Newcastle Christmas Market 2023

Blogmas Christmas

by Steph Fox 7th December 2023

The Newcastle Christmas market has taken some flak over the years, particularly the year that it sprawled all the way up Northumberland Street with lots of rides and flashy lights. I don’t think anyone enjoyed it that year! In recent years though, they’ve taken to embracing our local traders and I think it’s all the better for it. Newcastle Christmas market is running now until 23rd December, so there’s plenty of time to pay a visit.

It is much smaller than most other Christmas markets, but the main area of the market is around Monument as usual at the top of Grey Street, and along Grainger Street. It also goes around old Eldon Square, where you’ll find more stalls and a big Christmas tree.

Opening hours for the market stalls themselves are from 10am – 8pm every day except Sunday when it closes at 5pm. To add to the festivities, weekends will also see some live entertainment including choirs, street performers and live music taking part in and around the market too.

Winter Warmers at Newcastle Christmas Market

It’s pretty cold up North, so be warned if you’re visiting from afar you’ll need to wrap up warm, and it’s also likely to be raining or even snowing. Northerners, you might need a big coat.

The first thing to do is head straight for a mulled wine, mulled cider, or hot chocolate depending on your choice. There’s a fair few stalls offering all of these, so head to:

Moosenwirt

This main bar of the market, Moosenwirt has a tipi end, private igloos and a ski lodge for private hire, or the walk-in bar with fire pits, live music and plenty of photo opportunities. The alpine themed bar is always a hit, and is one of those places you could end up staying for ages. They also don’t mind you bringing in food from the market stalls, or even Greggs which is right opposite.

Moosenwirt is here longer than the market, staying open until 2nd January, and is open from 10am – 11pm. You can find more details including their live singer program and how to book the private areas on their website here.

North Shore Coffee

These guys have a very popular food truck in Gosforth Park, as well as premises in the Grainger Market, Heaton and at the Quayside Market on Sundays. So they’re popular and well known locally, and they have a big selection of hot chocolates and coffees. I’ve tried the normal hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, but they also do a biscoff and a nutella version.

There are a few stalls selling alcohol as gifts, so if you’re looking for a unique tipple to put in someone’s stocking then pay a visit to stalls like Riverside Spirits for bottles or gift sets, O’Donnell Moonshine who have a range of liqueurs on offer, Crossroad Brewery a local mead brewery, and Firebrick, a Blaydon based brewery selling their beers as gifts.

Street Food Stalls at Newcastle Christmas Market

The food stalls are vast and varied, but many of them are Geordie favourites that are based in Newcastle, the Grainger Market and at the Quayside market too. These are the ones where you can get food to eat as you wander the market. I won’t name them all but some of the best ones in my opinion:

Acropolis: some of the tastiest Greek food, I’m a big fan of their Dirty Greek Gyros, but they always have a good variety of different choices.

Pablo Eggs Go Bao: their breakfast bao bun gets queues the length of Whitley Road at a weekend, and for good reason. The hash browns are second to none too. A good one to visit if you’re there in the morning.

Redheads Mac & Cheese: another firm favourite of everyone in the North East, they have chorizo and parmesan mac n cheese, and even a Christmas special. Unreal.

Truly Madly Pizza: if pizza is your thing then head here, cooked in a wood fired oven.

Fourteen Street Kitchen: Mexican food lovers this is the one for you.

And lastly, it’s not one for me but I will mentione Parm-O-Rama as I know people love a chicken parmo.

Something Sweet?

One of the most distinctive smells of the Christmas market is the donuts and churros, so if you’re looking for something sweet then obviously there are options.

Deli Churros will satisfy your sweet tooth with a selection of toppings to choose from too. Stalls like German Kisses & Cakes, The Brownie Bar, Irvin Confectionary Fudge, Le Petit Creperie and M & H Bakes will all deliver the goods depending on your preference.

Unique Newcastle Christmas Market Stalls Worth Visiting

The approach of inviting local traders to the market means there are some really unique ones that are well worth a visit, and you can come away with some lovely things. These are some of my favourites:

The Eco Stall

The first one I came across was the Eco Stall which is lovely and just in front of Monument. They sell soaps and beauty goods that are sustainable, and the most amazing smelling candles in a range of smells. They’re only there until the 15th December though so visit soon.

Elemental Photography

For some really beautiful photos from across the North East then visit this stall for framed prints and photos of our iconic landmarks.

NE Toon Creative

For more Geordie inspired bits like Christmas cards, tree decorations and more, visit NE Toon Creative. They’re located in the old Eldon Square section of the market.

There are too many other stalls to name, and they cater for a range of tastes. There’s Sopharia Jewellery, Yogal Clothing selling gymware, the Honey Store, Geordie Bangers selling their famous sausages, Matthews Cheese which would make lovely hamper gifts, and many more.

Overall this year I’ve enjoyed the market more than past years, I think because I’ve actually bought some things from the stall and not just visit for the street food and drinks. I think it’s great that our local traders are the focus for it, and long may that continue.

That said I do think they could expand slightly and invite some external traders in too, as a lot of the food stalls particularly, locals have access to all the time so it’s nothing new. I’d like to see some different food stalls be brought in next year.

Visiting for opening at 10am definitely makes a big difference if you’re wanting to browse the stalls and do some shopping, it is much quieter then before it gets a lot busier later on. That said, by mid afternoon when it’s getting darker and the Newcastle Christmas lights are twinkling it really does feel very festive, and you can visit before enjoying a mulled wine at Moosenwirt.

Whenever you visit Newcastle Christmas market this year, enjoy!