Tokyo Picnick In Newcastle Gateshead

The lost art of picnicking is being brought up to date and into the heart of NewcastleGateshead, when the Tokyo Picnic Club arrives for Picnopolis (August 16-25).

The Japanese art unit will be encouraging people to picnic in style at ten free picnic spots which will ‘land’ at locations around Newcastle and Gateshead. It will be the perfect opportunity to rediscover the quintessential English experience of picnicking.

A giant 85-foot-long lawn of real grass in the shape of an aeroplane will land in Baltic Square on Gateshead Quays for ten days, with its ‘BABYPLANES’ travelling around other locations (see below). Bring your own picnic food or enjoy Picnopolis themed food, with the emphasis on local produce. There will be special family events and competitions to find the best stottie sandwich and picnic, as well as stylish picnic food demonstrations and the opportunity to take part in a Japanese tea ceremony.

www.picnicclub.org/picnopolis_ncgh for more information.

Notes:

MOTHERPLANE will be at Baltic Square from Aug 16-25 with a stottie sandwich competition on August 16, Japanese tea ceremony on August 17, family activities from August 18-22, design a picnic box on August 23-24, and the best picnic competition on August 25

BABYPLANES will travel around The Angel of the North (Aug 16), Leazes Park (Aug 17), Jesmond Dene (Aug 18), Blackfriars – with gourmet picnic food demonstration (Aug 19), Bill Quay Farm – with family activities (Aug 20), Gateshead MetroCentre (Aug 21), Old Eldon Square – Bring Your Picnic to Work day (Aug 22), Ouseburn – with family activities (Aug 23), Saltwell Park (Aug 24).

It will be the first time Tokyo Picnic Club (TPC) has brought its quirky take on picnics to the UK. Picnopolis is part of EAST’08, a world-class celebration of contemporary Asian culture in North East England managed by culture10 at NewcastleGateshead Initiative, with additional support from the Diawa Anglo Japanese Foundation.

3 August 2008