An image of the crowd at the Carabao Cup final next to images of manager Eddie Howe and the rest of the Newcastle team celebrating their historic win
The town will be painted black and white on Saturday
Newcastle City Council and Newcastle United have issued key guidance to fans heading to NUFC's historic trophy parade this weekend.
The city will celebrate with an open-top bus parade and Town Moor party after the historic Carabao Cup win at Wembley. Eddie Howe and his players will be basking in their cup glory with a much deserved victory lap.
Newcastle City Council and NUFC have scheduled a bumper day for all Toon fans with a number of events planned.
It's estimated that hundreds of thousands will descend on Newcastle to catch a glimpse of the silverware and then celebrate on the Town Moor.
It has been a mammoth effort from Newcastle City Council. Cllr Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council said: "This is a monumental and exciting event for the city as we come together to celebrate this amazing achievement.
"We know how much this event means to the city, and we’ve worked closely with our partners to ensure that everyone can be part of this historic occasion.
"This will be one of the biggest events we have seen in the city, and the safety of everyone attending is paramount. With huge crowds expected, we want everyone to enjoy it and get there and home safely so there will be a number of road closures required, and we’re asking people to plan ahead and use public transport.
"I am sure it will be a fantastic and proud day for our city and I can’t wait to be there."
The council has issued key guidance for anyone planning to head to catch a glimpse of their cup heroes during the parade.
Parade timings
The open-top bus will be making its way from St James Park, home of the magpies, as the first stop on its city-wide tour. Many will be able to see Eddie Howe and the team as they make their way along the route, touting the cup along the way for loyal Newcastle fans to spot the first piece of domestic silverware the team have won in 70 years.
The bus route is open to the general public to attend without tickets. The open-top bus will leave St. James’ Park at approximately 4.30pm.
A map shows the exact route of the parade as it makes it's way through Newcastle City Centre (Image: NUFC)
The bus will then make its way down Gallowgate, turning onto Percy Street before heading onto the B1318 towards Gosforth. The bus will stop at the Town Moor. Players are set to take to the Town Moor stage at approximately 6.35pm. The full bus route will be shown live on large screens at the Town Moor event.
Road closures
As a result of the bus parade, there are a series of rolling road closures through the city centre, as well as some further on as a result of the Town Moor event.
Great North Road – from Blue House roundabout to Claremont Road, including the slip roads from CME North and Southbound to Barras Bridge and Great North Road – closed from 12 noon until 9.30pm
Barras Bridge – between St Marys Place and Claremont Road – closed from 4pm until 9.30pm
Claremont Road – between Queen Victoria Road and Barras Bridge – closed from 4pm until 9.30pm
As part of the celebrations, a bus parade will be taking place from St James’ Park to the Town Moor between 16:00 to 18:00 with road closures in place along the route, the parade route will require the following closures:
Barrack Road from Stanhope Street to St. James Boulevard
Gallowgate
St. James Boulevard from Westgate Road to Gallowgate
Percy Street
Blackett Street
New Bridge Street West (Westbound) from John Dobson Street to Pilgrim Street
Barras Bridge
St. Mary’s Place from John Dobson Street to Barras Bridge/Percy Street
The whole route will be closed from 4pm and will reopen in sections once parade and all people following has passed when it is safe to do so.
Town Moor event details
A map of the event shows the layout of the celebrations, as well as where entrances and accessibility points are located. There are also welfare areas should you need help while at the event.
Details on entrances, toilets, welfare tents and accessible areas are listed on this map (Image: NUFC)
Further details have been announced by NUFC regarding the event, with specific timings listed:
1:30pm: Town Moor site opens
2pm: Carabao Cup Final replay (Town Moor)
4pm: Main Stage entertainment starts (Town Moor)
4:30pm: Bus parade begins (St. James’ Park)
5pm: Bus parade arrives at the Town Moor
5pm: Q&A with legends
6:35pm: Players on stage
7pm: Sela Spectacular Surprise
7:30pm: Event finishes
Food and drink
There are no restrictions along the parade route or in the Town Moor event in regards to bringing your own food from home.
Around the Town Moor event, food and soft drinks will be available to purchase.
Alcohol rules
As many are aware, for the event on the Town Moor, alcohol will not be served and is prohibited from being brought in. While there is no guidance on drinking before the event and entering, since it's a family-oriented celebration, you may face trouble getting in.
For those thinking of bringing their own alcohol, all daysack-size bags are subject to security checks.
A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: "If people are drinking and misbehaving, they will have their drink confiscated. This is a family event."
Even drinking before the event could land you in trouble. If you appear drunk in public, it can be considered an offence if you're causing a disturbance or unable to look after yourself. Police have powers to issue fines, or make an arrest depending on the severity of the offence.
Prohibited items
As stated before, alcohol is banned from the event, but that isn't all. There is a list of banned items you'll need to keep an eye out for when packing.
Despite the somewhat disappointing forecast, certain umbrellas have been officially banned. The wording on the club website reads: "Small umbrellas are permitted. If you do choose to bring an umbrella, please be mindful of blocking views for others and of space constraints. We encourage people to instead bring suitable clothing and hats in case of rain."
This is due to the view obstruction larger umbrellas could bring, but also from a safety perspective for attendees.
In addition to these banned items, flags are not allowed. This is to "ensure a safe environment for all attendees" at the Town Moor event.
It has also been announced that chairs, seating of any kind and camping equipment are not permitted in the standing-only event.
Drones are also banned along the parade route and at the Town Moor. This is alongside pyrotechnics/flares as there is planned aerial activity relating to the emergency services, crowd management and run-of-show. The restriction has been authorised by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The only animals that are allowed into the Town Moor event are accredited guide dogs.
Public transport
It is expected that public transport in and out of Newcastle will be extremely busy all day on Saturday 29 March.
Nexus, who operate bus services in and out of Newcastle as well as the Metro network, issued key advice on travelling on the day of the celebration: "Anyone heading in and out of Newcastle on Saturday for work, leisure or to join this event, are advised to plan their journeys in advance and to expect queues and disruption.
"The impact of the event may be felt across the entire Metro and bus networks and it is unlikely services will keep to timetable."
To help manage the crowds, Nexus announced that Ilford Road and West Jesmond Metro stations will be exit only from 3pm on Saturday. They warn that some other Metro station closures in Newcastle city centre may also be required on the day.
As for buses, with the range of road closures, most bus routes will be diverted. This will mean buses will not be able to stop or depart from normal bus stops in these locations or may not be able to access the city centre at all.
While Percy Street is closed to traffic for the bus parade, there will be a temporary closure of Eldon Square Bus Station and Haymarket Bus Station starting at approximately 4pm.
They remind people like most Saturdays, bus services will start to run a reduced service from 8pm.
Fireworks and flares
Flares are a common sight at football celebrations, one being deployed at the Newcastle fan zone in Camden during the final. Pyrotechnics and flares have been banned from the days events.
In addition to the ban, there are some key laws to pay attention to around the use of flares and fireworks.
While you are legally allowed to set off fireworks and things like sparklers and flares all year around, you are prohibited from doing so in a public space. This means that those who have a bag full of flares ready for the celebrations should be warned that setting any of them off along the parade route or in the Town Moor event will result in police action.
It's an offence under The Fireworks Regulations 2004 and The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015.
A Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We would work closely with our regional and blue light partners to ensure the public safety of residents, businesses and visitors to the city during an event of this magnitude, as people come together to celebrate the cup winning achievements of Newcastle United."
Car parks
NUFC officially clarified that there will be no parking available for the Town Moor event, with car parks in town expected to fill up quickly throughout the day, even hours before the event.
Accessible parking is unavailable on the Town Moor. However, there are nearby accessible drop-off points, with Forsyth Road as the best location for dropoffs with the best access to the wheelchair platform.
Accessibility
NUFC released an accessibility statement on the various elements of the day that may need additional consideration for those with disabilities.
The event will utilise the tarmac path running through the Moor and have a pathway suitable for wheelchair use that leads directly to the dedicated wheelchair viewing area. Unfortunately, the limited number of spaces are now booked up. If you have any queries about accessibility on-site, email disabilitysupport@nufc.co.uk.
A designated accessible viewing area is on-site, offering unobstructed views via a raised platform for wheelchair users. Personal assistants are also welcome in this area.
NUFC have secured the services of British Sign language interpreters for the event, who will provide a BSL services from 4pm until 8pm when the event concludes.
There will be flashing lights from the stage production at the event and camera flashes during the event. Spectators who are sensitive to bright or flashing lights are advtake appropriate precautions.
Accessible portable toilets are clearly marked throughout the area. The site will also have a limited number of baby-changing facilities.
Accredited guide dogs are the only pets allowed in the event.
For neurodivergent attendees, NUFC has secured a limited number of ear defenders, which can be obtained at the event by speaking to a Wellbeing Officer or Disability Access Officer. However, they advise people to bring their own, as supplies are limited.
Safeguarding
Along the parade route and at the event, stewards will be in place to help with any safeguarding issues.
The stewards at the Town Moor will be on hand to deal with any safeguarding issues, as well as hand out wristbands and provide general welfare advice and support. There will be three welfare tents on the site which will act as 'lost child' points and somewhere attendees can access general welfare support, including water and phone charging facilities.
Attendees with safeguarding concerns can also raise them with their nearest steward, who will alert the Wellbeing team accordingly.
The Club is also operating a 'child safety' wristband scheme on the day, designed to help event staff re-unite lost children with parents and carers should they become separated. Wristbands can be obtained from the Gate, Eldon Square, Haymarket, St Thomas' Church Haymarket, Monument Metro, Central Metro, Haymarket Bus Station, Greggs Gallowgate, Costa Gallowgate, Central Station and St James' Stack.
The information provided for the event comes directly from Newcastle City Council and NUFC.
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