Dickens Festival North Comes to Newcastle from 17 November

Charles Dickens performed on the stage of the Assembly Rooms on Fenkle Street in 1852, and stayed at the Queen's Head Hotel on Pilgrim Street, now known as Alderman Fenwick's House. To mark the Assembly Rooms' 250th year, the building is staging its first Dickens Festival North, running from Tuesday 17 November to Thursday 24 December across several of the city's oldest buildings.

Where it is happening

Events are spread across the Assembly Rooms, Alderman Fenwick's House, Newcastle Cathedral and the Lit & Phil. The Assembly Rooms is also opening a new Dickens Suite from 17 November, combining a box office, gift shop and tourist information point, where a newly acquired bust of Dickens will be on display. It will open daily during the festival, with hours still to be confirmed.

What is on

• The Signalman and The Ghost in the Bride's Chamber (17, 18, 24 and 25 November): a candlelit double bill of Dickens ghost stories in the Wedgwood Room
• The Puppet Folk Experience (19 and 20 November): Muppet-themed shows in the Chandelier Suite. Evening shows had sold out at the time of writing, with seats left for the Friday 2pm matinee
• In Dickens' Footsteps (20 and 27 November): a guided walk with Newcastle City Guides from Alderman Fenwick's House to the Assembly Rooms
• Dickens Unbound! (21 November): a four-course Victorian dinner with costumed characters, limited to 12 seats
• Gerald Dickens: Mr Dickens is Coming! (26 and 27 November): the author's great-great-grandson on the man himself, in the Dickens Suite
• Gerald Dickens: A Christmas Carol (27 November): his one-man version at the Lit & Phil, part of the Books on Tyne festival
• Dickens by Candlelight: A Christmas Carol (26 November to 24 December): the candlelit production at Alderman Fenwick's House, now in its fifth year
• Scrooge! Alfie Joey's Sole Christmas Carol (30 November): a solo performance beside the Christmas tree at Newcastle Cathedral

Prices were not published alongside the announcement, so check each event page for tickets. Several shows were already selling well when the programme was released.

Why it matters

Plenty of cities stage a Christmas Carol in December, but few can point to the actual rooms where Dickens performed. Craig Wilde of Niltoni Group, which runs the Assembly Rooms, said the festival lets Newcastle "step inside his stories" in the building's 250th year.

Full details and booking links are on the Assembly Rooms website, and the festival was first reported by Get Into Newcastle. For more seasonal ideas, see our Christmas in Newcastle guide.

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