There are three events in Newcastle on New Year's Eve:
- firework display from 6pm to 6:15pm
- Hoganaway 5k run from 7pm
- Howaymanay from 8:30pm to 12:15am
Road closures
Due to events taking place, road closures will be in place on the Quayside and the City Centre.
Quayside road closures
There will be road closures in place from:
- 10am on Wednesday 31 December until 3am on Thursday 1 January
Roads closed are:
- Sandhill Roundabout
- Lombard Street at the junction of Queen Street
- King Street at the junction of Queen Street
- Broad Chare from the rear of the Law Courts
- Cox Chare
- Milk Market
- The Swirle (behind the Pitcher & Piano) from 17:00 hours until 00:30 hours
City centre road closures
Roads will be opened as soon as practically possible. We expect closures to be in place from:
- 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Roads closed are:
- St Mary’s Place
- John Dobson Street
- Blackett Street
- Percy Street
- Sandyford Road
- Day Street
- Radnor Street
- Northumberland Road
- College Street
- Lovers Lane
- Ellison Place
During the road closure on Percy Street no vehicles will be able to enter or leave Eldon Square car park.
Events on the Quayside
The two events on the Quayside are:
- firework display from 6pm to 6:15pm
- Howaymanay from 8:30pm to 12:15am
Firework display
This is a free event and no ticket is required. It will start at 6pm and last about 15 minutes.
The Millennium Bridge will remain open but viewing will not be allowed from the bridge. Stewards will move people to other viewing locations.
Howaymanay
This is a ticket only event and will run from 8.30pm finishing with a firework display at midnight.
The ticketed area will run from Sandhill, at the Guildhall, to Sandgate in front of the Law Courts.
There are three entry points for Howaymanay ticket holders, and your ticket will show which entry point you should use.
- Sandhill Road (beside the Guildhall)
- King Street (at the junction of Queens Steet)
- East Quayside Development Land (next to the Pitcher and Piano)
- There will be no access via the Millennium Bridge
The taxi rank at the Law Courts will be temporarily relocated during Howaymanay to a rank on East Quay Developments, next to The Swirle sculpture (NE1 3DX)
A pedestrian and cycle diversion route will be in place during Howaymanay. This includes Sandhill, Akenside Hill, Dog Bank, Broad Chare, Pandon, Forster Street, Sandgate, The Swirle.
Hoganhoway 5k run
In the city centre, the Hoganhoway 5k run will:
- start and finish at the Civic Centre on Ceremonial Way
- start at 7pm
- finish by 9pm
Getting to event start / finish
Haymarket Metro Station is just a short walk from the Civic Centre, with Monument and St James also within reach.
Car parking is available nearby, including Civic Centre, Eldon Square, and Claremont Road car parks.
Please take note of how the road closure on Percy Street will affect access to Eldon Square car park.
General advice for visitors to the city centre on New Year’s Eve
Buses
All buses will operate a Saturday service during the day.
The last departures by all operators out of the city centre will be between 6.30pm and 6.45pm.
Please check the operators websites for full information:
Quayside buses
Due to road closures on the Quayside, the Q3 will be diverting via City Road and serving the stops here. The northbound buses will be using the stop on City Road halfway between Travelodge and the Quayside multi-story, and eastbound buses the stop on City Road by the footpath link to Jubilee Road
Final departures from these stops are shortly after the end of the 6pm fireworks display, at the following times:
- to Wallsend (via Walker) at 18:21
- to St Peter's Basin at 19:03
- to Brunton Lane via central Newcastle, Gosforth and Jesmond at 18:26
Metros
Metros will run to a weekday service until 9pm.
After 9pm, they will run every 30 mins until the end of service.
Full details of Metro's Christmas and New Year timetable can be found on the Nexus website.
Car Park
Newcastle City Council car parks will be open for 24 hours.
Access to Eldon Square car park will be restricted between 6.30pm and 8.30pm to facilitate the temporary road closure on Percy Street. During this time no vehicles will be able to enter or leave the car park.
Taxis
Taxis will not be able enter any of the streets that are closed for the Hoganhoway 5k between 6.30pm and 8.30pm.
Taxis will not be able to enter the area of road closures on the Quayside from 10am on Wednesday 31 December 2025 until 3am on Thursday 1 January 2026.
The taxi rank at the Law Courts will be temporarily relocated during the Howaymanay event to a rank on East Quay Developments, next to The Swirle sculpture.