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View EventDominoes Newcastle
NOVUM Festival 2026
7 - 9 august 2026
Newcastle City Centre
One city. One chain reaction. One unforgettable day. Watch Newcastle come alive as thousands of breeze blocks tumble through the city centre for Dominoes Newcastle, a spectacular large-scale artwork powered by hundreds of volunteers and one brilliantly simple idea. #DominoesNCL
About Dominoes Newcastle
Dominoes Newcastle by Station House Opera is the spectacular headline finale of #NOVUM26, a giant city-wide artwork that will see thousands of breeze blocks tumble through Newcastle in one extraordinary chain reaction.
Across the day, hundreds of volunteers will build a sculptural line of dominoes stretching east to west through the city centre. Winding through streets, public spaces, venues and landmarks, the route will pause for playful large-scale structures around places like Monument before continuing its journey across Newcastle. Route maps will be available via this website page from July and at locations across the festival weekend.
Threading through the places we know and love, Dominoes Newcastle connects neighbourhoods, communities and city landmarks in a powerful shared moment shaped by the city itself. Then, at 4.30pm, the chain reaction begins lasting 30mins.
Whether you follow the route as it takes shape from 2.30pm, explore the wider #NOVUM26 festival programme, or find the perfect viewing spot in time to watch the fall, Dominoes Newcastle promises an unforgettable day of creativity, community and collective celebration.
More than 300 volunteers will help bring it to life and thousands will gather to witness one of the most ambitious public artworks ever staged in Newcastle and the North East.
Want to be part of it?
We’re looking for 300 volunteers to help build Dominoes Newcastle. If you’d like to take part, email novum@newcastle.gov.uk for more information.
Dominoes Newcastle is programmed and funded by Newcastle City Council for NOVUM. Supported using funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Creative Team
Dominoes has been programmed as part of NOVUM Summer Festival.
NOVUM is produced and funded by Newcastle City Council, with support from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Dominoes is conceived and directed by Station House Opera.
Artistic Director: Julian Maynard Smith
Production Manager: Dan Adams
Producer: Ania Obolewicz for Artsadmin
An Artsadmin project. For any questions or accessibility info about Dominoes Newcastle or any NOVUM programmed events or performances email: novum@newcastle.gov.uk
NOVUM Festival 2026
7 – 9 august 2026
Newcastle City Centre
Frequently asked questions
Dominoes by Station House Opera is #NOVUM26 major headline and finale moment – a monumental, participatory artwork culminating in a giant domino run through Newcastle city centre on Sunday 9th August. It is made up of thousands of breezeblocks.
Dominoes takes place in Newcastle city centre, and the route runs from east to west; it starts near Newcastle City Library and will culminate at Newcastle Helix site. It will go along streets, into and out of venues, through public spaces, occasionally disappearing and then resurfacing, sometimes pausing for monumental sculptural builds.
A route map will be available to download from early July, and printed versions will be available across NOVUM festival.
What is the timetable for the day?
Some of the larger scale sculptural builds will be built in the days leading up to NOVUM festival, with most of the Domino run being assembled across the day on Sunday 9th August by event professionals and volunteers.
The Domino run will take place at 4.30pm and will take approximately 30mins. Across the day, audience members and city centre visitors are invited to enjoy NOVUM festival programme which will be happening, to walk the route, visit the sculptural builds and then enjoy the Dominoes fall as it happens.
It is just one main event – a collective “you just had to be there” moment.
A map showing the full Dominoes route will be available to download from early July, and printed versions will be available across NOVUM festival.
Audiences will be able to explore the full line of Dominoes a couple of hours before the fall time from 2.30pm.
Aside from some indoor locations that aren’t accessible to the public, the fall can be seen from anywhere along the route, so there is no ‘best place’ to watch. Accessible viewing points will be marked on the map.
Yes, there are two ways to get involved with Dominoes:
- As a spectator – follow the route and experience the moment as it unfolds.
- As a volunteer – we are recruiting 300+ volunteers to help bring Dominoes Newcastle to life, with a range of roles available.
For more information about volunteering, please email: novum@newcastle.gov.uk
It has been presented in a range of special locations in over 20 cities across the world including:
- St Paul’s Cathedral, City of London
- National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen
- Royal Swedish Opera House, Stockholm
- Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne
- Mansion House, City of London
- Intu Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes
- St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich
This is the first time that it’s happened in the North East.
See Dominoes by Station House Opera in action:
NOVUM Festival 2026
7 - 9 august 2026
Newcastle City Centre
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