Life in Newcastle
For exploring. For finding hidden treasures. For getting a taste of local culture.
A World Top 40 and UK Top 5 student city (QS Best Student Cities 2025), Newcastle is fun, friendly and filled with opportunity. Vibrant by day and by night, with a welcoming multicultural community, you’ll feel like you belong.
A beautiful blend of history and modernity, our skyline is made up of a rich architectural heritage – from Grey’s Monument and the iconic Tyne Bridge, to The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and legendary St. James’ Park football stadium. Enjoy museums, art galleries, theatres and live music, alongside shops, restaurants and sporting events – there really is something for everybody here.
Newcastle is also one of the most affordable cities in the UK, with a low cost of living that will help your student budget go further.
A compact city, Newcastle can easily be navigated on foot or by bike. It's well connected by affordable public transport too, with the Metro rail network running across the city, from the airport, to the North Sea coast.
Nightlife
Newcastle's reputation for a great nightlife is well-known and one of the reasons the city is always voted as one of the UK's greatest student cities. Newcastle has so much to offer after dark.
There's a great mix of bars, pubs and clubs across the city, boutique bowling alleys, live music venues, late-night cafes, theatres and restaurants.
Newcastle is also home to several independent cinemas, as well as Empire Cinema in the city's under-one-roof leisure complex, The Gate.
Sport
Sport is integral to Newcastle's identity and there are many opportunities to see first-class sport in and around the city.
Whether it's watching Premier League football at Newcastle United's St James' Park, rugby at Kingston Park Stadium or cricket at Durham's Emirates Riverside, there's a whole host of world-class sporting events to enjoy.
Newcastle also hosts the world's biggest half marathon, the Great North Run, athletics events at Gateshead's International Stadium and is home to British basketball's most successful side the Newcastle Eagles, who are based in the west side of the city.
Music
From world-famous acts performing at the Utilita Arena, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and the O2 Academy, to venues like The Cluny, the Cumberland Arms and the Tyne Bar who champion up-and-coming and local musicians, there's plenty of opportunity to experience live music in Newcastle.
Galleries and Museums
Newcastle is home to many galleries and museums, showcasing collections of natural history, scientific landmarks and art from the 18th-century through to the modern day.
The Baltic – a converted flour mill on the Gateshead Quays – is where to head to for modern art, while there's also the Biscuit Factory and the Laing Art Gallery, which display traditional art and contemporary exhibits.
Festivals
There's a fantastic programme of festivals and events throughout the year in and around Newcastle.
Chinese New Year celebrations take over Chinatown for two weeks each year and the Newcastle Mela celebrates the diversity of the city through culture, cuisine and dance.
Northern Pride is held on the Town Moor and Exhibition Park and is a celebration of LGBT culture in the region.
There are also music festivals, such as This is Tomorrow in the city centre and The Mouth of the Tyne Festival, set in the stunning surroundings of Tynemouth Priory.
Theatre
Newcastle has lots to offer for theatre-goers.
The Theatre Royal hosts the Royal Shakespeare Company and nationwide touring shows, while the City Hall and the Tyne Theatre are popular venues for musicians and comedians.
The Live Theatre and the People's Theatre that showcase independent productions and amateur shows.
There's also Northern Stage – based opposite the Students' Union – and is the largest producing theatre in North East England.
Enjoy the city
You'll be able to enjoy all the city has to offer when you're not in lectures and seminars.
There are plenty of places to eat, from nationwide chains in the Grey's Quarter at Eldon Square to independent eateries across the city.
There's also By the River Brew Company, a container village which host some of the city's most popular street food vendors.
For shopping, high-street names and department stores line Northumberland Street and in Eldon Square – one of the UK's largest city-centre malls.
There are boutique stores in Grey Street, quirky independent retailers in the High Bridge Quarter and a range of sellers in the Victorian Grainger Market.