Newcastle's Best Kept Secrets

When the team at Travelodge asked me to put together a list of Must See / Must Do places in Newcastle, I knew what would feature! There are two events that I am proud to have happening in Newcastle, one of which happened this past weekend.

ScreenageKicks offers an immersive theatre experience for movie goers – their past screenings of the Shining and Reservoir  Dogs. For Halloween this year, they opted for the classic Ghost Busters, with clips from your favourite (or scariest...) horror films!

There were also appearances from Freddy, Chucky, and It (perfectly made up / costumed / in character!) and not for the fainthearted!

After being vetted by the various horror characters at the entrance, we were met by the MARSHMALLOW MAN:

The event started at 8, but the screening wasn't set to start til 10, so what to do with this expanse of time? You mean, other than stare adoringly at all the amazing 80s costumes? Or count how many ghost busters were in the audience? Or try to guess who were actors and who were wearing really really good costumes?

Well, there was new Screenage Kicks merchandise to look at (their tee shirts are on my wish list!), drinking BloodBombs (Jager and Cranberry RedBull), and enjoying the burger in a brioche bun combo, the time flew by! There was also a band belting out Halloween classics, like Highway to Hell, and a montage of all the horror films I've never seen because I'm a wuss, along with the actors showing they're hired for their skill, as well as their lookalike-ability!

The screening of Ghost busters was as expected, and I do wish we'd been closer to the action to be able to watch the actors a little more, but from what I could see, the effect was perfect - they complimented the screening, rather than distracted from it. The main three characters were well cast, with Kyle leading the troops gallantly, just as Dan Ackroyd would have wanted it!

Screenage's next venture is Batman returns, and instead of being in a 700 capacity venue, there are only 150 tickets or so available this time!

If Batman Returns is right up your alley, you'll need to find a hotel - and what better place to stay than a Travelodge, with a good selection of inner city locations, perfect for a quick city break for an event like Screenage!

I mentioned that there are two events that make me proud to be from the North East. If Screenage appeals to the movie fan, then Newcastle:Soup appeals to the charitable and sense of community. 

Newcastle:Soup is base on the Detroit model - which I happened to see profiled on a BBC News programme and loved the idea of it immediately. I was really proud to see that someone from Newcastle had put the leg work in and set up our own Soup.

Soup is an evening of community, where you pay £4, get a bowl of soup, and a vote - throughout the evening 4 charities pitch why they need the pot of funds raised that night, and the winner is the one with the most votes. But it also helps raise the awareness of your charity, or cause to a wider audience. 

If you wanted to set one up yourself, come along to the next event, or follow the team on twitter.

Newcastle has a lot to offer off the beaten track, and with Travelodge, it's not that expensive to stay in the city with so much to offer!

Much love my lovelies, 

K x

* Sponsored post, but my views and the event's awesomeness are not influenced by this