The Late Shows facts for kids
The Late Shows is a special event that happens once a year in Tyne and Wear, England. It started in 2007. The main idea is to get more people, especially young people, to visit museums and art galleries. It's now the biggest event of its kind in the United Kingdom for the 'Museums at Night Festival'.
The Story of The Late Shows
The Late Shows began as a one-night event. In its first year, 14 different cultural places joined in. These included the Discovery Museum, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, and the Laing Art Gallery.
All these places stayed open late into the evening. They offered free events and special exhibitions. The goal was to welcome new, younger visitors. Many different groups and places have worked together since the beginning, and they still do.
By 2013, the event had grown a lot. More than 50 attractions took part in mid-May. People in the region called it "The North East’s legendary culture crawl."
An organization called the Arts Council of England looked at how well The Late Shows was doing. In 2009, the event ran for two nights. There were 54 different activities across 29 places. Over 15,000 visitors came to enjoy the fun.
This big event also included special art projects and many artists. In 2010, even more people came. Over 19,500 visitors explored museums and galleries in Newcastle and Gateshead after dark. In 2013, The Late Shows won a bronze award at the North East England Tourism awards.
Places You Can Visit
Many interesting places take part in The Late Shows. Here are some of the well-known ones:
- Laing Art Gallery
- The Biscuit Factory
- Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
- Victoria Tunnel (Newcastle)
- The Sage Gateshead
- Moorbank Botanic Gardens (This place is now closed)
- Hatton Gallery
- Tyne and Wear Archives Service
- North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers
- Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne
