Skip to main content

The Bridge UK: A Free Festival Celebrating Hip Hop in Newcastle

by Margherita Farano

This summer, Newcastle is set to get vibrant as Method Lounge hosts The Bridge, an annual Hip Hop festival, for the 4th year. 



Running from July 10th to 14th, it promises live performances, workshops, talks, and more - all completely free. 


For all ages, Hip Hop enthusiasts and newcomers, The Bridge is spread across multiple venues; Hadrian Newcastle, The Tanners Arms, Zerox, and The Glasshouse (formerly Sage Gateshead).



Supported by Arts Council England, the festival is a groundbreaking initiative that connects diverse communities across the UK through the universal language of Hip Hop. 


The festival kicks off at The Tanners Arms with a launch party on the 10th featuring DJ Smoove, a Hip Hop pub quiz, an exclusive Bridge x Scranners menu, and more. 


Friday night hosts music from Abi Nyxx, Just B, Sophie Mitchell, Eyeconic, and more local names at Zerox from 8pm-3am.


Keeping up the celebrations, Saturday night makes a bang at The Glasshouse, featuring the renowned DJ Shadow performing live at 8:30pm. Tickets can be booked here. 



This year’s theme, ‘Lost Arts’, focuses on celebrating and reviving Old School Hip Hop arts, including turntablism and graffiti writing. The festival offers an array of workshops designed to engage participants of all ages and skill levels, including: 


- Graffiti workshop for neurodiverse artists led by Sune. 


- Graffiti classes and clothing customisation led by Pekoe from Bristol Crew, RBF. 


- An introduction to turntablism with DJ Specifik. 


- Rap lyric workshop writing with songwriter Holly Flo Lightly. 


- An introduction to Popping and Locking with Female Funk Fruition’s Nadia Sewnauth. 


- Lyric writing workshop to use our words for world change with Donald Jenkins. 


Tickets for workshops are free, but require advance booking here. 



The festival isn’t just about workshops, though; it also features a variety of exhibitions, talks, and performances. Highlights include:


- Tiffany’s Sidewalk, Thursday 11th from 6-9pm: an exhibition showcasing artwork and memorabilia from the legendary 80s electro-funk club.


- Hit the Breaks, Thursday 11th from 5-9pm: a live broadcast on Method Radio exploring the journey of drum breaks from Bitcore to Hardcorse, featuring iconic artists like DJ Specifik, Suraze, Luke B, Amy Warehouse, and Aems MC. Listen live here. 


- What’s the Name of My DJ, Saturday 13th from 4-5pm: a panel discussion featuring Normski, Sarah Love, DJ Specifik, Mojaxx, and Holly Flo Lightly to discuss Hip Hop’s hidden heroes, hosted by Peep Magazine and Donald Jenkins.



In partnership with organisations like Child & Adolescent Behaviour Services LTD and Inspired Support, the festival aims to create a platform for artistic expression, cultural exchange, and community engagement. 


Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to be part of a transformative cultural experience in Newcastle this summer!


Most Popular

Fashion For a Cause: Brands That Stand with Palestine and the history of fashion as a form of Activism

by Oana-Maria Moldovan For over two months, there has been an ongoing genocide war in Gaza. To simplify a long and horrific issue, the situation that started, on a larger scale, around one hundred years ago, and has only become amplified since October 7th 2023. Taking place around the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Israel–Lebanon border, the armed conflict is between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups.  The problem is about “stolen” land. Said land is seen as an important holy part of both religions involved. But really, how holy can we consider a land to be, if people kill other people for it? It’s important to remember that this genocide is about three things: forced occupation, zionism, and religion. It’s also important to remember what ethnic erasure is. This terrible expresion, also known as cultural or ethnic assimilation, refers to the process by which the distinct cultural or ethnic identity of a particular group is gradually diminished or erased, often due to...
Read more

Now What? The Aftermath of the 'Manic Pixie Dream Girl'

by Susan Moore Here is a bit about me: I am an open, excitable, creative AFAB who is also moderately attractive. I have a unique sense of personal style and a personality that on the surface can only be described as “bubbly” and “quirky”. For this reason, dating is a nightmare. To be sure, I do not have a hard time finding dates or potential suitors. The problems arise when said dates spend some time with me and decide that I am a rare specimen, and the connection they feel with me is “unlike anything they have felt before”. Then, things go one of two ways.  Either a) they decide I am too high maintenance and no longer palatable, or  b) they choose to never look further than the surface and are content to date the idea of me rather than the real me. There is something rather interesting, perhaps funny, about my situation. It is in no way unique. I have met so many people who constantly dealt with the same problem. Even funnier still, is the fact that there is a trope that simu...
Read more

‘Make Tattooing Safe Again’: Sheffield Based Tattoo Artist Exposed for Indecent Behaviour

 by Emily Fletcher TW: SA, Animal Abuse, Transphobia Photo Credit: @ meiko_akiz uki Recently, an  Instagram account  has been created to provide a  ‘space to safely give a voice to those who want to speak out about the behaviour of one, Sheffield based tattoo artist’. A  total of 40+ posts have been made by the above social media account regarding  one of Sheffield's most popular tattoo artists .  Thankfully, all posts are prefaced with a Content Warning prior to sharing screenshots of the messages that have been sent anonymously to the page. The majority of Content Warnings refer to sexual behaviour, abuse, and sexual assault. It is clear that there is a reoccurring theme within each submission, as many clients appear to have had the same experiences with the tattoo artist. Women, mostly, are being made to feel uncomfortable while being tattooed. One of the most vulnerable positions anyone can be in, tattoo artists should make their clients feel ...
Read more