Festival of all things shopping

Following a visit by the style guru himself, Gok Wan, who was looking for Britain's fashion icons and stylish shoppers, Tyne & Wear's first festival of shopping, The Big Shop, runs from Saturday 24 May to Sunday 8 June. That's two weeks and three weekends of serious retail therapy!

The big Shop celebrates the great shopping on offer here in the North East. Once you've shopped here, you won't be able to stay away - because the choice of shops on offer is second to none, and the city centres are compact and easy to get around, with excellent transport links.

Beat the Stylist at Royal Quays Outlet Centre. Mon 26 May to Mon 2 June. Can the fashion students beat the public in the style challenge?

Sunderland Rocks in Style - Sunderland City Centre and The Bridges Shopping Centre. Sat 24 May to Sun 25 May. A competition for aspiring new bands and musical individuals for the chance to win a spectacular makeover and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform in front of thousands of people at this year's Beamish Summer Festival. Visit sun-fm.com to vote for your favourite band!

The Art of Shopping - Newcastle City Centre and Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Eldon Square will be celebrating the 'Art of Shopping' as part of NewcastleGateshead's Big Shop festival on Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June.

Get a Little Extra at Dalton Park. Sat 24 May to Sun 1 June. For The Big Shop, Dalton Park is planning a special window-dressing competition students from Sunderland University. There's also the Extra event - your chance to save even more at Dalton Park from Saturday 24 May to Sunday 1 June; and the 'Revive and Re-invent' charity re-cycled clothing event in conjunction with TRAID on Saturday 7 June.

Fashion Top Tips at the MetroCentre. Kick-start your modelling career during MetroCentre's four day of fashion shows from Thurs 5 - Sun 8 Jun with the Shopping Angels on hand to help your with your purchases.

Northumbria Fashions. Final year students fashion show -University of Northumbria, Mon 2 June - see them here first before they head off to Graduate Fashion Week in London.

Plus

• Top 50 Buys - Belinda Alexander and Gail Little of fashionpeople.co.uk give us their top 50 buys in the region whether they are bargains,simply irresistible or seasonal must-haves.
• Need a change? Then drop your old clothes at our charity collection points and support TRAID as it launches in the North East
• Are you the best dressed shopper? Prizes for those that are!
• Special offers all across Tyne and Wear celebrating shopping at its best in the North East.

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