Winter in Newcastle 2023-24
Activities are offered throughout December and into January on campus and in the city.
Spending your holidays in Newcastle?
If you’re spending December or the Winter Break in and around Newcastle, there are many events offered across the University and city for you to take part in. Have a look below at all the activities and events – some do require you to sign up in advance!
While many services across the University will be closed from 5pm on 22 December to reopen on 3 January, support is still available to you – make sure to have a look at the ‘Wellbeing and the Winter Break’ section for more information about what you can access during this time.
Are you an international student staying in Newcastle or in the UK over the holidays? This blog post from UKCISA has some great tips from international students about spending the holiday season in the UK.
The Student Life Unit is running several activities over the University's winter closure period, available to all students who are staying in the area during the holidays!
- 23 December at 12:45pm - Film: The Muppet Christmas Carol at the Tyneside Cinema
- 27 December at 4:45pm - Activity: Northern Lights Trail in Leazes Park
- 28 December at 2:15pm - Activity: Ice Skating at the Life Science Centre in Newcastle
All of these events cost £5 and tickets are available to buy from 1 December 2023 on the Newcastle University Webstore.
Our Winter Wellbeing Walks are a great way to take a little time out during the winter vacation, enjoy some fresh air as we walk through one of our fantastic city centre parks, and share in good conversation with others along the way. The sessions are open to students and staff at Newcastle University and will last about 1 hour.
Winter Wellbeing Walks are taking place on:
- 2 January 2024
- 5 January 2024
Volunteering is a great way to give something back, meet people and do something fun whilst adding to your CV! To get involved in free volunteering opportunities from festive micro-volunteering to tree planting please go to https://nusu.co.uk/whatson/calendar
Here's a sample of the events coming up!
31 December - Allandale Tar Barrels Parade
2 January - Hadrian's Wall Walk
5 January - Community Tree Planting Event
Join in with our exciting activities – either free or at a discounted rate – from social sports to festive crafting, Christmas karaoke, trips to Edinburgh and social walks in the local area! Book your place at https://nusu.co.uk/activities/giveitago and follow us on Instagram @nusugiveitago over the Students’ Union closure period for fun activities you can do at home including crafts, baking, quizzes and more!
Give it a Go Activities
21 December at 12pm: Fun and Festive Crafts
28 December at 7:30pm: Basketball - Newcastle Eagles vs ENEA Zastal BC Zielona Gora from Poland
Activities during the University Closure Period
Whilst the Students' Union building is closed, we'll be posting loads of fun activities you can do at home on our instagram from 23rd December to 7th January.
Keep up to date with us @nusugiveitago and take part in our fun and festive activities from crafts you can do from the comfort of your own home, cooking recipes to use your left over food up, baking festive treats, quizzes, and recommendations for local winter walks!
We'd love to hear about what you're doing this winter break and please tag in our instagram @nusugiveitago and share your craft creations, baking masterpieces, and winter walks with us!
There are loads of events happening around the city centre throughout the holiday season!
Great North Nights 8 December 2023
Northern Lights Trail in Leazes Park 23 November 2023 - 1 January 2024
Winter Wonderland at the Utilita Arena 15 December 2023 - 7 January 2024
Newcastle Christmas Market 18 November 2023 - 23 December 2023
Ice Skating at the Life Science Centre in Times Square 11 November 2023 - 7 January 2024
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has events on throughout December and into the New Year.
24 Doors of Christmas: NE1’s popular 24 Doors of Christmas turns the city into a giant advent calendar with iconic venues opening their doors to the public for exclusive tours every day in the run-up to Christmas.
The theatre is a popular choice for a holiday activity, here are a few theatres around Newcastle:
Support and Advice Hub:
The Students’ Union Support and Advice Hub will be open until Friday the 22nd December, so please pop in if you are still on campus. If you need information during our closure time (23rd Dec- 8th Jan) please check our pages here.
Clubs and Societies:
If you’re part of a club or society they are likely to be running lots of fun end of term activities and may have some plans over the winter break too. Keep up to date with your emails and the clubs and societies social media. We will also be advertising clubs and societies activities on the Give It A Go programme for everyone to be involved in over the winter break – you don’t need to be a member for this.
Co-op (ground floor):
08:00-20:00 (Monday-Saturday) and 10:00-20:00 (Sunday’s) - except the Students’ Union closure days when the building will be closed on 23rd December and will reopen on 8th January 2024.
Wetherspoon at Luther’s bar (level -1 and -2):
08:00-23:00 with food served 08:00-22:00 each day (except the Students’ Union closure days when the building will be closed on 23rd December and will reopen on 8th January 2024).
Study spaces on level 2 and NUSU central:
Open 24/7 with student card access (except the Students’ Union closure days when the building will be closed on 23rd December and will reopen on 8th January 2024).
It's possible to experience low mood or anxiety at any time of year. Over the Winter Break, you can still access support for your health and wellbeing should you need it. Find out more about managing your wellbeing in this Sway 'Wellbeing and the Winter Closure'.
The Student Health and Wellbeing Service provides a number of online options, available for you 24/7.
Umii - We want to make it as easy as possible for you to connect with like-minded students at Newcastle University, so we’ve partnered with Umii to allow you to do this in a fun, safe and non-awkward way. It could be a great way to connect with other Newcastle University students over the Winter Break period!
Talk Campus – TalkCampus is a global student peer support platform. It's designed as a place where you can be yourself and talk about how you’re really feeling. You can access 24/7 support online via our TalkCampus platform and receive advice and guidance on a range of wellbeing matters such as anxiety, low mood and loneliness.
Silvercloud - a suite of online CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) programmes available to all Newcastle University students, free of charge.
iNCLude – our self-help app is designed to help you take small steps to improve and maintain your wellbeing.
Student Minds is a UK student mental health charity, and has produced several articles and resources to support students during the winter break period which are hosted on Student Space.
Over the winter break, your friendly ResLife Student Assistants will be available online with a festive schedule to keep you connected with Newcastle this Christmas. All details on our activities will be posted onto our ResLife Instagram and in your weekly newsletters.
Staying in Newcastle this Christmas? Join our ResLife 'Christmas in Newcastle' WhatsApp group and meet other students staying within our villages this holiday season. Whether you're looking to chat online or plan a festive event together, this group is here to spread Christmas cheer and make your break from university extra special. To sign up, simply fill in this form. By doing so, you agree to be a part of our WhatsApp group, and we'll create a chat using the mobile number you provide (don't worry, your data will only be shared with group members). Let's come together, respect each other's privacy, and have an amazing Christmas in Newcastle!
Eat@Newcastle
Eat@Newcastle outlets across campus will be closed during the University's closure period, but dates of closure and reopening vary from site to site. Details of the closure/reopening arrangements for each site are below:
The Grand: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
The Courtyard Cafe: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
Robinson Library Cafe: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
NUBS Cafe: closing 15 December 2pm, reopening 8 January
Chicken Shack: closing 15 December 2pm, reopening 8 January
Bites: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
Ridley Atrium Coffee Cart: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
Sports Centre Cafe: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
Walton Library Cafe: closing 15 December 2pm, reopening 8 January
Catalyst: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
Daysh Cafe: closing 15 December 2pm, reopening 8 January
Urban Cafe: closing 22 December 2pm, reopening 3 January
Sports Centre
The Sports Centre will be closed from 5pm on Friday 22nd December 2023 and will reopen at 7am on Wednesday 03 January 2024.
Language Resource Centre
The Language Resource Centre will be open the week of the 18th December 2023 from 9am to 5pm, but will close from 5pm on 22nd December 2023 and re-open on the 3rd of January at 9am.
Libraries
The Marjorie Robinson, Walton, and Law libraries close at 5pm on 22nd December 2023 and reopen 3rd January 2024.
The Philip Robinson Library is closed 25th December 2023 and 1st January 2024, but otherwise remains open. For more information on the opening hours please visit: Visiting the Library | University Library | Newcastle University (ncl.ac.uk)
The Careers Service will be closed from 5pm on Friday 22 December 2023 and will reopen at 9am on Wednesday 03 January 2024.
In the meantime, why don't you check out this Experience Blog entry over the closure period? 8 online resources to advance your career (ncl.ac.uk)