Rusty's
A late-night cabaret bar in the middle of Times Square with drag hosts, DJs and camp/pop and chart music. It draws a mixed crowd of locals, students and visitors and…
Newcastle's Pink Triangle
Times Square, Scotswood Road and Westmorland Road, between Central Station and the Arena.
Newcastle's Pink Triangle is a compact cluster of LGBTQ+ bars and clubs at the western end of the city centre, between Central Station and the Arena. It centres on Times Square beside the Centre for Life and runs along the start of Scotswood Road and Westmorland Road, about five minutes' walk from the station. Most bars charge no entry.
The city-centre business district, NE1, describes it as an area that "has long been a safe space, social network and community hub" for Newcastle's gay scene. Everyone is welcome.
At a glance
- Where: Times Square, Scotswood Road, Westmorland Road, Churchill Street, Blandford Street, Marlborough Crescent (NE1 4EP, NE4 7JB, NE4 7JD).
- Status: Not designated by the council; the name is used by the city-centre business district and tourism agency.
- Getting there: Newcastle Central Station (National Rail and Tyne and Wear Metro) (about 5 minutes; about 295m from station to the Centre for Life entrance).
- Pride: Newcastle Pride (formerly Pride on Tyne, then Northern Pride), usually in July. Next: not yet announced.
- Venues listed: 14, checked in October 2026.
How official is it?
Newcastle City Council has no designation, plan or web page for the Pink Triangle. The name and descriptions come from NE1 (the city-centre business improvement district) and NewcastleGateshead, the tourism agency. The council's part is city-wide: the City Safe hub at City Library, set up with Northumbria Police and NE1 in May 2024 for joint patrols across the city centre, hate-crime reporting, and raising the Pride flag at the Civic Centre.
What has actually been done
- City Safe: a partnership hub at City Library (New Bridge Street) bringing together the council's community safety team, Northumbria Police and NE1 Street Rangers (plus probation, youth justice, harm reduction and others) for joint day and night patrols across the whole city centre; it does not single out the Pink Triangle or LGBT venues.
- PSPO (2020): bans public drinking in specified restricted areas plus dog-control rules; a new city-wide PSPO was consulted on in spring 2026. Not targeted at Times Square.
- Hate-crime reporting: council directs people to Northumbria Police (101/999/online) and Stop Hate UK (24h 0800 138 1625), covering homophobic and transphobic incidents.
- Pride: the Pride flag was raised at the Civic Centre for Pride Month 2026; the council pledged support for UK Pride hosted in Newcastle in 2022.
Key dates
- 15 June 2020Cabinet approved a three-year PSPO (public drinking, dog control)
- May 2024City Safe hub launched at Newcastle City Library with Northumbria Police and NE1
- 16 April - 15 May 2026Consultation on a new city-wide PSPO
- 12 June 2026Pride flag raised at the Civic Centre for Pride Month
Venues in the Pink Triangle
Rusty's Showbar
Sister venue to Rusty's, on the site of the former Blonde Barrel, focused on drag entertainment. Runs a ticketed Saturday-afternoon 'Bottomless Drag Bonanza'.
The Yard
Described by NE1 as Newcastle's oldest gay bar, formerly known as the Courtyard. Regular drag acts and shows downstairs, plus cabaret, karaoke and games.
Oscar's
The Yard's upstairs cocktail lounge, described by NE1 as a newer bar in a more sophisticated setting.
Switch
Two floors of dance music; billed as the official pre-bar for Powerhouse, selling wristbands for the club. Has hosted Drag Idol heats and has a rooftop terrace.
The Bank Bar
A drag-driven Pink Triangle bar with karaoke, cabaret and cheesy tunes. Has a rooftop bar and outside area.
The Eagle
A leather, denim and uniform bar with an upstairs social bar and a basement bar. Not a dance venue; booth seating and free entry. NewcastleGateshead describes it as a…
Scotswood Showbar
Opened 17 October 2025 on the site of Bobby's (closed end of 2024), mixing musical theatre, cabaret, drag, DJs, karaoke and comedy. The building has been a gay venue for…
Powerhouse
Newcastle's longest-running gay club, begun in the 1980s as a basement club on Waterloo Street and now on four floors with a roof terrace; now welcomes a mixed crowd.…
Boulevard
A drag cabaret theatre with seasonal productions (summer, Halloween, Christmas), costumes, comedy and choreographed routines with a troupe of dancers. Table service…
The Tipsy Cow
A sports-and-drag pub with an outdoor terrace, pub food and live entertainment, near St James' Park. Drag hostesses serve a Saturday bottomless BBQ brunch.
The Singing Canary
Opened 30 May 2025 on the site of Queens (and before that the Central / Barking Dog), spread over several floors with cocktails, DJs and self-service karaoke rooms…
The Lubber Fiend
A co-operative grassroots venue for gigs, club nights and film screenings that welcomes queer, trans and neurodiverse communities. Events listed into November 2026.
Cobalt Studios
Named by NewcastleGateshead's Pride 2026 guide as an LGBTQIA+ venue outside the Pink Triangle.
The streets
A compact cluster of LGBTQ+ bars and clubs at the western end of the city centre, between Newcastle Central Station and the Utilita (formerly Metro Radio) Arena, centred on Times Square beside the Centre for Life and running along the start of Scotswood Road and Westmorland Road, with outliers on Churchill Street, Blandford Street and Marlborough Crescent. Most bars charge no entry. Note: no venue was found on Westgate Road itself; NE1 lists Times Square, Blandford Street, Scotswood Road, Marlborough Crescent, Churchill Street and Westmorland Road.
Times Square
Rusty's, Rusty's Showbar (ex-Blonde Barrel) in the Centre for Life units; Times Square Car Park; Pride Arena and candlelit vigil during Newcastle Pride 2026; seasonal beer garden and Christmas market Square in front of the Centre for Life, which opened in 2000
Scotswood Road
The Yard and Oscar's (No. 2), Switch (4-10), The Bank Bar (12-14), The Eagle (42), Number 52 sauna (52, unverified), Scotswood Showbar (78) No. 78 has been a gay bar for 20+ years (Rockies, The End, Secrets, Bobby's)
Westmorland Road
Powerhouse and The Pink Room (7-19); bus stops in front of Times Square Eazy Street (closed April 2023) was here
Churchill Street
Boulevard cabaret (3-9)
Blandford Street
The Tipsy Cow (85-89); The Lubber Fiend (79-83) BASE sauna was at 85-89
Marlborough Crescent
The Singing Canary (15) Site of the Barking Dog / The Dog / Central, then Queens (2020-2025)
Getting there
- Nearest station: Newcastle Central Station (National Rail and Tyne and Wear Metro) (about 5 minutes; about 295m from station to the Centre for Life entrance)
- Tyne and Wear Metro: Central Station stop
- Frequent bus routes stop in front of Times Square on Westmorland Road
- Parking: Times Square Car Park, next to the Centre for Life; sat-nav NE1 4AD, opposite the Leonardo Hotel (formerly Jurys Inn); can be pre-booked
More about the Pink Triangle
Walk the Pink TriangleA live, venue-by-venue walking guide on your phone.HistoryFrom the earliest venues to today, and the places we have lost.Pride and what's onNewcastle Pride (formerly Pride on Tyne, then Northern Pride), regular nights and resident drag stars.Support and safetyHealth, helplines, hate-crime reporting and community groups.
Sources
- Crime falls as new hub makes Newcastle City Safe (council news) (late 2024 (covers April-October 2024))
- Community safety projects continue to be EPiC success (council news) (2026)
- Public Spaces Protection Order (council page) (approved by Cabinet 15 June 2020)
- Proposed Public Spaces Protection Order Newcastle upon Tyne 2026 (consultation) (16 April - 15 May 2026)
- Reporting Hate Crime (council page) (undated)
- NE1's Guide to Newcastle's Pink Triangle (updated 24 May 2023)
Other rainbow quarters
Blackpool: Rainbow QuarterOur home: the council-backed Be You quarter around Lord Street, Queen Street, Dickson Road, Springfield Road and Banks Street.Manchester: Gay VillageCanal Street, Richmond Street, Bloom Street and Sackville Street, beside the Rochdale Canal.Liverpool: Pride QuarterStanley Street, Victoria Street, Cumberland Street and Eberle Street, home of the UK's first rainbow street signs.Birmingham: Gay VillageHurst Street, Kent Street and Lower Essex Street in Southside, beside the Hippodrome and the Chinese Quarter.Bristol: Old MarketOld Market Street and West Street by Cabot Circus, plus The Strip on Frogmore Street.Nottingham: Rainbow QuarterHockley's Broad Street, Carlton Street and Heathcote Street, officially opened as the Rainbow Quarter in June 2026.Leeds: Freedom QuarterLower Briggate, Call Lane and The Calls, under the rainbow Freedom Bridge, next to Leeds station.Every quarterAll the UK's rainbow quarters and gay villages.