What we’re about
Welcome to North East Culture & Conversation! 👋
This is a new social group for meeting and mingling with potential new friends in lovely locations, and bonding over shared interests. It’s aimed at the 20s, 30s and 40s age range.
Here you’ll find coffee gatherings, board game meets, dinners, a cake club offering convivial chatter for those with a sweet tooth, and some fun days out too. From time to time, we may offer some cocktail events and parties to bring everyone together, as well 🍸🍷🥳.
Our Adventures in Art 🖼️ events centre around not just visiting museums and galleries, but also trying out new creative skills such as life drawing and pottery painting. There are other cultural activities to try out too, such as theatre trips and live music events. For those who enjoy cross-stitch, crochet or knitting with a side of chitchat, come and join our Stitch and B*tch🪡🧵😉 …
We host two book clubs - one for fiction and one for non-fiction - take your pick or try both! We also offer film club events from time to time, which skew towards foreign, cult and indie movies. It’s great if you want to engage in thought provoking discussion! 📚🎬
Sometimes we attend talks and lectures too, on various subjects: science, history, psychology, classics and more! It’s a great opportunity to learn something new and explore ideas together 🤓.
Our events are primarily based in Newcastle and the surrounding areas, but sometimes we’ll venture a little further afield for day trips and some special adventures! If you’re interested in helping out with hosting in Durham, Sunderland or Northumberland, let us know as we’d love to branch out to offer events for young people there as well. If you have any ideas for new events, too, we are certainly open to suggestions ☺️.
We do ask that members use their first name rather than an initial on their profile, and recommend using a recognisable photo of themselves. We are all here to meet with new people face to face! Clarity about who you are when you show up helps both the organisers and the members 😊.
The group is fuelled on the values of friendliness, kindness and mutual respect. We are all adults, so let’s act like it 😉! Bigotry, harassment and abusive behaviour won’t be tolerated. We aim to foster a pro-social environment, so try to be considerate of your fellow members.
Now let’s have some fun 🤩!
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Prohibition Pub Quiz! 🤓🧠Prohibition Cabaret Bar, Newcastle upon Tyne
Join us at the marvellous 1920s themed cabaret bar Prohibition as quizmaster Danny ‘Eyeballs’ puts our general and music knowledge to the test, with four rounds of rigorous brain exercise 🧠!
If we come top of the pile we’ll win actual cash 💰. Fall just short and we’ll win a boozy treat. Failing all that, if we come rock bottom we’ll earn some delicious biscuits for the whole team 🍪!
Bring a quid along with you as it’s £1 entry per person. We’re allowed up to 6 people per team, so may need to split into multiple groups.
Meet us from 7.30pm, for drinks and a chat before the trivia starts. It’s best to arrive early as there can be competition for seats and tables!
The quiz itself begins at 8.30pm. See you there! 🙂
- Book Club: Rebecca 💃🏰👻The Exchange Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne
Whether you’re a true bookworm or simply seeking a motivation to get reading more often, book club is a great place for conversation and meeting new people! Come and enjoy some interesting discussion alongside more relaxed chatter, with the book as the jumping off point!
We’ll delve into various genres; this month we have a gothic classic to explore across spooky season 👻📚 …
We’re reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, one of the 20th century’s great gothic authors. The novel follows a young woman who marries a wealthy widower but finds herself haunted by the memory of his first wife.
A study of jealousy, memory and power dynamics; The Guardian describes it as "a masterpiece", while Marie Claire called it "psychologically astute and disturbingly romantic".
The Exchange serves a variety of alcoholic and soft drinks ☕🍹🍷 - something for everyone! It’s very easily accessible, situated just off Northumberland Street - between the Eldon Square entrance and Marks and Spencer.
It’s a typically quiet and spacious underground speakeasy lounge that’s very central yet slightly hidden away from the hordes; think comfort, velvet and a slightly luxe vintage vibe. Look out for the magic telephone box entry door ☎️ 😉! Click here for a quick walkthrough guide to locating the bar.
This is an open session, so feel free to drop by at any time during the evening: we’re pretty relaxed!
Hope you can join us! ☺️
- Discovery Nights: Party at the Museum! 👗🍄🍕Discovery Museum, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Join us for the first ever Discovery Nights event! Let’s enjoy the Discovery Museum together after hours, and embrace the vibe of sustainable living in their theme for the evening: The Good Life 💚🌎!
Activities we’ll explore include:
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Taking an expert-led, behind the scenes tour of the museum’s costume stores, and learning about repairing and repurposing clothing 👗
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Learning about foraging 🍄🟫
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Hearing storytelling about the rich history of cotton via the museum’s dress collection; try a clothes swap if you dare! 👕
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Creating our own skincare with the help of Goodness Gracious Green 🧴
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Shopping the local makers’ fair for handmade sustainable jewellery and candles 💍🕯️
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Experimenting with mindful crafting using clay and quilled paper 🤲
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Watching demos of solar energy involving interactive experiments with fruit-based solar cells - ‘Berry Cells’ 🍓☀️
Experienced engineer Kevin Urquhart will also be on hand to answer any questions about the museum’s new Steam to Green exhibition, which focuses on the history of energy in the North East, travelling all the way back to the Industrial Revolution and then shifting back to the future with green technologies and renewable sources ♻️
There’ll be pizza to eat, beer from local microbrewery StuBrew to drink (plus other drinks besides), and a DJ on the decks throughout the adventure 🍕🍻🎵
Meet us at 360 Sky Lounge opposite the museum between 6pm and 6.30pm to gather together as a group before heading in. We can head back out for drinks and a chat once the museum closes at 9pm, to discuss what we’ve seen and get to know one another better!
Tickets are £8 🎟️ and available to buy here
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