The NOVUM Festival's closing event on Sunday, August 9 is a giant domino run that will send a 2.5km chain reaction through Newcastle. Thousands of breeze block dominoes will be placed along a route across the city, with the first one due to fall at 4.30pm.
The festival itself runs from Friday, August 7 to Sunday, August 9, offering a programme of performances, workshops and fun family activities. The finale, however, serves as the bookend to that programme, with a sculptural line of dominoes stretching from east to west through the city centre, built over the course of the day.
Route through the city
The dominoes will wind through streets, public spaces, venues and landmarks, beginning near Newcastle City Library. The route passes the Theatre Royal and Tyneside Cinema, moves through historic Blackfriars and the Town Walls, and finishes at Newcastle Helix. Large-scale playful structures will be placed along the way, including around Grey's Monument.
Visitors can arrive from 2.30pm to follow the route, watch the artwork being built and take in the atmosphere. More than 300 volunteers are helping to construct the installation, and thousands are expected to gather to witness one of the most ambitious public artworks ever staged in Newcastle and the North East.
A global production's North East debut
Station House Opera's Dominoes has been performed in over 20 cities around the world, including at St. Paul's Cathedral, the National Museum of Denmark, the Royal Swedish Opera House and Melbourne Town Hall. The Newcastle installation marks its first appearance in North East England.
When the installation was announced, Julian Maynard Smith, Station House Opera's Artistic Director, said: "After touring the world with our city-wide spectacle Dominoes, we are excited to bring it to the streets and people of Newcastle."
"Linking new and old, public and private; the spaces of the city centre will be brought together in a single connecting action of joyous disruption, and we invite all to witness it."
Jim Mawdsley, Principal Advisor, Events and Culture at Newcastle City Council, added: "Events like this capture the imagination, bringing people together to experience our streets, spaces and landmarks in new and unexpected ways."
"Newcastle is at the heart of a bold cultural resurgence. Our ambitious 10‑year cultural events programme is helping to drive the rapid growth of the city’s creative sector, strengthening the local economy while giving artists, freelancers and communities a powerful platform to share their talent with the world. NOVUM sits at the very heart of that vision."
"Dominoes Newcastle is a fantastic example of how large‑scale cultural events can animate the city, celebrate local participation and create shared moments that people will remember for years to come – giving residents and visitors alike exciting new reasons to experience Newcastle."
