New nightlife and arts festival, Tour de Moon, is heading to Newcastle

The event series will host four days of immersive art, talks, films and music in Newcastle from 27-30 May.

Tour de Moon is a multi-city, UK-wide festival comprised of free public events, performances and colourful installations. The brainchild of creative director, artist and filmmaker Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun – the founder of NASA’s International Space Orchestra as well as the University of the Underground – the project has been described as “a direct response to the current world we live in”. Taking inspiration from the moon, the festival hosted the first leg of its current tour in Leicester from 13-16 May. Tour de Moon will head to Newcastle this coming weekend before venturing to Southampton in June.

The event’s Newcastle festivities will be held at various venues across the city. The Moon Music Friday programme features DJ sets from Alannah Lamb, Weston and Becky Woodcock, alongside live performances from Georgia May and Nadedja. On Saturday, the line-up features Knats, Hannabiell and Midnight Blue Collective, plus DJs PDT, Westy and RENOK9000. An official afterparty will take place at World HQ on Saturday evening.

Tour de Moon will also bring Moon Live to Newcastle. This part of the project sees the team creating a new TV show that features performances, debates and talks – including a discussion on the nightlife industry. Elsewhere, the four-day affair will host a series of film screenings as part of its Moon Cinema programme. This will focus on next-gen filmmakers and topics such as youth counterculture. Interactive games and theatre performances will also be on offer over the course of the weekend.

To accompany the three city festivals, a sustainable ‘Moon Convoy’ comprised of sustainable vehicles and floats is currently parading through other UK towns and cities before culminating in a closing street party at Pedro Youth Club in Hackney, East London, on 16 June from 2-8pm (BST).

The Tour de Moon crew is made up of more than 90 individuals and has been created in collaboration with the Youth Reporter Board and Advisory Board. According to organisers, the project sees them “working together to build a festival committed to plurality, decolonial practices, social and racial justice, solidarity and equity”.

Tour de Moon is one of 10 major creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, which is taking place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 2022.

Head to the Tour de Moon’s website for further information. You can book free tickets to the festival here.

 

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