North Tyneside event organisers can bid for £10,000 to £500,000 from the £6m Mayor's Events Fund for events from April 2027. Interest forms due 26 November.
Festival organisers, community groups and event producers in North Tyneside can now bid for grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 from the next round of the Mayor’s Events Fund, which opened on Thursday with more than £6 million to spend on events between April 2027 and March 2029.
The deadline for the first stage, a short expression of interest, is 12 noon on Thursday 26 November 2026. Organisers whose ideas are shortlisted will be invited to write a full business case before any money is offered.
The fund is run by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, which covers North Tyneside alongside County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland, an area of 2.2 million people.
What it has paid for so far
The fund launched in March with £11 million over three years. The authority says the first year has “enabled showstopper and community events across the region”, naming the Great North Run, BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Durham Reads, NOVUM Summer Festival and Newcastle Pride, and that it has committed money towards the Euros coming to the region in 2028.
Two of the events on its list are on our patch. The authority’s project page lists the Mouth of the Tyne Festival, which it describes as “a flagship regional festival celebrating live music and culture on the coast”, and North Shields 801, “a programme of activity celebrating North Shields’ 801st anniversary”, among the events it has supported or is assessing for 2026/27.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said:
“From Big Weekend to the Great North Run, the North East knows how to put on a great event. It’s part of our identity, but why stop there?
“This fund is about creating opportunities for everyone to experience the famous North East culture. It’s creating more chances for local artists and creators to grow, more opportunities for local people to take part and try something new, and more reasons to feel proud of this amazing region we all live in.
“Maybe we’ll find the next Great North Run… which started out as a simple local idea, and is now the world’s largest half marathon, bringing thousands of visitors to the North East each year.”
Who can apply, and for what
The money is split between two kinds of event, according to the authority’s expression of interest form:
- Signature events: “distinctive regional events that celebrate the North East’s identity, attract audiences from across the region and beyond, and deliver cultural, social and economic benefits.”
- Grassroots events: “community-led events that bring people together, increase participation and help local organisations grow their impact and long-term sustainability.”
Both new events and existing ones with room to grow can bid. The eligibility rules set five tests every bid must pass:
- the event must take place in, or clearly benefit, the authority’s area;
- the request must be between £10,000 and £500,000;
- the activity must not have started, and costs already paid cannot be claimed back;
- the applicant must be a constituted organisation with proper governance and financial controls, which rules out individuals applying on their own; and
- the bid must set out dates, location, who benefits, key partners, the main risks and any permissions needed.
Participation-only activity is not eligible, and the authority says the money set aside for major events is already committed, so new major events will only be considered in “exceptional circumstances”.
How bids are judged
The criteria document lists what assessors will weigh: how rooted the event is in the North East’s identity; who it reaches, including “participation cold spots” and underserved communities; its benefits for local suppliers, jobs, volunteering, health and pride in place; whether the organiser can actually deliver it; value for money and why public money is needed at all; and what it leaves behind once the grant ends. Repeat events are asked to show how they will rely less on public subsidy over time.
The authority also says it will balance the whole programme by geography, type of event and community reach, so meeting the rules does not guarantee a bid goes forward.
What it means for you
If you run a festival, a fair, a sports event or a community celebration in Whitley Bay, Tynemouth, North Shields or anywhere else in North Tyneside, and it is planned for between April 2027 and March 2029, this is a window worth looking at, as long as your group is formally constituted and the event has not started.
The expression of interest form asks for a 300-word summary and shorter answers on strategic fit, reach, impact, deliverability, finance, legacy and what would happen without the money, each with a word limit. Completed forms go to eventsfund@northeast-ca.gov.uk by 12 noon on 26 November. The authority asks applicants not to send general promotional material unless it is requested.
Smaller groups may find the bar high: £10,000 is the minimum request, and anything bid for has to come with a budget the authority can test. For community events that need less, the fund is not the right route.
Coming up locally in the meantime: our guides to the Whitley Bay fireworks and the Whitley Bay Christmas market.
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