Summer Block Party | Baltic x The Glasshouse
Our annual Summer Sizzler has had a fresh remix for 2026. We're teaming up with our neighbours The Glasshouse for a Summer Block Party. This will be a proper Tyne-side takeover. Inside. Outside. Riverside. All alive with all out sunshine mode morning ’til late.
It's a summer extravaganza with the return of our annual Art Car Boot Fair with 50 stalls of arts, crafts and more. There's two brand new exhibitions open this day in our biggest galleries plus artist talks, free tours, life drawing class, drop-in creative sessions and more. The day rounds off with a sizzling Summer Preview Party with pizza, cocktails and DJs for dancing with summer vibes. Full details coming soon.
Our neighbours The Glasshouse are part of the Block Party with a chance to roam their sprawling makers market, park yourself in a sun patch, or just people‑watch with a cold beer (or iced latte) in hand as their resident DJ keeps the feel‑good tracks rolling. Free, easy, come‑and‑go.
Baltic | 10:00-23:59
The Glasshouse | 11:00-15:00
Tish Murtha & Kuba Ryniewicz
Close to Home
10:00 – 18:00
Curated by Baltic, Close to Home is a new and expansive exhibition of the acclaimed work by the late Tish Murtha, presented alongside work by Kuba Ryniewicz.
Born in South Shields in 1956, Murtha returned to Newcastle after university to document life in her community of Elswick. Her photographs capture the social impact of industrial decline with honesty, empathy and urgency, offering a powerful account of working-class life in the North East. Her work has been seen depicted most recently on album and record sleeves by Mercury Prize-winning North East artist Sam Fender.
Chitra Ganesh
Journey to the Great Below
10:00 – 18:00
Visitors can experience the work of Brooklyn-based artist Chitra Ganesh in Journey to the Great Below. This exhibition will feature a new animation, newly commissioned sculptural works and a site-specific wall drawing, alongside a selection of recent paintings, prints, works on paper and mixed media works.
Journey to the Great Below: Artist & Curator Tour
16:00-17:00
Chitra Ganesh will discuss her work and exhibition with Senior Curator Emma Dean in a guided tour of Journey to the Great Below.
Art Car Boot Fair
11:00 – 17:00
Art Car Boot Fair returns as the centrepiece of Baltic's Summer Block Party — a sun-soaked celebration of creativity, community and connection, showcasing artists and makers from across the North and beyond. Enjoy locally-sourced food and drinks, all soundtracked by feel-good DJ beats.
Presenting a wide range of affordable artworks, the fair is the perfect opportunity to discover something unique, meet the artists, and soak up the atmosphere.
Queer Pleasure Archive in Baltic Library
10:00 – 17:45
We welcome the Queer Pleasure Archive to Baltic Library, taking a fresh look at the library collection through a queer lens and making interventions that celebrate queer creativity, history and experience. A DIY archive art project led by Newcastle-based artist Sarah Li, highlighting experiences of Queer joy and pleasure that can sometimes be hard to find or access in traditional collections.
Opening ‘Chaos’ Party
14:00-16:00
Explore Baltic Library through a Queer lens with micro-talks from Sarah Li and pop-up performances from DGA collective (Drag King/Gender-chaos/Alternative Drag).
Starting Lines Collage Collective Alphabet
13:00 – 14:30
Celebrate collaboration and togetherness and join this group project designed by Foundation Press using worksheets, templates and recycled risograph prints
Summer Preview Party
18:00 – 23:59
The day’s festivities culminate in a sizzling Summer Preview Party with a late-night viewing of the two new exhibitions. The party kicks off with a Dhol performance on Baltic Square, presented in collaboration with GemArts. There's also pizza, cocktails, beer and soft drinks in Baltic Riverside overlooking the Tyne. DJs will provide the soundtrack for dancing and summer vibes.
