The Hoppings takes place for more than a week, once a year on the Town Moor. It started as a Temperance Festival and has
evolved into Europe's largest travelling fun fair!
Travel links to the city are good, travellers arrive by road, bus,
www.newcastleairport.com
Rail travellers arrive at the Central Station, which has a Metro station nearby. The Metro serves the area well.
Northumberland Street and Eldon Square are popular with shoppers. The Bigg market is a busy area which is lively on an evening. At the bottom of the Bigg Market is St Nicholas Cathedral which is a prominent feature on the city skyline.
The arena is the largest concert and exhibition venue in the North East of England. Since its opening in November 1995 it
has played host to David Bowie, Phil Collins, Simply Red, Neil Diamond, Oasis, Shirley Bassey, Wet Wet Wet, Diana Ross,
AC/DC, Elton John, Tom Jones, Cher and many more!
Originally opened on the 21st January 1788, the Theatre Royal was on Mosley Street, next to Drury Lane.
This original building obstructed plans by Richard Grainger for development. A deal was done and the final performance at The Mosley Street Theatre was on 25th June 1836.
The new Theatre Royal in Grey Street opened on 20th February 1837.
Unfortunately in 1899 the Theatre Royal was gutted by fire, following a performance of Macbeth. The structural walls of the theatre survived but the auditorium and stage were destroyed.
It's a superstition amongst actors that Macbeth is always referred to as the 'Scottish play'. Actors were often wary when proprietors put on the 'Scottish play' to draw the crowds when times were quiet. Theatricals associated the play with possible unemployment.
The theatre was re-designed by Frank Matcham and reopened on 31st December 1901. It's a Grade One Listed building and was further renovated between 1986 -1988.
More recently extensive work has included extending the stage into the former Barclays Bank. A fly tower and flying system
were installed for moving scenery. The new space helped provide a learning centre, box Office, bistro and a new Reception Suite. The work is expected to be completed in June 2007.
The Theatre Royal is a very impressive building, which attracts talented performers from around the world!
