Newcastle Classic

Your weekend, day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   

   Go-karting

   From about 14:00 · 1.5 hours

   Arrival day. Travel in and check in, then go-karting in the afternoon: a briefing, practice laps, qualifying and a scored final, with the times on a board. Trousers and trainers, and every driver must be sober, so the drinking waits until afterwards.

   More about this+

   Newcastle has two very different tracks. The indoor option is a 950-metre multi-level circuit with a flyover and twelve bends, where a grand prix format takes about two hours. The outdoor option is a 1,200-metre championship circuit a short drive out of the city, with 390cc karts that reach around 60mph and lap-time printouts at the end. There is also a combat-kart format with gaming-style power-ups for groups of eight or more. Wear closed shoes and active clothing, and tie back long hair. Outdoor sessions run all year, so pack a waterproof in winter.

   You get a briefing, race suit, helmet and gloves, then a session that usually runs about an hour: practice laps, a qualifying run and a scored final. Timing is automatic and the results go on a board, which is where the arguments start.

   Indoor circuits run all year; outdoor ones are longer, faster and at the mercy of the weather. Both put a podium and a bottle of something at the end.

   Wear trousers rather than shorts, and trainers. There are height, weight and footwear limits at most tracks, and you have to be sober.

   

   Club entry, VIP & booths

   From about 23:00 · 3.5 hours

   The first night finishes with guest-list club entry, past the queue. The hotel is inside the nightlife area, so there is no taxi home. Dress codes are enforced on stag groups: no sportswear and no matching shirts.

   More about this+

   Newcastle's guest-list and reserved-area deals are spread across the Bigg Market, the Diamond Strip, the Cloth Market and Pilgrim Street, all within a short walk of each other. Packages typically combine queue-jump entry with a reserved area and a set drinks bundle, such as a bottle of spirits with prosecco, or a round of cocktails and shots. Smart casual is the standard, and some guest-list entry only applies before 10pm, so arrive in good time. A Bavarian-style beer cellar in the Bigg Market, with long benches and steins, is a popular first stop before the clubs.

   Standard entry gets the group past the queue on a guest list, which matters because large male groups are the first ones a door turns away. A booth adds a reserved table, a set number of bottles with mixers and a host who looks after the table.

   Booths are sold on a minimum spend rather than a flat fee at many clubs, so the bottles you order count towards it. Ask what the minimum is and what it includes before you agree to anything.

   Dress code is enforced hard on stag groups. No sportswear, no trainers at some doors, no matching shirts, and nobody visibly drunk gets in regardless of the booking.

2. 2

   Day 2

   

   Cocktail making class

   From about 15:00 · 1.5 hours

   A slow morning, then the cocktail class: each person makes two or three drinks behind the bar with a bartender and drinks what they make, usually finishing with a competition for the best one. Wear nothing you are precious about.

   More about this+

   Most Newcastle classes run on Collingwood Street on the Diamond Strip, around the Cloth Market or down on the Quayside, with a couple a short walk from Central Station, so you finish where the evening starts. Ninety minutes is the standard, and many venues bundle a two-course meal, pizza or a buffet. It is 18+ and ID may be asked for. Some venues will not run a class for fewer than six, and a few ask the whole group to pick the same cocktails. If you have rented a house, a mobile bartender can come to you within about 15 miles of the centre.

   You stand behind a bar with your own kit and a bartender takes the group through two or three drinks, explaining the spirits, the shake and the balance. You make each one yourself and drink it. Most classes finish with a competition for the best drink.

   Sessions usually run around ninety minutes and include everything you make, with the option to stay on in the bar afterwards.

   No dress code beyond the venue's. It gets sticky, so nothing you are precious about.

3. 3

   Day 3

   

   Guided bar crawl

   From about 20:30 · 4 hours

   The guided bar crawl: meet the guide at a fixed point and work through a run of bars, finishing with club entry, with the guide handling the doors. Eat first so the group makes the start time, and dress for the last venue: no trainers and no sportswear.

   More about this+

   Newcastle crawls typically start around 7pm, in the Bigg Market, on the Quayside around Sandhill or near Newgate Street, and run about four hours before finishing at a club. Bring photo ID. Several routes ban fancy dress, and doors refuse entry to anyone who has had too much, so pace the early stops. Self-led versions send the route and timings around a week before, and a two-night weekend pass is available. A pub golf format runs closer to five hours and is better started in the afternoon. With the Bigg Market and the Diamond Strip minutes apart, taxis are rarely needed.

   You meet the guide at a fixed point and move through a run of bars across the evening, usually four or five, finishing at a club. The guide knows the doors, so you skip the queue and the group is not turned away for being too large.

   Most crawls include a welcome drink or a shot at each stop, and entry to the final venue. The rest is on you. Groups from several bookings are often merged, which some stags like and some do not, so ask whether yours is private.

   Dress code is the club's, not the guide's. No trainers and no sportswear at the last venue, and matching shirts get refused at some doors.