GCT Beer Festival 2025
Friday 1 August, 4pm - 11pm.
Saturday 2 August, 12pm - 11pm.
Sunday 3 August, 11am - 5pm
£5 entry for over 18s - kids go free. Pay on the door.
Entry fee gets you repeat entry for the whole weekend with a wristband.
More information about your visit can be found here.
Our family-friendly, dog-friendly, community Beer Festival is back with tons of live music, street food, crafts for the kids and importantly LOADS of beer. We even have plenty of not-beer and no and low alcohol options for those just wanting to come down for the vibes (which are immaculate...)
Celebrate with us and support our work with people with learning disabilities.
Friday: Pints, party, pizza
The opening night is party night. Be the first to have the full choice of beers on the bar before they're gone and bring your mates for a hit of nostalgia from Jamagotchi, who will be playing biggest pop, dance and indie bangers from the 90s from 8pm to 10pm. Sustenance will be delivered by delicious offerings from Fire and Dough Pizza and our own kitchen.
Saturday: Family fun and soulful grooves
Saturday daytime is all about family-friendly fun, while the evening is filled with live music topped with a soul review with Gift and The Soul'd Out Band! Join us for a day filled with creative crafts from Mini Crafters, mouth-watering offerings from Goodtimes Tacos, and our kitchen with another street food vendor to be announced. There will be live music from 4.30pm from Hels Pattison, Georgia May and vocalist Gift's 7-piece band playing the best neo-soul, funk, RnB and hip-hop to get you up on the dancefloor.
Sunday: Chill out and unwind
Wind down the festival on Sunday with food from our kitchen and a lineup of live music from local up-and-coming artists on our stage from 1pm until 5pm including Tommy Arch, The King Bees and two singer songwriters from We Make Culture's excellent Young Musician's Project. Plus our family craft room to keep the young ones entertained. It's the perfect way to end your weekend while savouring the last of our festival beers.
Support and celebrate with us
By attending the GCT Beer Festival, you're supporting an independent, community-focused event. All proceeds from our bars and food go directly back into our work with people with learning disabilities, once festival costs are covered. If you love the festival and want to support us further, donations are welcome throughout the weekend.
Join us for a memorable weekend!
Be a part of this incredible celebration. Whether you're here for the beer, the music, the food, or just the community spirit, there's something for everyone at the GCT Beer Festival. Mark your calendars and get ready for a weekend to remember!
Highlights
Drinks
Our festival bar will boast 20 taps of keg, 10 taps of cask beer from 16 different local and national breweries and will represent a range of styles for all tastes. Want sessionable pales? You got it! Belgian ales, saisons and sours? Yep. Something dark? Oh you bet! Classic bitters and IPAs? Don't worry about it. Plus the odd rarity and special in there.
The breweries
Keg
Almasty (Newcastle)
Barneys (Edinburgh)
Campervan (Edinburgh)
Durham (Durham)
First and Last (Northumberland)
McColl's (Co Durham)
Newbarns (Edinburgh)
Holy Goat (Dundee)
Otherworld (Dalkeith)
Queer Brewing (That London)
St Dominics (Newcastle)
Twice Brewed (Northumberland)
Vaux (Sunderland)
Cask
Barneys (Edinburgh)
Cullercoats (Cullercoats)
Durham (Durham)
First & Last (Northumberland)
Moonwake (Edinburgh)
Otherworld (Dalkeith)
Twice Brewed (Northumberland)
North Pier (Sunderland)
Cider
Elvet Cider (Durham)
Ascension (East Sussex)
Plus we will have a dedicated spirits and wine bar on our Theatre bar, with no and low alcohol bar option, so if beer isn't your thing you can still come down and have a great time.
Jamagotchi
Step into a neon-soaked time machine with Jamagotchi, the ultimate 90s tribute band that's ready to unleash a wave of nostalgia!
Get ready to nurture your inner 90s kid, because Jamagotchi delivers a live experience that's addictive and interactive. Not just songs; Jamagotchi ignite a full-blown party atmosphere where the energy is infectious and the good vibes are cranked to eleven. You'll be transported back to a golden era of pop, grunge, Indie, and dance anthems.
Get ready to belt out every word to your favorite sing-along songs, from Brit Pop icons such as Oasis, Pulp and Blur, as well a TV themes and Old School Rave classics. Jamagotchi doesn't just play the hits; they embody the spirit of the 90s, bringing the fashion, the attitude, and the sheer joy of a decade that gave us so much iconic music.
So dust off your trackies, dig out your glow sticks, and prepare for a night of pure, unadulterated 90s fun. Come join the Jamagotchi family – where every gig is a reunion and every song is a memory waiting to be relived.
Friday 1 August, 8pm
Gift and the Soul'd Out Band
Gift is an Igbo Londoner whose passion for music was first sparked in the church gospel choir. Now based in the North East, she channels her smooth, distinctive sound into soulful melodies that explore life’s lessons and inspire positive change in her community.
A rising presence on the local scene, Gift has performed at the MOBO Legacy Show and the Newcastle Eagles MOBO collaboration. She’s graced the stage at renowned venues like The Pilgrim and can often be found providing backing vocals for upcoming artists like Liam Fender. Whether working on her own original material or collaborating with others, Gift is carving out her place as an exciting new sound in UK neo-soul/soul and R&B. @giftofyahne
Sould Out
Sould out is a collective of professional musicians/singers in the northeast of England committed to building the original music scene and shining a light on under represented genres in our region such as Neo-soul/r&b /hip hop / Afro beat etc.
Sould out has been running their quarterly live music events for over 7 years in various venues in Newcastle. Follow us to stay up to date @souldoutne
Saturday 2 August, 7.45pm
Georgia May
Georgia May is a Neo-Soul vocalist, born and raised in Newcastle upon Tyne with Nigerian roots (self-proclaimed: Nigeordian). Her sound is defined by soothing timbres exposing contrasting emotions of lust and heartache with a poetic lyrical narrative. She’s heavily influenced by 90’s Hip Hop, RnB, Afrobeats and Neo-Soul.
Georgia’s captivating live vocals are complimented by Daps on keyboards, bringing jazzy chords with a gospel influence. The duo perform a variety of original material along with a few stylised covers.
Saturday 2 August, 6pm
Hels Pattison
Hels is an alt-country/indie musician hailing from Newcastle upon Tyne. Known for her ethereal vocals, she has captivated audiences and gained a grassroots following across the North East. Her debut EP ‘Just what I Do’, released January 2025, has earned support from BBC Introducing, leading to a live session on the North East show and an opening slot at the ‘BBC Introducing Live From The Glasshouse’ series in April 2025.
Drawing influences from artists like Maggie Rogers and Mary Chapin Carpenter, she has been praised by local magazines as “startlingly magnificent” with “powerful, classic songwriting”. Hels' lyrics are both relatable and steeped in traditional country storytelling, making her a unique and compelling voice in the alt-country/indie genre.
Saturday 2 August, 4.45pm
Mini Crafters
Mini Crafters is a children's craft group led by Lynn Wandsworth; they have previously run sessions at our Reopening weekend in 2023 and our Family New Year's Eve Party. They run multiple tables of crafts and colouring centred around a theme, and they always go down well!
In our studio 12pm - 3pm Saturday and Sunday.
Tommy Arch
Tommy is a true road-dog, having honed his craft through years of performing across the UK, both as a celebrated member of fiery folk-rockers Holy Moly & The Crackers and in his own right, supporting the likes of Eddy V, Damian Lewis, Beans On Toast, GA-20 & Daniel Kimbro.
With his captivating voice, raw guitar work, and deeply personal songwriting, Tommy has built a reputation for delivering unforgettable live performances. His unique sound blends the best of soul, blues, and folk influences, – infused with a mastery of songwriting, learnt from obsessively listening to the old heroes; Bob Dylan, Townes Vans Zandt, Van Morrison and delivered with a powerful freight train voice reminiscence of singers like Ray Charles and Otis Redding.
Sunday 3 August, 4pm
The King Bees
The King Bees blues band from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne play the finest Electrified Rhythm & Blues from the 1950s and beyond. Expect Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, William Clarke and much, much more... 'Blues with a Feeling...'.
Sunday 3 August, 2.45pm
Ethan Stayman
Ethan Stayman is a local singer songwriter who plays piano from County Durham.
He ranges from slower, more emotional ballads, to uptempo songs in a pop leaning style, but they are tied together by honesty that reflects his own life.
In his short time doing gigs, he has played at small venues including Pop Recs and Port Independent in Sunderland, continuing to build a narrative around the music that he loves to create.
Sunday 3 August, 1.45pm
Ella Winter
Ella Winter is an indie pop/rock artist based in Newcastle. Inspired by the likes of Beabadoobee, The Sundays & Smashing Pumpkins, Ella’s music feels both nostalgic and new. A recipient of the Next Steps fund from We Make Culture, Ella is set to release new music later this year, marking her arrival to the North East music scene.
Sunday 3 August, 1pm
Goodtimes Tacos
Goodtimes are a GCT favourite. They're been slinging their famous West-Coast inspired tacos at event here since 2018 and they always go down a storm. They have vegan options alongside their must-have pressed birria or baha tacos.
Serving Saturday 2 August.
Fire and Dough
We pride ourselves on being able to produce restaurant quality, Neapolitan pizza to the masses throughout the summer months.
We've honed our craft and with a fantastic team of pizzaiolos behind us, can serve up to 400 pizzas an hour, with the same Fire & Dough quality every time.
Serving Friday.
