Happy Wednesday, Newcastle. Welcome back to the Newcastle Digest.

Thank you for all of the feedback on the poll last week. I am now pursuing the Digest Insiders Card.

Today, I am editing this edition from the cold banks of Wanaka, New Zealand. I am almost missing the warm spell Newcastle and its surroundings have fallen into. Today's edition will be shorter, covering just events and activities.

Whilst I soak up the picturesque views of Wanaka and Queenstown, enjoy your week from God’s country.

Table of Contents

• Events

• Activities

Thursday 20 March

Friday 21 March

Saturday 22 March

Sunday 23 March

Families

The Magical World of Crazy Science - Souths Merewether | 21, 22 & 23 March 2025

Take a wild ride with your host, multi-award winning entertainer, magician, scientist and teacher Richard Scholes through the Magical World of Crazy Science. Crazy Science is a show like no other,. combining incredible science demonstrations, magic, comedy, mime and music. Part of the Newcastle Fringe lineup. Website

Songwriters Sing - Thirsty Messiah Brewery | 20 March

Songwriters Sing (Open Mic night), from 6:00pm. More info.

Friday Chill – Pacific Park, Newcastle | 21 March

Friday Chill is a free, family-friendly, live music event with local bands, food vendors and street performers. Bring your own blanket or chairs and enjoy your own picnic or from the local food vendors. Time: 6.30pm - 8.30pm. More info.

Homegrown Markets - The Station | 22 March

Homegrown Markets returns to The Station, bringing a lineup of fab handmade & design stalls, yummy street food, live tunes & entertainment. More info

Honeysuckle Markets - Newcastle Museum | 22 March

Emporium Market is your destination for local creativity and delicious bites. Every market features a unique mix of talented artists, makers, snacks, and food vendors, so there's always something new to uncover. More info.

Virtual Museum Tour – Diverse Perspectives in Art – Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima, 96 Creek Reserve Rd, Speers Point | 22 March
Join us for an immersive virtual museum tour representing the perspectives that have largely been left out of art historical narratives. 2-3pm Tickets: $10 + booking fee. More info.

Lake Macquarie Music Society: The Great Romantics – Warners Bay Theatre, baramayiba, Lake Street Warners Bay | 23 March
Conducted by Christopher Bearman OAM, the Lake Macquarie Philharmonic Orchestra are excited to showcase the big orchestral colours and tones of Romanticism. Tickets: $35-$45 | 2-4pm More info.

Adults

SHAFT PUNK Shitbox Rally Cancer Fundraiser – Bartholomews, Newcastle | 20 March
Shitbox Rally Fundraiser for Cancer Council Australia. $50/PP. Timberlina hosting Drag Queen Bingo. Lucky Door prizes. Games. Worlds Greatest Wax Off - Auction of one of the drivers (Jase) body parts to be waxed live. Photo Booth. More info.

A Night in France – Market St Basement, 2 Market St Newcastle | 20 March
Indulge in a curated French dining experience crafted by Mauritian Head Chef- Yann, featuring a canapé & three course meal. French Sommelier Stephane will expertly guide you through a selection of accompanying French wines. $130 pp. More info.

Penny and Friends – Bistro Penny, 8 Bolton Street, Newcastle | 20 March
Bistro Penny, is launching a new chef collaboration dinner series - Penny and Friends. Held bi-monthly, these collaborative events will see chefs, restaurants and producers join Joel Humphreys. First up is one of Australia's most celebrated chefs, Mitch Orr. Cost: $130 pp. More info.

Kasey Chambers 'Backbone' Tour – Civic Theatre, 375 Hunter St, Newcastle | 20 March
Australian country music royalty, Kasey Chambers, is hitting the road on a national album tour celebrating her newest record Backbone and a journey down through the years of her career and life. More info.

Midwife Crisis – Newcastle Hotel, 139 Maitland Rd, Islington | 21–23 March
In this stand up comedy show, which is part of the Newcastle Fringe Festival, Sarah Stewart will be dishing the dirt on life, love and the Labour Ward. More info.

Great Southern Nights – Various venues in Newcastle | 21 March – 6 April
Returning in 2025. 300+ live gigs dropping across NSW from the coastlines of Byron Bay and Wollongong to Broken Hill in the outback, and everywhere in between including Newcastle. More info.

TBH Saturdays ft. DJ Tigerlily – The Beach Hotel, 99 Frederick St, Merewether | 22 March
One of the most in-demand DJs in the game, DJ Tigerlily, is dropping in to headline one helluva TBH Saturday! This one’s gonna go off! There's live tunes from 1pm, then stick ’round for DJ’s kicking off from 7pm ’til late. Free entry. More info.

SailFest Newcastle Regatta – Newcastle Harbour | 22–23 March
Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club and Port Hunter 16-Foot Skiff Sailing Club present SailFest Newcastle Regatta. Newcastle Harbour will come alive with grand-prix TP52 yachts, offshore racers, high-speed skiffs and catamarans, Try-Sailing experiences and more. More info.

(blank)town! – Royal Exchange Theatre, 34 Bolton St, Newcastle | 22–23 March
Improvised comedy show - every show is different and made up on the spot. The audience creates a crazy fictional town, then our improvisors turn it into a hysterically funny play. 3pm to 4pm. Tickets $20. Part of Newcastle Fringe. More info.

Human Nature – Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Brown Rd, Broadmeadow | 22 March
Celebrating 20 years of the Motown sound, Human Nature returns to Newcastle with special guests, the Tierney Brothers. More info.

PASH perform Woodstock 69 Revisited – The Underground at The Grand Hotel, 32 Church St, Newcastle | 22–23 March
Get ready to take a far-out trip back to 1969 as we celebrate everything Woodstock - the music, the vibes, the era of peace, love & rock n roll. Embrace your inner flower child. Come as your hippiest self. Enjoy iconic tunes of the era. Cost: $15. More info.

Want me to share an event in the Newcastle Digest?

Newcastle Fringe Festival has been running since 2016 and showcases a smorgasbord of performing arts from Newcastle, Australia and the world, over 2 amazing weekends across several venues in March each year. Begining 20 March, see the full program below.