If you come to Newcastle expecting quiet nights in and a tame student experience, you’ve clearly never heard of the North. The reality? This city is built on three fundamental pillars: football, drinking, and Greggs. And as a student here, you quickly learn to embrace all three.
Newcastle United- whether you’re a die-hard fan or someone who thought St. James’ Park was a park, you’ll soon find yourself swept up in the madness. Match days turn the city black and white, with chants echoing through the streets and a collective optimism that somehow survives years of heartbreak. Even if you don’t understand the offside rule, you’ll end up in a pub pretending you do, pint in hand, just for the atmosphere. Because in Newcastle, football isn’t just a sport—it’s a religion, and missing a game is basically a sin.
Then there’s the drinking culture. You know a city is serious about its nightlife when the locals head out in T-shirts during a blizzard, and Newcastle does not disappoint. The Bigg Market, Soho, and Osbourne Road—each spot promises chaos in the best way possible. Start the night with pints in Ouseburn, pretend you’re having a chill night out, and end up clutching onto the walls of Howlers stairs after underestimating the power of three trebs. You’ll say you’re ‘just having one’ and wake up with a kebab in one hand, majorly into your overdraft, and a suspicious bruise you have no memory of acquiring.
Speaking of food, let’s talk about Greggs. Some places have Michelin-star restaurants. We have Greggs, and quite frankly, that’s better. Nothing hits quite like a steak bake on a hungover morning, a sausage roll mid-lecture, or a cheeky Greggs after a night out from our very own 24-hour Greggs. And when we say we love Greggs, we mean it—there’s literally one on every corner, and if that doesn’t scream Northern pride, I don’t know what does.
But Newcastle isn’t just pints and pasties—it’s the people that make it. Geordies are warm, and welcoming, and will talk your ear off given half the chance. It’s the kind of place where strangers become best mates in a smoking area, where your taxi driver gives you life advice that somehow changes your entire perspective, and where everyone is up for a laugh, no matter the circumstances. There’s a sense of unity here, a shared understanding that life is better when you don’t take it too seriously.
So, what is the pride of the North? It’s Dog & Parrot on a Monday, The Hancock on a Wednesday, and Osbourne Road when the sun makes a rare appearance. It’s losing your voice at St. James’ Park. It’s getting an Uber, realising you’ve spent your rent money on trebs. It’s the mad dash to a takeaway before they close, and the joy of finding cheesy chips that somehow solve all of life’s problems. It’s knowing that no matter where you go after university, nowhere will ever quite compare to Newcastle. And that’s why we love it.