Plan your Visit

Our festival map

Plan your day around our festival site using our handy festival map, including navigating our campus, where the Welcome and Information point is to collect a programme, and all the important bits like the nearest toilets to the extra family fun on offer.

Getting here

Newcastle is easy to reach – just three hours from London by train and with easy access to the A1(M).

You can download our campus and city map (PDF: 2.5MB) to find your way around the city.

The city-centre car parks can get very busy, so we recommend planning ahead and using public transport where you can.

Travelling by train

Newcastle Central Station has rail connections to many areas of the North East.

The University can easily be reached from Newcastle Central Station using the Metro. Haymarket Metro station is opposite the campus and only two stops from Central Station.

The campus is approximately 18-minutes' walk from the train station, please see directions below.

A Taxi rank is also outside the station.

Rail travel links

National Rail - journey planning, live arrival and departure boards for UK stations
Metro - Tyne and Wear local rail service

Park and Ride

As the city centre is a busy place to park, another option is to park nearby and travel to the city centre using public transport.

Metro Park and Ride

Park your car at one of the Metro Park and Ride stations for only £1.20 and take a Metro to Haymarket station opposite the University.

Buy a Metro DaySaver ticket for unlimited travel. You can pay for this using cash or a card.

Newcastle Great Park and Ride

You can also leave your car at the Newcastle Great Park and Ride and then travel by bus, getting off at Barras Bridge, which is just next to the campus.

Visit the Park and Ride website for further information.

Travelling by car

Getting to Newcastle

Newcastle is easily accessible by road via the A1 from the north and south and the A69 from the west. A route planner may help you with your journey:

For sat-nav, we recommend using the postcode of one of the city-centre car parks or a park and ride option.

City-centre car parks

City-centre car parks are likely to be busy, so please allow extra time for your journey.

Find out about car parking availability and costs on the City Council website.

The following car parking is close to campus:

Claremont Road, NE2 4AN (2 minutes walk to campus)
Civic Centre (Saturday only), NE1 8PB (6 minutes walk to campus)
Morden Street, NE1 7RQ (6 minutes walk to campus)
Eldon Square Multi Storey, NE1 7RZ (7 minutes walk to campus)
Eldon Garden Multi Storey, NE1 7RT (7 minutes walk to campus)
Dean Street Multi Storey, NE1 1PG (15 minutes walk to campus)

There is also car parking available at Q Park Stowell Street, NE1 4YB (6 minutes walk to campus).

Disabled parking on campus

We have a limited number of parking spaces on campus for disabled visitors.

Please state on the register your interest form if you need disabled parking and we will be in touch to arrange this.

Places to eat

The Student Forum will host a food market of local vendors including Fire and Dough, Dosa Kitchen, Parm-O-Rama, Pablo Eggs-Go-Bao and an ice cream van.

You can also grab a coffee and cake from The Grand, our campus café.

Opening times

The festival runs from 10:00 - 16:00 with activities spread across the whole day. Head to our Welcome Trailer to pick up your programme map from our friendly event staff.

Plan your day in advance by visiting our What’s On section, if you’re arriving from 10:00 we recommend heading straight to Hadrian Building for a wide range of drop-in activities.

Age suitability

The festival is aimed at families, but it is open to all, many activities are suitable for all ages with most of the programme aimed at 6 to 12-year-olds. The programme listings note the age suitability for all activities.

All under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian

Children under 18 are the responsibility of their guardian/parents and signage across campus will alert adults of this. Activities have been suitably risk assessed.

Lost children and lost property

For lost property, or if you become separated from your party please meet at the Welcome Trailer where staff will be able to help.

Filming and photography

Some photography and filming will be taking place on the day to appear in future Newcastle University printed and digital publicity. Please let the photographer or a member of staff know if you do not want to have your photo taken or be filmed.

Toilets

Toilets are available in the buildings hosting activities and our Students’ Union building, they are marked on the map along with accessible toilets. Ask one of our friendly staff where the nearest one is.

Further information about the Festival

Do I need to book?

80% of the Discover Festival programme does not require booking. For access to over 60 activities, you can drop-in on the day or you can register your interest to receive more information on the run up to the festival.

A small number of our activities require you to book. If these spots are all taken, you can add yourself to the waitlist in case one becomes free. You can still join over 60+ drop-in sessions on the day too!

Do you have baby changing facilities?

Baby changing facilities are available in Armstrong Building, Hadrian Building and our cultural venues. See our festival map for details.

Can I bring a picnic?

You can bring along a picnic and enjoy our dedicated picnic lawn, complete with deck chairs and games! You are also welcome to picnic on the Great North Museum: Hancock’s front lawn and use any of the seating areas on campus which are marked on our festival map.

Do you have first aiders on site?

If you or your child require medical attention, contact any member of staff who will then contact or direct you to St John’s Ambulance who will be based outside the Students’ Union Building.

Do you have a buggy park?

Discover Festival doesn’t have a designated buggy park, but space will be set aside at each venue (valuables left at owner’s own risk).

Great North Museum: Hancock and Farrell Centre also have designated buggy parks for your visit there.

Can I refill my water bottle on site?

Great North Museum: Hancock, Luther’s Bar in the Students’ Union and the Teahouse on Eldon Place can refill water bottles.

Do you have nursing rooms?

Breastfeeding is welcomed throughout the festival. You can also use a private breastfeeding area in the World Cultures gallery on the first floor of Great North Museum: Hancock, if you prefer.

Do you have any activities for under 5s?

There are some performances and activities suitable for all ages, but the festival doesn’t have specific activities for under 5s. However, Great North Museum: Hancock have an Under 5s zone called the Mouse House and under 5s are very welcome to attend with your family group as you explore the festival.

Can I bring my bike or scooter?

Bikes, scooters, or the like are not permitted to be brought into or taken through the festival venues. Bike stands are available in various outdoor location across the campus including outside the Students’ Union Building and on Eldon Place opposite the Farrell Centre entrance.

Do you have Lego?

The most important question of them all. We have some bookable workshops that feature Lego and our friends at the Farrell Centre have a huge bucket of Lego and Duplo. Your creations might even be featured in their Lego Gallery…

Accessibility

All venues will have accessible entrances. Please ask our friendly staff for support and directions.

Disabled Parking

We have a limited number of parking spaces on campus for disabled visitors.

Please state on the register your interest form if you need disabled parking and we will be in touch to arrange this.

Accessible toilets

Accessible toilets are marked on our festival map

The nearest fully accredited Changing Places toilet is inside the Newcastle University campus. The toilet is located on the ground floor of the Daysh building, close to the main entrance of the University. It is accessible via radar key and can be accessed out of hours by prior arrangement through the University Security Service. Please call (0191) 208 6817.

Further information about the Newcastle University campus Changing Places toilet.

Pre-visit information

You can access virtual tours to help orientate yourself around our campus before visiting.

Additional needs

If you have a disability or any additional needs which we need to be aware of to ensure the event is accessible for you, please state on the register your interest form.

We understand that each person’s experiences and requirements naturally differ. Discover Festival can be an excitable and busy environment, but we strive to make it enriching, rewarding and, when required, relaxing for our guests.

If you are looking for a place to relax and get away from the busyness you can drop into our Storytime Resting Station in Percy Building. We also encourage visitors to bring any support items with them which they may find useful (for example ear defenders).

This is our first year of the festival so we do not yet know which times might be quieter, but we would recommend using the final hour 3-4pm for Hadrian Building which might be more relaxed. For any other sessions please arrive 15mins early so we can aim to get you in earlier.

Get in touch

Got questions? Get in touch with the festival team at: discover@ncl.ac.uk.

If you'd like any support accessing our venues or the Festival please contact the team ahead of joining us and we will be happy to help.

What's on

View our campus map

On this page