About Newcastle

Newcastle sits in the upper Thukela region of KwaZulu-Natal, founded in 1864 and named after the Duke of Newcastle. It grew into an industrial hub on the back of the surrounding coalfields and is home to the ArcelorMittal steelworks, one of the largest integrated steel plants in the country. The town lies on the Battlefields Route, within reach of Anglo-Boer War sites such as Majuba and Ingogo, and is bordered by the Drakensberg foothills and the Ncandu River. Its history is a mix of coal mining, rail, and steel that shaped much of KwaZulu-Natal's inland economy.

Newcastle's festival season gets underway with SPRING FEST taking over Madadeni, followed a month later by The link up Festival, a two-day concert running from October 10 to 11. Music continues into Halloween weekend with the Indumezulu Music Festival at the Newcastle Show Grounds Direction, before the Newcastle Kota Festival brings food and entertainment to Majuba College Stadium that same weekend. Pride returns to close out the year with the Amajuba Pride Festival at Amajuba Stadium in mid-December. Sport, nightlife and family gatherings fill in the weeks between these headline dates.