It is famous for being party central, but after years of cultural renaissance, Newcastle has been named the arts capital of the UK.
The city, along with Gateshead, has been revolutionised over the last decade, shaking off a reputation for being a place for nights out and football and little else.
And yesterday, this revival was recognised when it was awarded the accolade of the country's most artistic city, by television channel Artsworld.
It comes under six months after respected guidebook series Rough Guide declared a night out in the city was the top attraction in Britain, while also praising its "scintillating" array of cultural attractions. The announcement was hailed by jubilant tourism and arts chiefs yesterday, who said the survey was "just reward" for the hard work and investment that has gone into the cultural life of the city.
Newcastle City Council leader John Shipley said: "It's absolutely marvellous news and just reward for the investment in arts and culture in recent years.
"Arts investment gives an enormous boost to the region's economy and also brings people back into the city.
"NewcastleGateshead now has a brand image across the world as a place where things happen in the arts and cultural field, and it is vitally important this continues." In the survey of 14 cities, carried out by statistician Dr Geoff Ellis, Newcastle was ranked as the best for making the arts accessible and getting the public involved.
The poll was conducted using six categories, including attendance at art galleries, museums, concerts and galleries, the level of funding and the number of facilities, while Newcastle also registered the highest number of arts students and the second-highest number of theatres, in relation to its population, behind Edinburgh. London managed only ninth place, while Birmingham came out as bottom of the league.
The announcement comes just three-and-a-half years after Newcastle lost out to Liverpool for the title of 2008 Capital of Culture, yet Liverpool only ranked 10th in the survey. Newcastle-Gateshead Initiative's creative director Stella Hall said: "This is fantastic news.
"Museums, galleries and other cultural attractions in NewcastleGateshead are committed to ensure they engage with local people and this survey shows that dedication is really paying off.
"We have some of the best cultural attractions in the UK here."
Attractions which have helped bring people into the city include the Baltic, The Sage Gateshead, the Centre for Life and Dance City, as well as the Hancock museum and Laing Art Gallery.
The arts capital league table:
(1) Newcastle upon Tyne. (2) Nottingham. (3) Edinburgh. (4) Cardiff. (5) Belfast. (6) Bristol. (7) Manchester. (8) Plymouth. (9) London. (10) Liverpool. (11) Glasgow. (12) Leeds. (13) Sheffield. (14) Birmingham.
