How to navigate Newcastle's notorious nightlife

Every weekend, hundreds of partygoers make a beeline for Newcastle to get their party started, putting on their dancing shoes and heading out for a night on the city's infamous tiles. There is a very good reason for this.

Newcastle is a city that knows how to have a good time. The capital of the north-east is renowned for its nightlife and there is so much to see and do with bars and clubs dotted around the city centre and beyond.

But far from living for the weekend, Newcastle lives to have fun and no matter what night you're heading out, there is always somewhere great to go and get your freak on.

So if you're staying in a hostel in Newcastle and want the lowdown on where's best to head to, here's our guide to all that is great and good in the bonny city, split into handy categories to make finding the ideal place for you all the more easier...

Live music...

There are gigs galore going on in Newcastle so if it's live music you're after, you're in the right place. A great local music scene has helped the likes of Maximo Park and the Futureheads get their first leg up, so where can you see the next up-and-comers?

Across the road from the city's train station, The Head of Steam is a great place to start, with a cool little boozer upstairs and a great venue downstairs. This is where the locals go.

Just down the road is the O2 Academy Newcastle. As well as the usual gigs, Friday and Saturday nights see local promoters put on club nights after the bands have finished, with the usual party music on the cards.

For a generous portion of live funk, soul and jazz in a laid back and luxurious setting, there is no better place than Hoochie Coochie. The venue hosts lots of free gigs as well as bringing some of the biggest names in the industry to its stage and can be found on Pilgrim Street - just two minutes away from Newcastle's Euro Hostel and Ware Rooms.

Nestled on the banks of the Tyne on the city's more upmarket Quayside is The Riverside. Having opened in 2011 to recreate one of the city's famous clubs from the 90s that had long since closed down, many great bands can be found playing there, often supported by top talent from the north-east.

About a 15-minute walk east from the city centre is the Ouseburn area, which has a great selection of traditional pubs and bars that often host gigs and club nights. The Cluny and The Cluny 2, regularly have some of the best local musicians as well as great touring bands and DJs and it's always worth checking out The Cumberland Arms for its gigs. Don't miss their Party Ping Pong club nights!

Dance music...

There is no shortage of places to get your wiggle on in the Toon, and clubs and bars of all shapes and sizes offer every kind of dance music you could hope to find.

Superclub Digital is the city's biggest and most famous club and regularly attracts the world's leading DJs. Also found in Time Square, it has its own bar and mini-club next door called The Other Rooms, and depending on the night in question there'll be something different going on. Monthly nights Turbulence and That Dubstep Night bring the top names in drum and bass, hip-hop and dubstep to Newcastle, while international club brand Wax:On also has a residency at Digital.

Heading into the city centre, the notorious Bigg Market, in between Grainger Street and Mosley Street/Collingwood Street, is home to some of the most popular bars and clubs in the city, including Blu Bambu, Flares, Idols, Pop World, The Bee Hive and City Vaults. It is generally the number one destination for stag and hen dos.

A couple of minutes from the Bigg Market is The Gate, a purpose built entertainment complex that as well as being home to various restaurants, a cinema and Aspers Casino, also features clubs and bars like Tiger Tiger, Mood and Sam Jacks. Loud music, cheap drinks and lots of fun are ready and waiting. 

Round the corner in China Town is Stowell Street's Cosmic Ballroom. It's the place to head if you're looking for more of an alternative club where electro, house, techno and drum and bass are on the menu.

No guide to clubs in Newcastle would be complete without the inclusion of World Headquarters. Hidden behind the old fire station on Pilgrim Street and just 100 yards away from the Ware Rooms bar and kitchen, it is a club that champions equality and racial harmony and is where to go if you want a good dose of funk, soul and reggae.

 

Gay scene...

The LGBT scene in Newcastle is thriving with a large and popular Gay Village at its centre. Also known as the Pink Triangle, more than a handful of friendly bars and clubs can be found around the Centre for Life area on Scotswood Road and Westmoreland Road.

In Time Square outside the Centre for Life, Rusty's is a great cabaret venue that is open until 3am every night of the week. Previously known as Barron & Baroness, it is popular with both gay and straight crowds. Next door is Twist, a pub-style gay bar that is open until 1am

Immortalised in the famous Geordie folk song the Blaydon Races, Scotswood Road is home to half a dozen gay bars and clubs that make for a brilliant pub crawl. Switch, The Loft, The Yard, Secrets and The Eagle - complete with male strippers and a leather-theme - are just a handful of those worth checking out.

Standing proud among these bars is the club Powerhouse. One of Newcastle's biggest clubs, it has long been a mainstay of the north-east gay scene for years. With three floors of clubbing to enjoy, its biggest night is PH:UK on a Saturday, but retro nightRewind on Mondays and TFI Friday are also big events. The club has its own bar called Gossip next door and anyone heading to warm-up events there get cheaper entrance to the club afterwards.

 

Rock clubs...

So you want to RAWK?! Newcastle's rock scene is going strong and Legends is one of the biggest and best rock clubs around. Open five nights a week, Fridays is Toxic, with DJs James and Feral spinning the wheels all night. Saturday night is Suspiria, the biggest rock night in Newcastle where you can thrash out until 4am in the main room, with the back room hosted by Johnny Rockets playing pop-punk, ska and rockabilly.

The other rock club that shouldn't be missed is Trillians. Submerged underground on Princess Square behind the main shopping strip in Newcastle, Northumberland Street, Trillians is open until 11pm every night except Friday and Saturday when it stays open until 1am.

 

Cocktails Bars...

If getting glammed up and hitting some cocktail bars is more your thing, you'll be well catered for in Newcastle.

Mosley Street and Collingwood Street are collectively known as the Diamond Strip for their string of upmarket bars and clubs. As seen on Geordie Shore, fashionable bars like Madam Koo, Florita's, Baby Lynch, Bijoux and Perdu are the most expensive in the city, but well worth it.

Nearby Tokyo on Westgate Road, as well as Alvinos and Popolos on Pilgrim Street, also boast some of the best mixologists in the north-east.

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