Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2026: Line-Up, Tickets and Free Programme

The Mouth of the Tyne Festival is Tynemouth's biggest event of the year, and 2026 is a milestone one — the festival's 21st anniversary. It runs from Thursday 9 to Sunday 12 July, with four headline concerts inside the walls of Tynemouth Priory and Castle — a medieval ruin on the clifftop above the sea, and one of the most dramatic outdoor stages anywhere in the country — while the village streets host a big free daytime programme of street performers, a parade, live music and a silent disco. It's delivered by North Tyneside Council.

Here is everything you need to know for 2026.

Best for: Mouth of the Tyne Festival 2026 runs Thursday 9 – Sunday 12 July, with ticketed evening concerts at Tynemouth Priory and Castle and a free daytime programme along Front Street and around Tynemouth Metro station.

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The headline nights

All four evening concerts are held within the Priory grounds. They are standing shows: gates open at 6pm, support acts start around 7pm, and the concerts finish by 10.30pm. The setting does the rest — as the sun drops over the mouth of the river, the ruined arches and the sea make a backdrop no purpose-built arena can match.

Thursday 9 July — The K's

The festival opens with one of the fastest-rising guitar bands in the country. The K's, from Earlestown near Warrington, built a fierce live following before their debut album I Wonder If the World Knows? landed at number three in the UK chart in 2024 — and they went one better in 2025, when second album Pretty on the Internet went straight in at number one. They're joined by special guests Tom A. Smith and Leazes, making the opening night a strong bill of new North-of-England guitar music.

Friday 10 July — Ministry of Sound Classical

Friday is the festival's big crossover night: Ministry of Sound Classical, the touring show that reworks three decades of dance anthems for a full live orchestra, vocalists and a club-scale light and laser production. At Tynemouth it's joined by saxophonist and performer Ellie Sax and veteran UK dance act Utah Saints ("Something Good"). It's a rave in the ruins, essentially — and this night is sold out.

Saturday 11 July — Self Esteem

Saturday is the marquee booking. Self Esteem is the stage name of Rebecca Lucy Taylor, whose second album Prioritise Pleasure was named a record of the year across the board and shortlisted for the 2022 Mercury Prize; she followed it in 2025 with A Complicated Woman. Her live show is maximalist, choreographed and unashamedly theatrical — big pop, sharp wit and a serious feminist streak. She's joined on the night by special guest Heidi Curtis.

Sunday 12 July — James

The festival closes with a proper singalong. James, the Manchester band fronted by Tim Booth, have been headline festival draws since the Madchester days, and their catalogue is stacked with the kind of songs a Priory full of people will roar back at them: "Sit Down", "Come Home", "Laid" and "She's a Star" among them. With special guests in support, it's a fitting, communal end to the weekend — and, like Friday, this night is sold out.

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Tickets

Tickets are sold separately for each night through Ticketmaster and See Tickets, the festival's two official sellers. Friday (Ministry of Sound Classical) and Sunday (James) are sold out. At the time the programme went to print, remaining tickets for Thursday (The K's) and Saturday (Self Esteem) were still available through the official sellers — though with the festival now upon us, it's worth checking for the latest.

If a night has sold out, the only safe place to look for official returns is Ticketmaster or the festival's See Tickets pages. The organiser has warned that tickets offered on social media are likely to be scams — don't buy from a stranger on Facebook or an inflated resale site.

The concerts are standing events, with an accessible raised viewing area and accessible toilets on site. Camping chairs are allowed (be mindful they can block views), but tents and windbreaks are not.

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The free Front Street programme

You don't need a ticket to enjoy a big part of the festival. Across Saturday and Sunday, Tynemouth's Front Street and the area around Tynemouth Metro station fill with free street performers, live music stages and a parade — all built for families.

The festival parade

The much-loved parade returns on Saturday 11 July at 11.15am, and the 2026 theme is 'Folk' — the magical creatures of folk tales brought to life, from a bob of selkies and a mischief of crows to a giant boot and the Green Man himself. Local schools and community groups promenade in vibrant costumes to music from the Storytellers, the Spanish City Rollers, Drumdin and North Tyneside Music Hub's samba band. It's created by Salto Arts in partnership with local schools and community groups.

Street performers

The free street-entertainment line-up is huge in 2026, spread across a Cabaret Stage, several Street Theatre arenas and roaming walkabout acts on Saturday and Sunday. Highlights include Belladonna and her Venus Flytraps, a giant ride-on Carnotaurus dinosaur called Dash, and the Butterfly Collection's flock of oversized butterflies. There's magic and ventriloquism from the "modern-day vaudevillian" Jack Wise; knife-juggling acrobatics from Felicity Footloose; Guinness World Record straitjacket escapes from Rob Roy Collins; pompous clowning (and rubber-chicken taming) from Dr Pandemonious Fish; plus the Human Hedges, the comedy Lifeguards, the Comedy Waiters, and Football Crazy — the world's only mobile football stadium. A printed schedule with stage times is in the festival programme and posted around the village.

Silent disco

The pop-up silent disco on Front Street runs Saturday 12pm–5pm and Sunday 11am–5pm, with up to 100 people at a time on the dance floor. Headphones provided — don't be shy.

Live music on Front Street

Three free stages run through the weekend. The Community Stage (Saturday) showcases local choirs and groups — the Spanish City Rollers, Urban Chorus, North East Gospel Choir, the Can't Sing Choir and more. The Sunday for Sammy stage (Sunday) champions emerging North East talent, from the Chris Forbes Band to Savannah Lily and Sam Iduorobo. And the Jazz Stage runs both days, from traditional New Orleans jazz to the Mouth of the Tyne All Stars.

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Getting there

By Metro. This is by far the easiest option — Tynemouth has its own Metro station right beside the festival site. Trains run every 12 minutes on Saturday daytime and every 15 minutes in the evenings and on Sunday. Thanks to the Mayor's Fares, a single Metro journey is now capped at £2.50, or £5 for the whole day with a Pop pay-as-you-go card. Check Nexus for the last trains before you set off.

Park and Ride. On Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July, a park-and-ride service runs from Beaconsfield Car Park on the seafront (next to Tynemouth Aquarium) into Tynemouth Village every 20 minutes, roughly 10am–7.30pm. Parking is pay-and-display (or via the RingGo app).

By car. Expect difficulty. Front Street is closed to traffic from Friday to Sunday, and parking in the village is very limited. Public transport is strongly recommended.

On foot or by bike. One of the nicest approaches is the coastal path from Whitley Bay or Cullercoats — a 20–30 minute stroll along the front. Note that bikes aren't allowed inside the Priory; cycle storage is provided near Gibraltar Rock.

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What you can and can't bring

The Priory is a heritage site next to the sea, so there are a few rules worth knowing:

• Allowed: your own food and drink in reasonable quantities, alcohol in moderation, camping chairs (mindful of views), and personal cameras and phones for your own photos.
• Not allowed: glass, barbecues, tents/gazebos and windbreaks, and dogs (assistance dogs excepted). Smoking is not permitted, there's no re-admittance once you leave, and there's no cash machine on site (traders and the bar take card). Bag searches are in operation on entry.

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Practical tips

Dress for the headland, not the forecast. The concerts are fully outdoors within the Priory walls, with no cover and a sea breeze that can turn cool once the sun drops — even in July. Layers and a waterproof are sensible whatever the morning looked like.

Arrive early. Gates open at 6pm and the views across the mouth of the Tyne at that hour are worth turning up for in their own right.

Make a day of the free stuff. With the parade at 11.15am on Saturday and street performers, choirs and jazz running through both days, you can enjoy a full festival day on Front Street without a concert ticket — then head home before the evening show, or stay on the coast for dinner.

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Planning a trip for the festival, or spotted a change to the programme? Get in touch.