The Culture Vulture

07/09/2026

🚨 Turner Prize tickets are available now! 🚨

And I’m absolutely delighted that I’m partnering with Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art and the team for what is going to be a MEGA few months for Teesside.

I’m going to be immersing myself fully in all things Turner Prize in Boro! I can’t wait to have a proper deeks around the exhibition and see what this year’s artists have been up to.

This is one of the biggest moments in the UK contemporary art calendar landing right here in the North East. Not London. Not Manchester. Bliddy Middlesbrough. YAS!

I’ll be sharing more over the coming months, but for now tickets are available so get booking and there is a whole events programme to go with it!

Get yours, get yourself to MIMA and come see what all the fuss is about.

🎟️ Turner Prize 2026 tickets and info - link in comments!

Middlesbrough. Turner Prize. Let’s have it.

07/09/2026

Newcastle. The Mercury Prize is coming. And Generator are making a week of it; this city sings!

From 15–22 October, the city becomes one massive celebration of music and culture as Mercury Prize Fringe takes over Newcastle.

Gigs. Workshops. Masterclasses. Discussions. Creative experiences. Venue showcases. New artists. Big names. Iconic venues. Regional talent. Unexpected spaces. Live music galore. Knats. Massive conversations. Canny sounds. Lush happenings.

And the Fenwick Newcastle Fan Zone – live lounge is back but new for 2026, is a live music Fenwick Food Hall takeover!

Funded by Newcastle City Council and programmed and led by Generator, the North’s leading music development agency, the Fringe puts Newcastle’s brilliant music scene firmly centre stage building towards the Mercury Prize Awards at Utilita Arena Newcastle on Thursday 22 October.

It’s a celebration of the venues, spaces, artists and creative talent that make this city tick alongside emerging voices and established artists from across the UK. And what a programme!

Every Fringe happening is Pay As You Feel (some pre-bookable), with contributions going straight back to the local venues keeping Newcastle’s music scene kicking year-round. 💚

Participating venues include:

Baby Grey / Blank Studios / Blast Recording / Cobalt Studios / Freight Island / Gingerinos / Grainger Market / Head of Steam / John Marley Centre / Live Theatre / Odio Bar / Pilgrim / Polestar Studios / The Biscuit Tin Studios / The Boilerhouse / The Crowne Plaza / The Cumberland Arms / The Glasshouse / The Globe / The Grove / The Lubber Fiend / Tyneside Cinema / Zerox

One city. One week. A whole lot of music.

Find out what’s happening and start plotting your Fringe - link in the comments.

06/09/2026

A marriage, a mortgage, a fake death, a canoe and the North Sea. What could possibly go wrong?

This is one of my fave true crime stories!

All At Sea is coming to Live Theatre Newcastle this autumn; a new play by North East playwright Alison Carr, inspired by the notorious ‘Canoe Man’ case.

Colin and Deborah are drowning in debt. So they come up with a plan: fake Colin’s death in a canoeing accident, claim the insurance money and sort out their financial mess.

Simples! Except, as you might expect, things don’t exactly go to plan.

Performed by Phil Corbitt and Sarah Belcher, and directed by Maria Crocker, this sounds like a darkly funny dive into the weirdly perfect crime of desperation, marriage, money and just how far people will go when everything starts falling apart.

📍 Live Theatre, Newcastle
📅 24 September – 10 October 2026
🎟️ Book now - link in comments

A fun night out full of insurance fraud and a trip into the North Sea.

06/09/2026

Sunderland is getting a new cultural HQ and it opens on 12th September!

Culture House is opening in the city centre next week, bringing together the new City Library and Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art under one roof.

And how lush does it look!?!? 😍

Across four floors you'll find exhibitions, events, digital experiences, creative spaces, gaming, VR, podcasting, workshops, performances, archives, food and drink plus the Sky Garden with views across the city.

There's a dedicated space for young folks and families, a Teen Library, exhibition and event spaces, and a huge central atrium designed for everything from digital art to live performance.

The opening exhibition is Our Home in Space, created with the Barbican, taking visitors from the depths of the ocean to outer space and exploring our place in the universe.

It's set to be a place to explore, learn, make things, meet people or just a space to chill out. It looks mega and I can't wait to visit!

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in it. 👀

05/09/2026

☀️ Tynemouth Food Festival is on tomorrow. And yes, I’m already thinking about lunch. 🌮

If your ideal Sunday involves eating your way around a gorgeous historic site overlooking the North Sea, then this could be a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Expect:

🌮 Str**t food from some of the region’s favourites
🍕 Foodie marquee packed with local producers and sweet treats
🍹 Cocktail & bar trailers
🎶 Guest DJs bringing the soundtrack
👩‍🍳 Cooking classes with Fun Little Foodies
🎨 Creative activities with ARTventurers Newcastle
🧘‍♀️ Yoga with Shore Yoga
⛳️ Sports activities with Sport North Tyneside
🦄 Face painting & glitter (what’s a festival without this?!)
♻️ Craft activities with North Tyneside’s recycling team
🏰 Plus all that Tynemouth Priory and Castle lushness.

And KIDS GO FREE with an accompanying adult. 👏

Dogs are welcome too; on leads and out of the marquees. 🐶

📆 Sunday 6 September
⏰ 10am–5pm
📍 Tynemouth Priory & Castle

🎟️ Tickets are now only available on the door, subject to availability.

Food, sea air, DJs, history and a very good excuse to spend Sunday in Tynemouth. 🌊🍕

04/09/2026

Sunderland str**t artist Frank Styles has knocked it out the park with this one…….Wembley Park that is!

Gorgeous tribute to Freddie Mercury!

I'm Mr Mercury - new piece at Wembley Park. It'll be there until December at least so check it out if you're in London.

Tag a Freddie fan!

04/09/2026

I’m off to Birmingham for a conference in a few weeks and, frankly, the conference is going to have to compete for my attention because Joe Lycett has an entire exhibition about things that no longer exist on.

Including discontinued chocolate bars.

EVERY THING MUST GO is Joe’s first major solo art exhibition, bringing together dozens of brand-new works inspired by nostalgia, grief, loss and Birmingham’s own collections.

Dead celebrities. Extinct animals. Discontinued snacks. Demolished buildings. Princess Diana.

Basically, a gallery full of stuff we’ve lost, but make it extremely Joe Lycett, funny and neon.

The whole thing is presented as a huge, chaotic salon-style display, described by Lycett as a “neon graveyard” which sounds r**t up my str**t.

It’s funny, colourful, nostalgic, maximalist and apparently just the right amount of ridiculous.

And it’s FREE. 🥳

📍 Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery
📅 Until 21 February 2027
🕙 Tuesday–Sunday, 10am–5pm
🎟️ Free entry

I’m particularly hoping there’s a Trio chocolate bar in there so I can mourn appropriately.

Birmingham, see you soon. 👀

04/09/2026

🎄 Fancy spending Christmas making Newcastle festively lush online? 🤳

This is a brilliant creative gig for a social media freelancer who knows how to spot a moment, make people stop scrolling and capture the absolute magic of the Toon at Christmas.

Newcastle NE1 is looking for a Freelance Social Media Content Creator to take over the festive socials across Instagram, TikTok and Facebook; capturing everything that makes Christmas in Newcastle worth visiting!

The markets. The traders. The scran. The lights. The big festive moments. The tiny canny ones. The Christmas chaos. The atmosphere.

You'll be working alongside a brilliant team of people (including me at points!) to tell the story of Christmas in Newcastle and get people thinking: Christmas in the Toon is unmissable

And there is A LOT to capture:

🎁 Independent traders and Christmas shopping
✨ Newcastle lit up after dark
🎭 Theatre, pantos and festive experiences
⛸️ Ice skating and family fun
🍴 Festive food and drink
🎄 The Christmas Market and Christmas Village
🎆 New Years Eve
👀 Fenwicks window
📸 Behind-the-scenes moments
❤️ All the little bits that make Christmas in the city feel like Christmas

🎬 THE GIG

🧑‍🎄Role: Freelance Social Media Content Creator
✍Contract: 2 November 2026 – 3 January 2027
🫰Fee: £4,950
📍Location: Newcastle city centre, with on-the-ground content capture throughout the festive season
📆Application deadline: Monday 21 September, midnight

They're looking for someone creative, proactive and a pro at turning content in meaningful fun storytelling; someone who can spot a brilliant moment, capture it beautifully and turn it around quickly.🎄👀

👉 Full opportunity and application details via Get Into Newcastle : Visit Newcastle City Centre, NE1 website - link in comments.

Christmas Village UK / MoosenWirt Newcastle

03/09/2026

🎨 Freelancers and creative folk; a canny little co-working find for you.

If working from home has started to mean doing absolutely anything except the work, The Hearth Arts Centre is opening up its space every third Monday of the month for creatives to work alongside other creatives.

First one is:

📅 Monday 21 September
⏰ 8am–2.30pm
💷 £10

And crucially, that tenner includes bottomless hot drinks and biscuits. Which, in this economy, feels worth mentioning.

A change of scenery, some other creative humans to talk to and hopefully a vaguely productive Monday.

🔗 Booking link in the comments.

02/09/2026

🚨 PRODUCERS - Got big ideas? Fancy making them bigger, bolder and actually happen? 🚨

Creative Producer Training: Newcastle is back and applications are OPEN. 👀

Newcastle City Council & Curated Place are looking for producers with 5–10 years’ experience who want to sharpen their skills, build bigger partnerships and take their creative practice to the next level.

🎯 10 free sessions
🧠 Practical skills development & proper producer know-how
🤝 New connections and partnerships
🚀 Tools to grow your work and make more ambitious things happen
💰 And the big one… a chance to pitch for 6 x c.£15,000 commissions for at the end of the programme.

This is about backing the people behind the big ideas; the producers turning creative sparks into festivals, live events, community projects and experiences that actually make things happen.

📅 Digital info session: 15 September
⏰ Applications close: 1 October
🔥 Programme starts: November 2026

Priority will be given to producers based in Newcastle and the North East, but applications are also welcome from the wider North East (including Tees Valley)

If you’ve got big ideas bubbling and want the tools to make them happen, get involved.

👉 For more information, to apply and to sign up to digital info session follow link in comments.

📸 Pictures show some of last year's CPP cohort plotting, planning and connecting!