New St James' STACK opens ahead of Sela weekender

The new St James' STACK venue has opened today in time for a weekend of football at St James' Park.

The long-awaited fan zone on Strawberry Place is formed of shipping containers – with bars and independent food vendors arranged across two floors.

It comes as the Sela Weekender kicks off on Friday, with Newcastle United set to take on Girona FC and Stade Brestois and Newcastle United Women take on AC Milan in friendly fixtures at St James' Park.

Newcastle United's Chief Commercial Officer, Peter Silverstone said the new venue will aim to replicate the atmosphere inside the St James' Park stadium.

He added: “On match day it will be extremely busy, whether that's a home match day or an away match day.

“Having another venue which will share the passion share the atmosphere for the club during match days will be incredible.

“Obviously we’re against the backdrop of our incredible stadium and maximising that stadium feel, that atmosphere and bringing an entertainment venue that capitalises on our fans' love of the club but also the city of Newcastle."

The St James' Park Stack venue was formally given planning permission last year after some initial opposition.

Northumbria Police had initially opposed the St James’ Stack plans, with concerns about concentrating thousands of drinkers immediately outside the football stadium.

However officers withdrew their objection after Stack agreed to “observe and seek to give effect to any reasonable direction made by Northumbria Police” in relation to crowd management at “high risk” times.

The 3,000 capacity fan zone will host 11 of the original Newcastle STACK vendors.

The former city centre STACK venue on Pilgrims Street was demolished in 2022 to make way for a government department building for HM Revenue and Customs.

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