EAST PILGRIM STREET CREATIVE QUARTER BLOCK PARTY RETURNS FOR A SECOND NIGHT OF ARTS & CULTURE

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, FRIDAY 7^TH OCTOBER 2016, 7pm – 11pm

The creative and cultural organisations of Pilgrim Street, Market Street and New Bridge Street West open late for a second block party showcase night.

Within the confines of just 1 city centre block, over a dozen organisations and dozens of artists are coming together to showcase the creative work housed in the East Pilgrim Street area. From theatre companies such as Alphabetti Theatre, to art galleries like The Globe Gallery, and community venues such as ¡VAMOS! Social, this quarter of the city centre has become a vibrant hub for artistic and cultural organisations, experienced by many thousands of people over the past few years.

Whilst the area is awaiting redevelopment, many of the empty buildings have been occupied by cultural organisations and house a diverse range of arts, education and social enterprises. This has taken the area from an empty boarded up shell to a populated cultural draw with a high density of some the city’s oldest and newest arts producers.

Newcastle City Council has just released their draft vision for East Pilgrim Street ( https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/news-story/consultation-launched-draft-vision-east-pilgrim-street ), and this is a chance for the public to discover what goes on in the supposedly stagnant development area. The first Block Party in January was attended by over 1200 people, the second looks to aim even higher.

On the 7^th October, many of the venues and organisations of the so called Creative Quarter will be opening their doors late to create a block party with a vast array of culture on offer, all for free. The evening kicks off at 7pm and comes to a close at ¡VAMOS! Social for late night music by Milk The Cow with Stephanie Skyes, Pete Woosh and more.

Highlights include:

• A sculptural exhibition by Dylan Shields at B&D Studios entitled Fantastical, investigating the relationship between traditional, narrative painting and contemporary materials such as cardboard and parcel tape.
• Camps North and Tech for life have an evening of digital and creative fun for the young, and young at heart! From Raspberry Pi's and fruity keyboards to retro gaming and kinetic sand.
• Chinese surrealist portraiture artist Mao Kai’s first UK exhibition at Abject Gallery, entitled Superior Animals.
• An Artist’s Boot Sale at Globe Gallery featuring a treasure chest of curious and fanciful offerings. Relics, works and wares from 16 to 24 artist’s studios, wardrobes and amassed hoardings will be available at thrifty bargain hunters for rummage through and purchase at affordable prices.
• Virtual Reality gaming on the latest development systems at Nosebleed Interactive, one of Newcastle burgeoning gaming start-ups.
• Bacon Knees and Sausage Fingers at Alphabetti Theatre. A harrowing, heart-warming and hilarious play that tells the tale of a meeting between two social outsiders and their new bizarre friendship.

With such a tight footprint, the free arts and culture on offer for the evening within just 3 streets will mean visitors can experience some of the best and most diverse the city has to offer with no more than a few steps door to door.

More programme information will be available at www.creativequarter.org.uk

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Information for editors

For media enquiries contact Zoe Anderson on 07533 195512 or email info@creativequarter.org.uk

Press images can be downloaded from: www.dropbox.com/sh/j57cg5dkkgyv11b/AADj8fo053gHaFXGUnHs_HqJa?dl=0

• Alphabetti Theatre is based in Newcastle upon Tyne and was formed by Ali Pritchard and is currently the only independent theatre in the city. They create, produce and program new original work from emerging artists across the performing arts. The intimate performance space plays host to music, comedy, poetry and theatre is a place for artists to experiment, evolve and discover excellence. Hidden in a basement of an old office block it’s complete with its own bar is open from 11am – 11pm Monday to Saturday and is one of the best kept secrets in Newcastle. Alphabetti champions fringe culture, developing high quality, professional productions in the grassroots; growing new audiences and artists alike. alphabettitheatre.co.uk
• B&D Studios aim to support a variety of creative graduates wanting to base themselves in the North East. The hope is to mix a diverse range of creative skills, whilst offering a variety of workshops for different youth groups in the area. As a group B&D Studios believe it’s beneficial to mix creative types and not split them into categories. All of the group members have been chosen for their drive, determination and passion. B&D Studios are interested in a more diverse approach to studio practice and believe there are many exciting benefits to a group with varying skills. www.bdstudios.co.uk
• Breeze Creatives/Abject Gallery is a Community Interest Company based in Newcastle upon Tyne that specialises in cultural projects and events around the North East of England, and provides artist studios and project spaces in Newcastle city centre. Breeze Creatives latest project is Abject Gallery, a contemporary art gallery exhibiting a mixture of national and international emerging artists. breezecreatives.com
• Campus North are home to Ignite, the UK's leading angel-led accelerator programme for ambitious digital startups. Funded entirely by its members and through sponsorship from small, medium and large businesses, with no public funding or grants. They’re all about supporting, promoting and accelerating digital entrepreneurship in the North East by putting the needs of the tech community at the heart of everything that they do. www.campusnorth.co.uk
• Set up in 1995 Globe Gallery is a Not for Profit organisation. We have a long history of working with regional, national and international artists. Our aim is to bring contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible, support artists through exhibition opportunities, provide volunteers with a great learning experience and work closely with our community to encourage greater participation in the arts. globegallery.org
• Nosebleed Interactive is an independent game developer based in Newcastle upon Tyne; the heart of the North East of England. Our talented team has over three decades of industry experience between us, and we've worked on some of the world's biggest selling and most loved franchises and on numerous award winning games. www.nosebleedinteractive.com
• Milk The Cow is an award nominated podcast based in Bamburgh House, with a moto of “Better living through wankpuffin”. Available on iTunes, their previous guests include Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Bez, Chester P, Amelia Womack, Mr C, Reeps One, B Dolan, Sage Francis, Dr Rick Strassman and many more. www.milkthecowpodcast.com