NE1 has today announced the participants in this year’s 24 Doors of Christmas, the city’s alternative advent calendar and has teamed up with BBC Newcastle as a partner on the event.
The 24 Doors of Christmas offers free, exclusive access to 24 unique, unusual and different venues across the city, a festive treat for people to enjoy in the run up to Christmas, and all free to attend. Many of the experiences on offer have been created exclusively for the 24 Doors event. 21 of the 24 days have been filled so far and NE1 is calling on the public to come forward with suggestions for new venues they would like to see included in the alternative advent calendar.
The 24 Doors of Christmas was launched for the first time last year with NE1 offering the public the chance to open the door and visit some of Newcastle’s most historic, unusual, or rarely accessed buildings with a different door each day from the 1st to the 24th December.
The event was extremely popular with hundreds of people registering to take part and get a rare glimpse inside some of Newcastle’s most interesting and famous buildings for free. This year the team at NE1 in partnership with BBC Newcastle have added new venues to the calendar together with some of last year’s most popular locations including the BBC’s own ‘Pink Palace’ news studios on Barrack Road.
Among the newcomers to this year’s advent event, is Hadrian’s Tower, Newcastle’s first major skyscraper, which is still under construction on St James’ Boulevard. For the first time, festive visitors will be given a hard-hat tour of the new building as it reaches its 27th floor. The 24 Doors event will take visitors on a tour of the tower giving them a taste of the city-wide views that will be enjoyed from the tower when it is completed.
Another new addition to the calendar is Bessie Surtees House on Sandgate, Newcastle, a property of significant historic value to the city. The Jacobean house is famous as the scene of the elopement of Bessie with John Scott who later became Lord Chancellor of England. Two of the city’s theatres, the Theatre Royal and the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, will also be opening their doors to give a behind the scenes look at what goes on behind the stage curtain.
The brand new Newcastle Helix is another new addition to the event.
Among the popular locations that have returned for a second year, are St James’ Park which is offering specially curated tours exclusively for the calendar, Ryder architects who are opening up their HQ at the former Cooper’s Studios and Everything Different, the marketing agency that occupies a former synagogue on Ravensworth Terrace, next door neighbours to the house that appeared on the BBC’s programme ‘House Through Time’. As well as a tour of Different’s offices, the team will be running free and exclusive design workshops for participants.
Spaces will be limited on many of the advent doors so the public are being encouraged to register and book early. Bookings will open on Tuesday 26th November at 4pm for all of the 24 Doors events which require tickets - www.newcastleschristmas.com/
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