Sneak peek inside Newcastle's Ice Bar reveals a cool new place to chill out
The Lonewolf Ice Bar unveils what 'cold comforts' await at their winter wonderland inside Stack container village.
Elaborate sculptures, sparkling crystal-clear glasses and no doubt plenty of ice for your drinks are awaiting customers to Newcastle's first ever ice bar.
Stack in the city centre has teamed up with ice specialists Lonewolf Spirits to launch the new ski-theme bar which - following three months of planning and designing - has been taking shape over the past week or so inside the container village. And there seems no shortage of people eager to explore what's on offer.
Following its opening on 18th January, customers are now discovering an extraordinary all-ice world which has been created by Glacial Art, the company responsible for ice sculptures in Game of Thrones, whose experts have hand-carved it all out of more than 20 tonnes of ice.
Besides the life-size frozen sculptures inside, glasses for the drinks are also made purely of ice, as is seating, and the bar temperature is maintained at minus-five to minus-seven degrees, which is part of the reason that customer sessions, and working shifts for bar staff, are restricted to 20 minutes.
Upon arrival, visitors to the sub-zero attraction are given insulating cloaks and gloves to wear during their spell inside the winter wonderland scene.
Glacial Art creative director Mat Foster has said the ice bar - believed to be the first in the region - is the company's biggest project in 12 years and he is looking forward to people being able to see its 'exhibition' of ice sculptures.
While they've created ice bars before for day-long events, they've never produced such lavish sculptures destined to last for a three-month period, which is how long Newcastle's bar will occupy the site that is reserved for pop-ups (with a stage for music and a range of events set to follow the icy attraction).
So visitors have a limited chance to see it and, so far, there's been no shortage of bookings.
Inside, they'll find plenty of photo opportunities, such as a giant ice throne and full-sized snowmobile to pose on; a huge skier in action carved out in 3D effect; and Christmas trees, wolves and stags to admire as they sip their drinks and enjoy the music.
"A team of four have been here for 10 days, working from 7am to 7pm," said, Kevin Walker, of Danieli Holdings which runs Stack. "They've been absolutely amazing.”
Of the ski-theme interior, Mat said: "We wanted to do something different with ski features never seen before." So, besides the ice bar - which, stocked with bottles, runs down one side of the space and will be serving the likes of a Lonewolf cocktail - there are also tucked-away sculptures, such as a cable car to sit in, and hidden items - including climbing items and an ice axe - inside blocks of ice.
During the night temperatures in the bar will be dropped to minus-18 degrees to keep everything properly frozen before being raised - albeit not by a great deal - in readiness for visitors the next day.
Its opening hours are 11am to 11pm from Friday until Sunday and then 1pm to 11pm from Mondays to Thursdays.
Entry to Lonewolf Ice Bar costs from £12 which includes the cloak and glove hire as well as a free alcoholic, or non-alcoholic, drink plus a hot chocolate to warm guests up again on leaving, which will be served in an adjacent marquee area kitted out with bench seating and throws. A prosecco or beer ticket is also optional and the bar is available for private hire.
It has capacity for around 60 people but numbers will be kept to around 40 each session. Nobody under the age of seven will be allowed entry.
While it will cater, wherever possible, for anyone wanting to drop in as they pass, it is advisable to book. Visit www.lonewolficebar.com for further information on bookings.
