FAQs

Northern Lights is an immersive Christmas light trail that transforms the grounds of Newcastle’s Leazes Park into an enchanted wonderland, suitable for all ages. It includes a spectrum of jaw-dropping illuminations including art installations, interactive elements and special effects including a spectacular lakeshow. It is a ticketed event.

Leazes Park, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, using the entrance on Barrack Road.

ENTRANCE POSTCODE: NE1 4ST

ENTRANCE What3Words: stews.harp.port

The main entrance to our event will be from Barrack Road, just opposite Stanhope Street and the Black and White Bull Pub.

In the shadow of St James’ Park Stadium is Leazes Park, the heart of the city centre just paces away from our entrance.  Based between the Royal Victoria Hospital, Fenham Barracks, St James’ Park and Barrack Road is Newcastle’s oldest park which we gladly illuminate during the darkest months of the year. 

PLEASE NOTE THE ENTRANCE IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PARK TO THE ROYAL VICTORIA INFIRMARY.

Yes, there are a large variety of local street food vendors and bars to choose from on your visit. Check out XMAS VILLAGE for further information!

It wouldn’t be winter in Newcastle without a bit of adverse weather. Please ensure you dress appropriately for the weather – wear waterproof, warm clothing and appropriate footwear for paths that may become muddy. 

If you struggle in low lighting you may bring a torch, as some parts between installations may be slightly darker. 

There is no need to bring food or drink, as we have a fantastic Christmas Village full of yummy treats. 

Yes, we provide free tickets for children under the age of 3, they are free of charge but must hold a valid ticket. When booking please select Child (aged 0-2) tickets.

There will be baby changing facilities at the building near the Marshmallow Toasting area. 

The trail is pram and buggy friendly, but we ask that you do not bring children’s scooters or bikes/trikes to the trail.

There will be a number of stalls selling children’s sized portions available in the Christmas Village. 

Please keep your children with you at all times. The grounds of Leazes Park are large and contain waterways etc. It is essential to keep your children near and ensure that they do not wander into unlit areas. Please keep to the designated pathways as trip hazards my be present in other areas.

To check if you are classed as a resident please head to our Residents Page to find out about what is happening.

The main entrance to our event will be from Barrack Road, just opposite Stanhope Street and the Black and White Bull pub. Follow Barrack Road from St James Park, up the hill and it is the first entrance on your right into the park. Don’t worry if you get lost – we will have plenty of signage and stewards to guide you.

Please note that due to the local geography most of the routes getting to the event are slightly uphill.  

We are lucky enough to have a number of car parks close by:

St James Park Stadium Car Park

Barrack Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4SE

• Accessible
• Open 24 hours
• Multi-storey
• 2 mins walk from entrance to NLN
• Please note that this gets extremely busy on Newcastle United match days

Q-Park Stowell Street

Stowell St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4YB

• Accessible
• Open 24 hours
• Multi-storey
• 9 minute walk from entrance to NLN

The Gate Car Park

20A Stowell St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4YB

• Open 24 hours
• 10 minute walk from entrance to LNL

Terrace Place South Car Park

26 Terrace Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LS

• Open 24 hours
• 11 minutes from entrance to NLN

Blandford Square Public Car Park

Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4HZ

• Open 24 hours
• 11 minute walk from entrance to NLN
• Handy if driving in from Gateshead

Morden Street Parking

Morden St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RQ

• Open 24 hours
• 13 minute  walk from entrance to NLN

Eldon Square Multi-storey Car Park

Percy St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RZ

• Open 7am – 10pm (8am – 6pm on Sundays)
• Multi-storey
• 32 disabled spaces
• Free after 7pm
• 14 minute walk from entrance to NLN

Please note that all car parks near to the event are downhill from us so you will need to walk uphill to get to our entrance. There is a small car park at the park but bear in mind it’s on the opposite side of the park to our event entrance and near the hospital, so it may get busy.

We will only have tickets available to buy on the door if the session is not already sold out. We advise all customers to buy tickets in advance, tickets can be purchased here: https://northernlightsnewcastle.seetickets.com/timeslot/northern-lights-newcastle

We are an entirely cashless event, accepting all major debit and credit cards alongside contactless payments including Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Well-behaved dogs with responsible owners are welcome. Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times and be comfortable with large crowds, loud noises and fire. 

Job applications are not yet open for this year. Please check back later in the year when we will advertise how to get in touch.

Tickets are non-refundable, so please ensure you choose the correct ticket type before booking. If you would like to exchange your ticket to a different date then please log into the SEE Tickets Portal using your reference number and postcode / email address. 

You can exchange your ticket up to 24 hours prior to attending. To change your booking contact See Tickets at https://www.seetickets.com/customerservice.

You will receive an email from SeeTickets upon purchase containing a PDF of your tickets, you can either bring these on your phone or print off your tickets at home. 

If you cannot immediately see your tickets in your inbox then please check your junk mail. 

If you have still not received your tickets then please visit the SeeTickets customer service portal.

When purchasing your tickets, you will see that different days have different ticket types and prices.

Standard tickets are our standard entry, standard price tickets. 
Off-peak tickets are available at a lower ticket price, on a select number of dates which are our much quieter days. 
Peak tickets are for our most popular days which see the most demand. 

The trail includes pulsing, flashing, and moving lighting effects, including strobes and lasers, that may affect people with photosensitivity.

We don’t offer Blue Light / NHS Discount at our event. In order to give back to the community we have partnered with a number of local charities, giving them tickets and helping raise funds. More information can be found about our charity partnerships here.

On rare occasions, we may have to cancel an event if weather conditions are so severe that they cause a threat to safety. In such cases, we will let customers know in advance of the closure. If there is extreme weather on the day of your booking, please check your emails for updates.  

Here are some local taxi numbers, should you need a lift to and from Leazes Park:

• Nearby LA Taxis Newcastle – 0191 287 7777
• Dixons Taxis – 0191 273 3339
• Newcastle Taxi Service – 0191 232 32 32 

We are just a 15 minute walk from the city centre. 

From Grey’s Monument follow Blackett Street, onto Gallowgate, and up the hill of Barrack Road, with St James Park on your right hand side. The entrance to the event is the first entrance to the park on your right. 

Please note that most routes from the heart of the city centre and train station are uphill, so please bear in mind the geordie geography when planning your route.

The Barrack Road – Leazes Park Stop is the easiest stop to get to our event and is right outside our entrance! From here you can get the:

• 12 Bus
• 39 Bus
• 40 Bus
• 62 Bus
• 63 Bus
• 71 Bus
• 72 Bus
• 87 Bus

We are lucky enough to have a number of car parks close by:

St James Park Stadium Car Park

Barrack Rd, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4SE

• Accessible
• Open 24 hours
• Multi-storey
• 2 mins walk from entrance to NLN
• Please note that this gets extremely busy on Newcastle United match days

Q-Park Stowell Street

Stowell St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4YB

• Accessible
• Open 24 hours
• Multi-storey
• 9 minute walk from entrance to NLN

The Gate Car Park

20A Stowell St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4YB

• Open 24 hours
• 10 minute walk from entrance to LNL

Terrace Place South Car Park

26 Terrace Pl, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4LS

• Open 24 hours
• 11 minutes from entrance to NLN

Blandford Square Public Car Park

Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4HZ

• Open 24 hours
• 11 minute walk from entrance to NLN
• Handy if driving in from Gateshead

Morden Street Parking

Morden St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RQ

• Open 24 hours
• 13 minute  walk from entrance to NLN

Eldon Square Multi-storey Car Park

Percy St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RZ

• Open 7am – 10pm (8am – 6pm on Sundays)
• Multi-storey
• 32 disabled spaces
• Free after 7pm
• 14 minute walk from entrance to NLN

Please note that all car parks near to the event are downhill from us so you will need to walk uphill to get to our entrance. There is a small car park at the park but bear in mind it’s on the opposite side of the park to our event entrance and near the hospital, so it may get busy.

Newcastle Train station is just a 15 minute walk (0.7 miles) away from the event and has regular services across the country, as well as local trains. Please bear in mind this route is partially uphill.

More information about train times and station facilities can be found here: https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coast-experience/our-stations/newcastle-station/

We are just a stone’s throw away from St James Park Metro Station! We are only a 7 minute walk from the station. But please bear in mind that the walk from the Metro is all uphill, so please factor in the geordie geography when planning your route! 

Other nearby Metro Stations are: 

• Newcastle Train Station – 0.6 miles, 15 minutes (uphill)
• Monument Station – 0.7 miles, 16 minute walk (uphill)
• Haymarket Station – 0.8 miles, 17 minute walk (please note this is on the opposite side of Leazes Park to where our entrance is)

With our event being an outdoor event, in winter, in Newcastle, it is expected that we will see some rough weather at some point in the duration of our event. We ask that you factor this into your travel time when attending the event, it may take slightly longer to get to us than initially expected. 

An adult aged 16 or older? Then you will need an Adult Ticket. 

A child aged 3-15? They you will need a Child Ticket. 

A child aged 2 and under? Then you will need an Infant Ticket – these are free but you will still need a ticket.

Have a few children and adults in your party? We offer discounted Family tickets, these are for a maximum of 2 adults. You can use this ticket type for 2 adults and 2 children, OR 1 adult and 3 children. 

We will be open from 22nd November – 31st December (except Christmas Day) from approximately 16:00 – 22:00 (some dates may vary, please check our website for the most up to date information).

We advise all customers to buy tickets in advance, these can be purchased from our ticket website here: https://northernlightsnewcastle.seetickets.com/timeslot/northern-lights-newcastle

We will only have tickets available to buy on the door if the session is not already sold out.

It wouldn’t be winter in Newcastle without a bit of adverse weather. Please ensure you dress appropriately for the weather – wear waterproof, warm clothing and appropriate footwear for paths that may become muddy. 

If you struggle in low lighting you may bring a torch, as some parts between installations may be slightly darker. 

There is no need to bring food or drink, as we have a fantastic Christmas Village full of yummy treats. 

For as long as you like! The Trail and associated catering outlets will close no later than 90 minutes after the final advertised trail time on any given event night.

Leazes Park can be accessed between 7am and 3pm as normal, during the full event period. After this time, access to the park will be restricted. Signs will be posted at entrances to the park to inform park users of the event dates, with details of any temporary changes to access that may affect them.

We are proud to host neuro-inclusive evenings every year at our event, for people with additional needs. Audience numbers are reduced by 60%, we lower audio volume and allow the audience plenty of time to make their way around the trail. We also have plenty of stewards along the trial, should guests need to leave the trail early.

These will take place on Wednesday 4th and Wednesday 15th December between 4:15pm – 5:15pm. 

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. A disabled person purchasing a ticket can obtain 1 free Personal Assistant ticket (all tickets must be pre-booked through our ticketing site). 

To add a Personal Assistant ticket onto your booking, please select your required date and time, select your paying tickets and 1x Personal Assistant ticket. Upon payment of your tickets, you will be asked to provide proof of this on the payment page of the booking, please have a screenshot or photograph of the documentation to hand when booking as to ensure you are able to upload proof easily. 

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 

• ACCESSIBLE TOILETS: We will have accessible toilets on the route. If you need any assistance during the trail, please ask one of our stewards who will be more than happy to help.
• SEATING:  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
• FAST TRACK ACCESS: Fast-track wristbands are available to people with additional needs, and their personal assistants. This will allow access to the event and to purchasing food and drink without queuing. These need to be arranged ahead of your visit and will be given out on a case-by-case basis. Please email hello@northernlightsnewcastle.com if you require fast track wristbands for you or people in your party.
• NEURODIVERGENT FACILITIES: We will announce dates for these evenings once we have announced our on-sale dates. We reduce capacity by 60%, we lower volume levels of audio and allow the audience plenty of time to make their way around the trail.

We welcome assistance dogs onto the site. We ask all dog owners to keep their dog on a lead at all times, and also to pick up after themselves.

Assistance dogs are legally allowed to assist under the Equality Act. The Equality and Human Rights Commission states an expectation that Assistance Dogs will:

• Be highly trained
• Not wander freely around the premises
• Most are instantly recognisable by the harness or identifying dog jacket that wear they wear

(https://www.assistancedogs.org.uk/the-law/)

The trail is 1 mile long in length and will take approximately 60 minutes to walk around. We will allow camping chairs/small folder chairs to be brought into the trail, if you require to sit down during the trail route.

The trail ground consists 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. 

Please note: there are some areas of the trail that have become slightly muddy. While best endeavours have been made to maintain accessibility for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, these areas may be more difficult to traverse in manual wheelchairs. If you have any difficulty passing through, please alert the nearest steward, who will be happy to assist you.

If you require a wheelchair to get around the trail we will have a number of wheelchairs available from the Information Chalet, these are given out on a first-come-first-serve basis and cannot be booked ahead of time.

Fast-track wristbands are available to people with additional needs, and their personal assistants. This will allow quicker access to the event and to purchasing food and drink without queuing. 

Please email hello@northernlightsnewcastle 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.

To help us ensure that these passes are made available to those with genuine needs, when purchasing tickets, please include a copy of one of the following documents when enquiring into receiving fast track passes:

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

There are a few ways you can make contact with us:

• Follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter)
• Subscribe to our mailing list
• For any general queries please email hello@northernlightsnewcastle.com – we aim to respond within 48 hours 

Yes, you can change your ticket up to 24 hours prior to attending. To change your booking contact See Tickets at https://www.seetickets.com/customerservice.

The pathways throughout the light trail will be accessible to wheelchair users. Please be aware that some areas may have some uneven flooring as we are on a public park site. Accessible, disabled toilets will also be available on site.

Northern Lights is designed to be as sensitive as possible to its parkland setting. The trail utilises existing paths and infrastructure where possible, in order to minimise effects on local ecology and wildlife. An ecology specialist will review & approve the event, in order to ensure it is minimising impact to the environment. The Northern Lights team is committed to following any special recommendations outlined by the ecologist.

Northern Lights is also committed to:

• reducing waste
• recycling wherever possible
• ensure that all serve-ware is compostable, reusable or recyclable, as a part of our no single use plastics policy.
• reducing carbon emissions – using energy efficient lighting across the trail (LED)

99% of the bulbs are LED with the remaining 1% being high efficiency low-energy lighting. The lights are turned on at approximately 2pm. This allows maintenance and repair, plus daily operational and safety checks to be carried out before the trail opens to the public at 4pm. The lights are then turned off after the trail is closed around 22:00 – 23:00.

Northern Lights will contain 10-12 installations with accompanying music, specially composed for the event. Our compositions will be ambient, and played through speaker systems positioned to limit disturbance to our neighbours. 

While the audio is an essential part of the trail experience, we will make every effort to minimize nuisance and will ensure all trail audio is switched off between 9.30-10pm each night. 

Northern Lights will comply with all UK legislation and operate within the terms set out in its licence. 

If you are a resident with concerns regarding trail audio, please contact us at hello@northernlightsnewcastle.com. 

Leazes Park will be open as normal until 3pm, every day, during Northern Lights. Dog walkers and park users are very welcome to access the park up until this time. 

Last entry into the trail is 15 minutes after the last advertised trail time. After this, ticket holders will not be permitted to enter. 

Last trail entry time on Friday and Saturday is 8.30pm.

Last trail entry time Sunday – Thursday is 7.45pm.

Leazes Park can be accessed between 7am and 3pm as normal, during the full event period. After this time, access to the park will be restricted. 

Signs will be posted at entrances to the park to inform park users of the event dates, with details of any temporary changes to access that may affect them.