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Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and The Glasshouse International Centre for Music will stage Summer Block Party: Baltic x The Glasshouse on Saturday 4 July, with activity taking place inside and outside both venues, as well as across the quayside.
The day-long event will bring together live music, artist and makers markets, talks, tours, drop-in creative sessions, rooftop cocktails, DJ sets and late-night exhibition previews.
Among the highlights is a special ticketed event connecting the work of two major North East artists: Sam Fender and the late documentary photographer Tish Murtha.
Just 50 people will be able to book tickets for Lens to Lyrics, an immersive listening party for Fender’s Official Chart number one album People Watching at The Glasshouse, followed by a curator-led tour of Baltic’s new exhibition Tish Murtha & Kuba Ryniewicz: Close to Home. Murtha’s photography of Newcastle and the wider North East features on the artwork for Fender’s recent album and single releases.
Tickets for the event cost £35 and go on sale at 10am on Friday 24 April from theglasshouse.org.
The Summer Block Party begins with the opening of two new exhibitions at Baltic. On Level 3, Tish Murtha & Kuba Ryniewicz: Close to Home presents acclaimed work by Murtha alongside newly commissioned work by Newcastle-based artist Kuba Ryniewicz. It is the first time four major series by Murtha have been shown together in the North East.
Born in South Shields in 1956, Murtha returned to Newcastle after university and documented life in Elswick with striking honesty and empathy. Her photographs captured the social impact of industrial decline and remain a powerful record of working-class life in the region.
On Level 4, Baltic will open Journey to the Great Below by Brooklyn-based artist Chitra Ganesh. The exhibition includes new animation, newly commissioned sculpture, a site-specific wall drawing, and a selection of recent paintings, prints, works on paper and mixed-media pieces. Ganesh’s work draws on epic myths and historical narratives to imagine layered, speculative visions of society.
At 4pm, Baltic Senior Curator Emma Dean will lead a free artist-and-curator tour with Chitra Ganesh. Places can be booked at baltic.art/tickets.
From 11am, Baltic’s car park will host the gallery’s annual Art Car Boot Fair, with more than 50 artists and makers from across the North and beyond selling original and affordable artwork, crafts, ceramics, prints, homewares and more. DJs from Deja Brew will provide the soundtrack throughout the outdoor market.
At The Glasshouse, music continues with DJ sets from Liam West and Omar (Zeytoun), playing funk, groove, house and global sounds until 3pm. Food and drink will be available from traders including The Greekster, Hizzy Pizza, Wylam Brewery and more.
The Glasshouse is also inviting local businesses, makers, crafters and artisans to apply for its Makers Market, with a particular interest in music and vinyl sellers, vintage clothing, music-themed merchandise and art in all forms. Applications are open via theglasshouseicm.org, with a deadline of 2 May.
Back at Baltic, Level 6 will become a Rooftop Cocktail Lounge from 3pm to 10pm, serving drinks including Summer Watermelon Coolers in cocktail and mocktail versions, alongside panoramic views across the quayside.
Other daytime activity includes a collective alphabet collage workshop with North East artists and designers Foundation Press from 1pm to 2.30pm, inviting visitors to cut and stick materials from worksheets, templates and recycled risograph prints into a new work made in a single afternoon.
Jewellery brand Weezy Pop, founded in 2024 by designer and creative Lou Cowley, will also appear in Baltic Shop throughout the day with a pop-up where visitors can personalise, engrave and style charm jewellery. Ready-to-buy pieces and limited-edition Baltic exclusives will also be available.
In Baltic Library, musician, composer and artist Sarah Li opens the doors to the Queer Pleasure Archive from 10am. The DIY archive project looks at the library collection through a queer lens, highlighting experiences of queer joy and pleasure that can be difficult to find in traditional collections.
At 2pm, there will be a special pop-up performance from DGA collective — Drag King/Gender-chaos/Alternative Drag — as part of the Opening ‘Chaos’ Party. Pre-booking is required at baltic.art.
The Block Party will continue into the evening as Baltic hosts its Summer Preview Party, featuring late-night viewings of the two new exhibitions, pizza, cocktails, beer and soft drinks in Baltic Riverside overlooking the Tyne, and DJ sets running until midnight.
The evening begins at 5.40pm with a Dhol performance on Baltic Square, presented in collaboration with GemArts. Early attendees will also be able to enjoy a complimentary limited-edition Full Circle lager, with three can designs featuring artwork by Tish Murtha, Kuba Ryniewicz or Chitra Ganesh.
Summer Block Party: Baltic x The Glasshouse takes place on Saturday 4 July at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music and across the NewcastleGateshead quayside.
Tickets for Lens to Lyrics, the Sam Fender listening party and Tish Murtha exhibition tour, go on sale at 10am on Friday 24 April from theglasshouse.org.
Tickets for Baltic’s Summer Preview Party can be booked from Friday 1 May at baltic.art/tickets.
More information is available from baltic.art and theglasshouse.org.
