Join us for a jam-packed day featuring your favourite tipples, mouth-watering street food, a full line-up of live music, our annual rugby tournament, a relaxed, family-friendly afternoon vibe and a high energy evening session!
Use this schedule page to see what’s on at the festival on Saturday.
Join us from 12pm to 9pm for a fun, relaxed festival atmosphere the whole family can enjoy.
Children under 5 go free (grab a free children’s ticket here) and tickets for ages 6 to 18 are just £2.50, which includes a free drink token.
There’s plenty to keep little ones entertained, with ARTventurers, Magic Martin, and Full of Beans bringing colour, laughter and energy throughout the afternoon. Find out more here.
Big Gig Talent Showcase: six 18 & under acts – 12 Noon
Rock Choir: 60 piece choir singing rock ballads – 3.30pm
The Tyne Valley Big Band: back again for 2025 – 5pm
Genuine Imposters (aka The Gum Tree Project): covers to get you dancing – 6.30pm
Spilt Milk: light rock – 8pm
C-Collective: electro dance – 9.30pm
Click on their photo/ logo blocks below for more info on each one.
The kids had a great time last year and Kody Walker and Alf Hill who both performed in 2024 have been booked for the festival acoustic stage this year.
The shortlisted showcase acts get one to one performance coaching from Fran Knowles a top northeast touring musician who is working with us for the first time this year. Welcome to the Big Gig Fran!
Finley joined us last year and we thought he had really progressed his act. Come along on the Saturday for some Johnny Cash!
Sarah was with Outnumbered when they performed 2 years ago. She’s gone solo and we loved her original material. Have a listen to this!
Jackson was the quiet cahon player in Platonic, but is now playing some great solo stuff.
Lucy was the other half of Platonic but has now spread her wings as a great solo artist.
A great band who are playing to audiences along the coast. Really talented kids. Have a listen
Another young band from south of the River – we won’t hold that against you lads! They’re on Spotify – what about this?
18 year Brooklyn-Ellis Carr has had a passion for performing and presenting from a young age. He has performed all around the UK and has experience in hosting a variety of shows. He has been described as “funny, with Witty banter and cheeky humour” in past reviews.
“This young performer holds the space and thrills the whole family.” The Fringe Review
We loved them last year so they’re back. Mind those lasses love their tipple!
You will witness a spectacular display of uplifting, feel-good pop, rock and contemporary chart songs performed the North East Rock Choir. Rock Choir’s ethos of fun, friendship and community spirit is a huge part of its attraction and is passed on to its audience through every performance.
Rock Choir is the pioneering contemporary choir of the UK and remains unique with over 33,000, members enjoying it across the UK. Each member is welcomed into the Rock Choir family and their journey with us allows music, friendship and a new-found confidence to impact their everyday lives.
For more information about Rock Choir and to book your free taster session with no auditions please visit www.rockchoir.com or call 01252 714 276.
For the uninitiated, The Tyne Valley Big Band are a Traditional Jaz Orchestra. 30 musicians on stage playing clasic jazz numbers.
The punters love them. This quote following their performance at the Northern Big Band Festival’
Nice review as always from Bebop Spoken Here following our gig at the Great North Big Band Festival in March.
The Tyne Valley Big Band (MD, Dave Hignett) similarly never misses an edition of the GNBBJF. Invariably bringing along a truly ‘big’ big band, MD Hignett makes room for expanded brass and reeds and you can bet your bottom dollar it’ll be an entertaining programme. Pianist Mike Cunningham, making a welcome debut with the band, played his part in an exhilarating start as drummer David Johnson subjected himself to Whiplash. Barbara Hignett sang All That Jazz with all that pizzazz. Excellent. To conclude a fine set, Niall Armstrong and Sam Armstrong arranged Earth, Wind and Fire’s Fantasy for the band, Becky White, alto sax and Ben Haslam, trombone, the featured soloists. Dave Hignett signed off saying: Hopefully see you in the bar.
We loved them, so they are back. They are a covers band based in York UK and play a wide range of Rock, pop, soul and the occasional jig thrown in for good measure!
Checkout their new showreel.
Spilt Milk are a young North East-based four-piece making hard-hitting indie rock. Don’t miss these guys, they’re definitely ones to watch.
The Gateshead quartet are made up of triplets Oscar, Isaac and Theo, who started off their musical careers busking on Newcastle’s Northumberland Street, with friend Thomas now on bass. Their music is reflective of young North East culture, with relatable lyrics and a focus on teenage culture and wasted youth.
Looks like you’ve just found your new favourite party band! They’re C-Collective and play absolute bangers, as well as a host of other more family friendly party anthems to keep the everyone happy!
Their set list has everything from Faithless to Human League with a smattering of The Prodigy, Eurythmics, Dizzee Rascal, Kasabian, KC and the Sunshine Band and whole host of 80s, 90s and 00s bangers; all performed with a huge sense of fun and more infectious energy than you can shake a lighting bolt at!
Come check them out and come see what all the fuss is about!
Matty Rayson: rock and pop – 6pm
Alf Hill: from the Big Gig 2024 – 6.55pm
Kody Walker: from the Big Gig 2024 – 7.50pm
Sam Shields: new for 2025 – 8.45pm
Click on their photo/ logo blocks below for more info on each one.
He told us “It was my big step into excitement, but don’t be nervous about it, there’s so much support from everyone and you’ll love it.’’
This year he’s back on the acoustic stage on Saturday.
He’s continued recording his own material and publishing on Spotify. Click here for his new single Like a Stone. The lad’s got talent!
Kody played at the Big Gig last year and we just wanted to bring him back to the main festival. This year he’s on the acoustic stage on Saturday night.
He’s definitely going to get your toes tapping and you singing along.
The Tynedale Rugby Club 7s – England’s original sevens tournament – returns for a two-day celebration of rugby, set against the buzzing festival backdrop.
On Saturday, the action heats up with the return of the Men’s Open and Men’s Social tournaments – plus, for the first time, a full-contact Women’s Open Sevens, bringing even more energy to the pitch!
To go with them why not have a fresh coffee or one of their specialty alcohol coffees?
Potato dumplings crafted into unique and delicious dishes inspired by flavours from the around world. New to the festival this year, we can’t wait to try their delicious dishes!
In Vietnamese cuisine, ‘banh mi’ is a short baguette, with thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture.
It is split lengthwise and filled with a range of delicious, aromatic fillings.
With a beer in one hand and a banh mi in the other, how can you go wrong! This is the first time The Big Banh have been with us and we can’t wait to sink our teeth in!
Khaled has taken his time honing his skills and has worked in a number of kitchens to gain experience. He spent some 12 years working in one of the most prestigious restaurants in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, attaining the position of head chef, and running a very busy kitchen. When in 2011 Khaled won the highly recognised and regarded Newcastle “Curry Chef of the Year” award he realised that he was ready to move forward to start to fulfil his ambitions. With the help and support of his family he located his premises, and with time dedication and hard work created ZYKA.
Khaled knows and fully understands what is necessary for a fine dining experience, it goes beyond the food and includes the hospitality and the ambience to make an occasion special. Khalad is confident that Zyka can deliver the fine dining experience for everyone.
Provided by Unique Catering.
Hexham born co-founders Ross and John set out with the objective of bringing authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas to the people of the North East, after experiencing some of the very best street food whilst travelling around the world.
They quickly got to work with first one van, then two, driving around Northumberland and beyond, popping up wherever the demand for delicious pizza takes them.
Using only the highest quality ingredients and a dough recipe honed to perfection, Fire & Dough are becoming a household favourite in the region.
Delicious bacon and sausage baps, hot dogs, fries and more.
Going beyond meals, we’re committed to supporting your community.
Plus, our fully recyclable packaging, from fish & chip boxes to kraft paper sauce pots, reflects our dedication to sustainability. Enjoy a guilt-free, eco-friendly meal with us!
We source the best beef available from rare and traditional breed cows and mix a bespoke selection of cuts into our patties. We smash them into a raging hot grill, cover in cheese, stack them in double or triples, then steam to melt everything together.
Our sauces and seasonings are freshly made in house and are designed to complement the beefy flavours we create.
We have a fantastic team and we pride ourselves in looking after them so they can relax and give you the most enjoyable experience.
Our food is all made to order and served fast food style. We don’t take bookings, so you’ll always be able to turn up and grab a seat when one becomes available.
