A Mardis Gras style parade is set to light up Northumberland Street on Saturday as ¡VAMOS Festival returns.
This weekend's annual celebration of Portuguese and Spanish speaking culture in the North East is packed with family-friendly activities.
¡VAMOS! Festival's programme includes: a vibrant and colourful Mardi Gras parade; a family friendly Picnic fiesta, international Djs; carnival film screenings and talks; exclusive visual art exhibition; cutting edge International digital music release and an exclusive commission by international mural and street artist Vhils.
Saturday kicks off with the colourful Mardi Gras parade, which takes place from 12 noon to 1pm on Northumberland Street.
Organisers say hundreds of children, musicians, artists and dancers will take to the street, having honed their skills in dance classes supported by the Newcastle Culture Investment Fund at the Community Foundation.
Family-friendly activities are scheduled in Ouseburn on the Saturday afternoon, with seven hours of live music, kids' activities, dance workshops and Latin American street food. Later on, there is a iVAMOS! club night at Cobalt Studios for over 18s.
On Friday, Alphabetti Theatre hosts 'carnival stories', an event exploring connections between the Caribbean and North East, featuring a film screening, talk and music workshop.
From 6pm. Brazilian artist Flavio Morais will present his new recent work titled ‘Inutensilios’, featuring delicate wooden sculptures, detailed pen illustrations and minute drawings at Breeze Creatives Abject Gallery in central Newcastle.
The festival concludes with a family beach party at Crusoe's in Tynemouth on Sunday.
Head here for a full programme.
