ACCESS

Our full 2024 accessibility details can be found below.

Northern Lights is at Leazes Park, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Please enter the park from Barrack Road using the southern entrance, opposite Stanhope Street and The Black and White Bull pub. Please note, this entrance is up-hill, with a slight incline.

Please also note this is the opposite side of the park to the Royal Victoria Infirmary.

The nearest postcode to the event entrance is: NE4 6BB  

Wheelchairs and mobility scooters

The trail ground will consist of hard paths, ramps and some matted areas over grass. There are no steps anywhere in our trail. Although mostly level, there are some modest changes in height with inclines and descents. 

We will have several wheelchairs available to borrow on site, but these are distributed first come first served, so we would recommend bringing your own where possible.

Neurodivergent Guests

There will be two evenings for our 2024 trail with a reduced audience capacity and reduced audio volume, which may be a preferable experience to people with neurodivergent conditions. The capacity will be reduced by 60% and the level of audio will be at least halved.
These will take place on Wednesday 4th and Wednesday 11th December between 4:15pm – 5:00pm. 

Seating availability at Northern Lights  

For guests who need to sit regularly, on the trail there are the usual park benches along the route, and then clusters of picnic tables halfway along and then again at the end of the route. You are also welcome to bring your own folding chair for use.

Northern Lights stewards are also stationed at points along the trail so can support when required. They are easily identifiable in high visibility jackets.

Disabled Toilets

We will have two accessible plastic port-a-loo toilets along the route, one at the trail’s half-way point and one within the Christmas Village, which can be accessed at the beginning and end of the trail route. The cubicles are roughly 1.9m x 1.6m.

Disabled Parking

We do not have any on site parking, but are lucky to have a number of car parks close by that have accessible bays, including St James Park Stadium Car Park, which is just a 4 minute walk up hill to our entrance.

For more car park options and potential drop off points please have a look at our Getting Here page.

Personal Assistant Tickets and Fast-Track System

We are pleased to provide an additional ticket/s for Personal Assistants of disabled people who are unable to attend the event without the assistance of an essential companion.

You are able to choose one free companion ticket, when you purchase a paid adult or child ticket for the disabled person. If you require more than one carer ticket – please contact hello@northernlightsnewcastle.com for further information.

To help us ensure that these tickets are made available to those with genuine needs, when purchasing tickets, please upload a photo of your ID of ONE of the following forms of documentation to validate the free carer pass, or alternatively bring your ID with you the light trail.

  1. Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 or DLA/Personal
  2. Independent Payments (PIP), either in the form of a letter stating that the benefit has been awarded, or the actual Allowance book
  3. Attendance Allowance or Carer’s Allowance letter of award
  4. Incapacity Benefit books, or a letter notifying the recipient that the benefit has been awarded Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  5. In the case of visual impairment, a registration card known as the BD8 or a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI)
  6. A local authority registration document which is local to the attraction where it is being submitted 
  7. A recognised Assistance Dog ID Card
  8. Credibility’s Access Card (plus 1 icon)
  9. Hynt card and/or Access card 
  10. Blue Badge

Fast Track Access: fast-track wristbands are available to people with additional needs, and their personal assistants (on a case-by-case basis). This can be pre-booked, and collected from the Info Point at the start of the event. The fast-track wristband permits you to access the trail start without queueing. 

Please email hello@northernlightsnewcastle.com if you require fast track wristbands for you or people in your party. We will discuss your requirements with you and issue wristbands on a case-by-case basis.