmode and Bryan Kearney lead the dance and trance revolution in this Newcastle festival this spring. Don’t miss the official afterparty, either.
Tickets? From £55.37
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NORTHERN KIN FESTIVAL
When? Friday 28th – Sunday 30th April
Where? Ushaw, Durham
Who? Jethro Tull, Levellers, Beth Orton, Ferocious Dog and Lindisfarne are the big hitters at this folk, rock and blues music festival, along with ‘I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker’ hitmaker Sandi Thom.
Tickets? From £42.01
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THE GREAT BRITISH TRIBUTE FEST
When? Sunday 30th April
Where? Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Who? Antarctic Monkeys, Scam Fender, Kopycat Killers, Ohasis… you get the idea. Newcastle’s largest ever tribute festival is guaranteed to bring all the tunes we know and love for a bank holiday weekend like no other.
Tickets? From £20.00
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DOMINION FESTIVAL
When? Friday 5th – Sunday 7th May
Where? Ushaw, Durham
Who? There are some hard-hitters at this rock and heavy metal festival, back for a second year after the runaway success of its debut event. Headliners Blind Guardian, Orange Goblin and Skindred lead over 40 bands playing over two stages here.
Tickets? From £32.08
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LET’S ROCK THE NORTH EAST
When? Saturday 10th June
Where? Albert Park, Middlesbrough
Who? Don’t you want to dance along to The Human League this summer, too? Their live set is enough to get us down to Albert Park alone. But a cheeky bit of Tony Hadley, Midge Ure, Go West and OMD at this ‘80s festival can’t hurt either, can it?
Tickets? From £39.00
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BLYTH LIVE FESTIVAL
When? Saturday 17th June
Where? Blyth Beach, Northumberland
Who? Fans of Liberty X and 911, get ready to do a little bodyshakin’ (just a little), as these two throwback pop partiers take over Blyth Beach for this beloved free festival.
Tickets? Free
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STONE VALLEY FESTIVAL
When? Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th June
Where? Ushaw, Durham
Who? Sham 69, The Skids, Neville Staple (from The Specials), Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones and Ocean Colour Scene lead the line up at this popular festival that attracts only the flashiest of scooter-riders.
Tickets? From £38.00
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MOUTH OF THE TYNE FESTIVAL
When? Thursday 6th – Sunday 9th July
Where? Tynemouth Priory and Castle, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Who? Dreams really can come true… 20 years after its initial release, soul singer Gabrielle is still performing the smash hit single from her debut album – this time in the seaside shadows of Tynemouth Priory in this beloved Newcastle festival, alongside the Ivor Novello-winning Siouxsie.
Tickets? From £27.50
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KUBIX FESTIVAL
When? Saturday 15th & Saturday 22nd July
Where? Herrington Country Park, Houghton le Spring
Who? At the Pop & Dance Day on 15th July, expect to find pop heavyweights Sugababes, Blue, A1, Five and 911, while the Alternative & Rock Day on 22nd July will host Squeeze, The Enemy and Marc Almond.
Tickets? From £37.29
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DURHAM BRASS FESTIVAL
When? Sunday 9th – Sunday 16th July
Where? Venues across County Durham
Who? This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Academy Award-winning short film, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers. It’s an occasion The Fairey Band are determined to celebrate during Durham Brass Festival, while more of the line-up is still to be announced.
Tickets? From £15.00
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THIS IS SOUTH TYNESIDE FESTIVAL
When? 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th July
Where? Bents Park, South Shields
Who? The Vamps, Jason Donovan, Bjorn Again and Boyzlife (the crooner combo of Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden), will be headlining the four Sunday Concerts that South Shields are now famous for this summer.
Tickets? Free
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GALLAGHER PARK LIVE
When? Saturday 22nd July
Where? Gallagher Park, Bedlington
Who? Dodgy topped the bill last year at one of Northumberland’s most popular free festivals, while The Straits brought all the hits of Dire Straits and S Club Allstars gave us an extra helping of cheesy pop classics from our younger days. We can’t wait for this year’s line up to be announced soon…
Tickets? Free
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CLUBLAND BY THE SEA
When? Friday 28th July
Where? Seaton Reach, Hartlepool
Who? Relieve your youth this summer (or maybe just ours), with clubland legends Ultrabeat, Flip n Fill and Micky Modelle alongside headliners Bad Boy Chiller Crew.
Tickets? From £44.64
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SCOOP MUSIC FESTIVAL
When? Friday 28th – Sunday 30th July
Where? Burnhopeside Hall, Lanchester
Who? Qween UK, The Breakfast Club, the Gerry Cinnamon Experience and Hayley McKay will be getting everyone on their feet and dancing away at this favourite family festival.
Tickets? From £25.00
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LOOSE FEST
When? Saturday 5th – Sunday 6th August
Where? Town Moor, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Who? Joel Corry, Chase & Status, Patrick Topping, Craig David, Sean Paul and Jax Jones will all be bringing the beats to Town Moor for this Newcastle festival fave.
Tickets? From £45.00
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HARDWICK FESTIVAL 2023
When? Friday 18th – Sunday 20th August
Where? Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield
Who? Big hitters here include The Kooks, Freya Ridings, Mel C, The Vaccines, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Johnny Marr. Keep your ears out for Lizzie Esau, Andrew Cushin and Beth Macari, too.
Tickets? From £40.95
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NOUGHTY 90’S FESTIVAL
When? Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th August
Where? Leazes Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Who? Anyone born in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s is going to LOVE this throwback ‘90s festival Newcastle style. While the line-up is yet to be announced, last year saw Cascada, Fatman Scoop, S Club, Micky Modelle, Vengaboys, Five, Liberty X, Blazin Squad, Ultrabeat and Kelly Llorena, to name but a few.
Tickets? From £38.75
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LINDISFARNE FESTIVAL
When? Thursday 31st August – Sunday 3rd September
Where? Beal Farm, Northumberland
Who? Pendulum and Primal Scream are the two huge headliners heading up to Northumberland’s magnificent coastline this September, along with the likes of Pigsx7, local lasses Komparrison and Nadedja.
Tickets? From £60.96
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