Stars come out at Newcastle

Newcastle Cathedral, England’s only cathedral dedicated to St Nicholas, the historic inspiration for Santa Claus, is getting ready for Christmas.

The stars will come out as England’s only cathedral dedicated to St Nicholas gets ready for Christmas

It will be its first Christmas following the £6m transformation project, Common Ground in Sacred Space supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund that saw this historic and spiritual landmark, re-fashioned and refreshed to be a dynamic, attractive community hub for the city and beyond.

They were joined by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, to celebrate their patronal festival, the Feast of St Nicholas, with  a service of holy communion, music from the Cathedral Choir, followed by an Evening With the Archbishop talking about faith, hope, politics and the future.

The event was just one of a wide range of special services, music events and other festive activities, as Newcastle Cathedral counts down to Christmas.

Other events include the launch of the Stellar Projects sound & light installation, The Stars Come Out at Night which opens this Friday for three nights.

The artwork has previously appeared at Lumiere Festival in Durham and is a large sculptural piece that slowly rotates to reveal beautiful star patterns on the surrounding landscape, capturing the magic of a sky full of stars. The work is accompanied by a bespoke atmospheric soundtrack created by composer Oliver Vibrans.

Friday too will see the Cathedral’s traditional Walking Nativity which sets off from Newcastle Central Station at 5pm and arrives at the Cathedral to hear the sounds of the Rock Choir.

Other events for Advent in Newcastle include ‘Sound the Trumpets’ when singers and trumpets will join forces for a gala concert with all profits going  towards the Cathedral’s ‘Sponsor a Chorister Fund’, ensuring that children from all backgrounds are offered the opportunity to benefit from a unique musical education.

 Find out about all Newcastle’s Advent events here.

All our cathedrals have varied Advent programmes with a wide range of services, events and activities. Please check your cathedral’s individual website for service and event times. 

 Face coverings are now mandatory in our cathedrals unless you are exempt, tickets may be required at some highlight services to help our cathedrals manage numbers and keep people safe, and many of our services will be livestreamed.

Photo Credit – Graham Fotherby