Thousands Gathered as NOVUM, Newcastle’s New Cultural Festival, Brought the Toon Together for a Four-day Creative Party
The first official NOVUM festival, following a smaller pilot event in 2023, welcomed over 18,000 visitors from across the North-East throughout the four-day event which took place from 8-11 August both inside and out at Newcastle Civic Centre and Great North Museum: Hancock. Cementing its future in the city’s cultural calendar, next year’s NOVUM festival will take place 7 – 10 August.
All ages took part in over 50 performances and events with hundreds of people participating in free workshops throughout the weekend including screen printing with Northern Print, masterclasses with photographer Andrew Brooks, circus skills from Newcastle Circus Arts and dragon-themed fun with The Unfolding Theatre. Thousands of music fans attended live gigs from a diverse range of over 200 artists and musicians including DJ Yoda, Hector Gannet, Amelia Coburn, Kima Otung and Flamingods in the Banqueting Hall at Newcastle Civic Centre while the building’s iconic Chamber hosted acoustic sets and performances from artists including poet Lizzie Lovejoy with her poetic celebration of being northern and North-East singer songwriter/producer Jodie Nicholson.
Jim Mawdsley (Events and Culture Advisor, Newcastle City Council) said: “At a time when it’s never been more important to create cultural moments that bring people of all backgrounds together, we have been hugely proud to see how our community responded to and engaged with NOVUM. The weekend was a positive reminder of the power of culture in our communities and it was fantastic to see so many families and groups of friends there enjoying themselves.”
Arts installation ‘SHRINK 01995’ from Belgian artist Lawrence Malstaff was a must-see with local people featured in the work, striking a pose as they were enveloped in plastic at the Hancock. Participants described their time in the work as like being held in a comforting hug or as an unusual opportunity to disconnect from the world.
Internationally acclaimed circus companies Cirque Bijou and Motionhouse each defied gravity in their awe-inspiring performances. There were gasps from the crowds as aerial artists emerged from a grand piano as it hung high in the air during Cirque Bijou’s theatrics that also included live music, dance and acrobatics. Performers from Motionhouse meanwhile, flew through a forest of 4m high poles in their trailblazing, powerful and incredibly physical show, ‘WILD’. These world-class artists passed on their expertise and knowledge to a new generation of young North-East performers as they mentored Newcastle Circus Arts before their own performances who also went on to wow crowds.
Andy Brydon, Creative & Company Director of Curated Place, organisers of NOVUM, said: “We have been blown away by the outstanding events, performances, artists and audiences who have been part of NOVUM and would like to thank everyone for coming together to create a really special weekend. The team of volunteers, many returning from last year’s pilot festival, and local participants in particular have been so enthusiastic, ensuring that as we build this event for the city, it goes from strength to strength.”
The Secret Cities photographic exhibition, created for NOVUM and featuring images captured by Andrew Brooks while exploring sites and rarely-seen Newcastle locations, will remain at the Great North Museum: Hancock until the end of September.
Pictured: India Arkin, Photo by Thomas Jackson
