Evolution Festival was a music festival held annually across Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England, from 2002 until 2013.[1][2] The festival attracted tens of thousands of attendees every year and usually took place on the Quayside.[3] Evolution Festival was briefly titled Orange Evolution due to a sponsorship deal with the mobile phone company Orange.[4] It has been described as "the biggest festival Tyneside has ever staged".[5]
In 2014 Evolution Festival did not take place, and although the organisers claimed it was only a "pause" the event has not been held since.[2] A smaller event featuring local bands, Evolution Emerging, was held up until 2019, when it rebranded into Tipping Point live.[12]
Evolution Festival started in 2002.[1] In 2003 the event took place on the Quayside for the first time, with performances from Moloko, Biffy Clyro and Inspiral Carpets.[13] In 2004, due to funding restrictions, Evolution returned to its multi-venue format including a Shindig event headlined by Eric Morillo and Deep Dish.[14] Evolution returned to the Quayside in 2005, sponsored by the mobile phone network Orange and featuring a three-stage event headlined by Dizzee Rascal and The Futureheads.[15] Major Tyneside export Maxïmo Park headlined the 2007 event.[8] In 2008, the festival ended its sponsorship with Orange and became known as Evolution Festival, and introduced an entry charge - of £3 - for the first time.[16]
In 2014 Evolution Festival did not take place, although promoters Jim Mawdsley and Dave Stone said that it was not the end of Evolution Festival.[2] The festival has, however, not been held since 2013 and no news of a relaunch has been announced. The Evolution brand continues through Evolution Emerging, a multiple venue event that showcases new bands from the local region.[12]
