So it’s Bank Holiday weekend, which means that Newcastle is bracing itself for a busy few days as revellers flock to city centre pubs and clubs, with many taking advantage of being off work on Monday.

While August Bank Holiday isn't going to be bathed in sunshine, not forgetting the fact that things are VERY different thanks to coronavirus, you can be sure it won't deter people and remember this is the first Bank Holiday of 2020 where bars and pubs are actually open!

Just like many big cities in the UK, Newcastle sees new bars spring up like what seems every other week, with many of them taking the place of ones that Geordies hold close to their heart.

Cast your minds back to the 90s and 00s when the Quayside was in its hey-day and THE place to go for Bank Holiday bevvies.

How many of these did you used to go to?

Chase

Now plush late night Asian bar and restaurant Aveika, the big building right on the corner of Sandhill, was once home to Chase, a favourite start for many groups if they were having a night out on the Quayside.

A soundtrack of dance and R&B typically sounded out as pints and spirits were consumed, with the bar latterly becoming famous for its cheap week night trebles deals.

Bar 38

Right round the back of Chase was this hidden gem which sadly now stands empty.

Bar 38 on Newcastle Quayside
Bar 38 on Newcastle Quayside

Aka ‘the bar with the Dome’, It would be fair to say Bar 28 was one of those bars that didn’t quite know what it wanted to be. It looked very sophisticated but at the same time there was many a Friday and Saturday night when a rodeo bull would take pride of place there.

Remember feeling extremely posh there once after ordering an expensive cocktail? Well, just before it closed, I got three trebles for £6 so it was one extreme to the other!

Its aforementioned big red dome was the perfect place for a photo opp/drunken clambering on seats.

Offshore 44

Now replaced by bar and restaurant Hop & Cleaver, Offshore was almost like a rite of passage for many Geordies. One of those places that you’d heard plenty about so just had to try for yourself.

It’s rather traditional, fishing/sea faring inspired decor certainly wasn’t mirrored by its musical output with everything from Blur to PJ & Duncan’s Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble booming out of the speakers.

Pravda

If you were a big cocktail fan back in the day, this was a place that would always be on your must-visit list.

The former Pravda bar in Newcastle upon Tyne

And the best thing was, unlike many of the high end cocktails with high end prices (and unnecessary foliage!) available in Newcastle now, you didn’t have to re-mortage your house to get a round of potent fruity goodness in!

If you wander along the Quayside you’ll still see the Pravda sign which gives us serious pangs of nostalgic sadness every time!

Julie's

Julie's nightclub, Newcastle Quayside
Julie's nightclub, Newcastle Quayside


A favourite haunt for Newcastle players in the 70s, 80s, 90s and early 00s, Julies, and latterly Julies 2, were the places to be seen. Even Wham called in once!

Casa

It’s a hobble back towards the Swing Bridge now to the place which is now home to one of many Sambuca restaurants in the North East.

A regular calling point to give you that little extra spring in your step before the stumble across the bridge to Buffalo Joe’s and Baja, it really is a forgotten gem of Newcastle nightlife.

Buffalo Joe’s

Speaking of which, in the days before pre-drinking became such a big thing, Buffalo Joes was the ‘pre-bar’ of its time. No visit to Baja would have been complete without a visit to its neighbouring bar once you made your way across the Swing Bridge.

Buffalo Joe's
Buffalo Joe's

All manner of VKs were also the order of the day in Buffalo Joes while dancers invited you to pretend you were starring in Coyote Ugly as they strutted their stuff on bar tops.

The three storey building was put on the market earlier this year.

Baja Beach Club

A few drunken paces across the road and you were in the mecca of all things cheese - Baja.

It doesn’t seem like two minutes ago that the club’s dancers (including Liberty X’s Michelle Heaton!) dressed up as everything from the Village People to Sister Act nuns to entertain us as we all sipped on high-end drinks like Reef, VK and Smirnoff Ice.

Images of the Baja Beach Club interior, taken by developer Adderstone Group on purchasing the Gateshead Quayside site
Images of the Baja Beach Club interior, taken by developer Adderstone Group on purchasing the Gateshead Quayside site

Who remembers the balloon drop to the sounds of Girls Aloud’s Jump? And probably the best bit about Baja - the burger shack upstairs? Many a munchie was consumed as efforts were made to sober up before the taxi home or piece the night together.

The site was bought by Newcastle-based developer Adderstone Group who are transforming it into a grade A office space.

The Cooperage

However, if you still had partying left in you after all that YMCA’ing and Kung-Fu Fighting, you could enjoy just as random a music mix back across the water at a bar that could satisfy any music taste.

The former Cooperage pub on Newcastle's Quayside
The former Cooperage pub on Newcastle's Quayside

Looking unlike any other venue in the Toon, The Cooperage was a favourite with all ages, mainly thanks to its very eclectic musical output.

Moving between floors you could leave Arctic Monkeys echoing behind you as you were welcomed by Enrique Iglesias’ Bailamos!

And how could we forget...

The Boat

A dual entry here as, depending on which generation you hail from, you’ll either be a Tuxedo Royale or Tuxedo Princess regular.

The spinning dance floor, the all you can drink nights and the rather unsteady dismount after a few too many tipples, both boats have etched themselves into Geordie folklore which made the sight of the Royale on fire at the end of May 2017 all the more distressing.