Living in such a big city there is always lots going on, if you wanted something to do every weekend you would definitely find something, from art galleries, unique shops, markets, bar, restaurants, comedy clubs and also food festivals like this one.
I am a bit late to jump on this band wagon as it has been going for a while now, so last weekend the girls and I thought it would be a good place to go for our friend Katie's birthday.
The Boiler Shop Steamer is located at Robert Stephenson Boiler Shop (a big warehouse type place) which is behind Central Station. I had never been anywhere near this part of town before, but it is really easy to find. It is held on the first weekend of every month and is on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
So what is it all about? Well, it is a big gathering of the UK's leading street food vendors with drinks and live music thrown into the mix. I really didn't know what to expect, to be honest. I had only ever heard word of mouth about the event and never actually read about it.
First Impressions. We got there just before 2pm as it is £5 to get in after that, but the actual event is on until Midnight Friday - Saturday and 10pm on Sundays. It was really busy when we got there. As it was such a lush, sunny day everyone was outside drinking and there were a couple of food stalls outside. I loved the atmosphere straight away, I think everyone just has a good time when the sun is out. We went straight inside to nose around a bit before we committed to a location, but instead we headed straight for the Gin Bar.
The Gin Bar was a pop-up version of the bar that is going to be in the new Crown Plazza Hotel Newcastle. It's really exciting to be getting another amazing night spot in Newcastle. I have actually never had a Gin before, I think I was just conditioned to Vodka as an adolescent and have never ventured onto anything else. Much to my surprise Gin is really nice, I was being good and only had one, but I think once I have finished this fitness plan I might have a few more.
There are food stalls all the way around the Boiler Shop inside, plus a bar from the Cumberland Arms and one called Plonk so there is a variety of drinks, plus lots of soft drinks. That is one thing I noticed straight away, people were there with their kids and it felt like all ages were welcome which was really nice as it made for a great atmosphere. There is a big stage with a live band playing all types of music, later on in the night I think is when the DJs come one, night time is when it will turn more like a festival for adults.
Where to eat? The way that it works is that you purchase tokens to buy food. There is a booth at the front where you get these from, you can also purchase the tokens to use on drinks, but the bars also accept cash. This does make things a little easier as you don't have to worry about having change, or spending too much.
There is a lot to choose from and what was really nice was there were some healthier choices. After a little walk around and drooling over Longhorns BBQ and Fat Hippo Burgers I decided to get some Thai Lemongrass Chicken with wasabi slaw from a place called The Electric East Catering Corp, Oh, my word this was delicious!! I am terrible at taking food photographs so sorry if it doesn't look appetising however it was so good and I was not missing out by not having a burger or pulled pork sandwich.
I will say that there are not a lot of seats. In the middle, there are big shared benches but as it is so busy, these were taken the whole time. There was space out the back (might be the smoking area) where there are some benches to sit on, so we took root there and had a few drinks and enjoyed the music and sun.
As we left at around 5 pm a queue had started to form coming in and when my sister went to go at 7 pm the queue was round the block and they were only letting one in one out, so as you can tell the evening part of this event is very popular.
Overall I think this is, without a doubt, an event that you should go to, even just once to see what it is all about. There are a few different events held there so check their website for anything you might be interested in http://www.theboilershopsteamer.com/ .
Have you ever been to the Boiler Shop Steamer? What do you love about it?
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