Baltic welcomes ten millionth visitors

The international centre for contemporary art, which first opened its doors on Saturday 13 July 2002, reached the major milestone on Wednesday 9 April 2025.

At 2:30pm, Marie and David Thompson from Bedlington in Northumberland become the official ten millionth visitors to the world-famous gallery. They were greeted by the Director of Baltic, Sarah Munro, who presented them with flowers, a special Baltic goodie bag, vouchers for Baltic Kitchen, and complimentary dinner for two at Six – Baltic’s famous rooftop restaurant. Marie and David were also treated to an exclusive first viewing of the new exhibition Remember, Somewhere by Laura Lancaster and Rachel Lancaster, which opens to the public on Saturday 12 April.

Sarah Munro MBE, Director of Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, said: “Marie and David have such wonderful connections to Baltic is feels very serendipitous they are the ten millionth visitors to the gallery. As well as being regular visitors with their children and grandchildren for the past 20 years, their daughter also got married at Baltic, so it’s a place that holds very special memories for them.

“It was back in 1991 when discussions first began about creating a major new centre for contemporary visual arts in Tyneside. The decision to create Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art was ambitious and incredibly bold at the time, and it spearheaded a decade on cultural-led regeneration in Gateshead and neighbouring Newcastle upon Tyne.

“When Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art opened its doors on Saturday 13 July 2002, more than 35,000 people visited the gallery in its first week. Today, we welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors every year and we remain the most popular free attraction in the North East*.

“We’re incredibly proud to have reached the milestone of ten million visitors, and I’d like to personally thank each and every person that has visited and enjoyed the gallery over the past 22 years. I know I speak on behalf of all the staff, trustees and funders at Baltic when I say it’s a huge honour to present great art from around the world, to welcome visitors from near and far every week, and to connect meaningfully with our local communities in a space that means so much to them.”

Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art has presented over 300 exhibitions of work by 877 artists of 78 nationalities since its opening in 2002.

In 2002 Baltic was awarded a Blueprint Architectural Award, and in 2003 won a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award in recognition of the conversion of the former Rank Hovis Baltic Flour Mill. The gallery was awarded a Civic Trust Award in 2004 for architecture and environmental design.

In 2011, Baltic was the first ever non-Tate venue to host the Turner Prize, and the first time outside of London in its history. The exhibition achieved a record footfall for the prize (149,770 visitors) which has not been surpassed since.

In 2012, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art won the National Lottery Awards prize for Best Arts Project, and in 2021 Baltic became the first gallery in England to have Gallery of Sanctuary status in recognition of its work in leading and with kindness. It promotes unity and solidarity by offering spaces, activity and resources where people from all backgrounds including those seeking sanctuary/refuge can connect, learn and exchange.

In 2024 the gallery was named the North East’s most visited free attraction by VisitBritain.

Marie and David Thompson, Baltic’s ten millionth visitors, spoke about their long history of visiting Baltic and the special memories it holds for their family. David said: “We first visited Baltic back in 2002 – not longer after it had opened. The exhibitions over the years have been really exciting, and we’ve just kept coming back.

Marie said: “Our daughter studied fine art in Sunderland so we’d often visit as a family. She has such a love for art that when she got married she chose to have the ceremony here at Baltic. The ceremony was due to take place on 5 November 2020 – the date of the second national coronavirus lockdown – but Baltic managed to bring it forward a day and it was the last wedding in the North East before lockdown restrictions came into force. We’ve all got such lovely memories of Baltic because of that.

“We’re incredibly lucky to have a venue like Baltic here in the North East. There’s so much to enjoy in addition to the fantastic art. You can take in the beautiful views or visit the café and restaurant. We’ll be coming back for many years to come.”