A Viking raiding party invaded the beaches of Newcastle’s Quayside Seaside on Saturday 17 August.
As well as storming children’s sandcastles, the raiders also made use of their Viking helmets to attempt to create sandy strongholds of their own during the surprise attack.
The friendly horde are all part of ‘Kynren – an Epic Tale of England’, the UK’s largest outdoor theatre show, which is currently taking place every Saturday evening at Bishop Auckland.
Performed by a 1,000-strong cast and crew on a 7.5-acre outdoor stage, the multi-award-winning show is ranked among the Top 5 Performances to see in the UK on TripAdvisor.
Audiences are transported on a stunning journey through 2,000 years of English history and legend; from Boudicca and King Arthur to Queen Elizabeth I and the English Civil War on to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and both World Wars.
The theme for the 2019 show is The Year of the Viking and, as well as spectacular new scenes featuring dramatic raids and a fiery longship burial, audiences can also wander through a recreated Viking village.
“All Vikings love the sea and it was nice to get away from the fighting and pillaging for a while and enjoy a relaxing trip to the beach,” said Kynren’s Archer Carl Howe.
“After the initial surprise the other beachgoers seemed quite happy to share the sand with us and we’re looking forward to meeting some of them who said they planned to come and see the show,” he added.
Open daily until 30th September, NE1’s Quayside Seaside transforms one of Newcastle Gateshead’s most iconic spaces into a beachside paradise complete with deckchairs, palm trees, candy-striped beach huts, golden sand and a kids' climbing wall. New this year is an astro-turf area with even more seating and giant outdoor games.