Magic Weekend is moving from St James’ Park.
The event had become a regular fixture with Newcastle Upon Tyne and SJP proving very popular with Rugby League fans.
However, the 2024 Magic Weekend will be held at Elland Road, home of Leeds United.
The report (see below) revealing the news, says that with the Rugby League bosses wanting to move the event from May to August, Newcastle United couldn’t / wouldn’t accommodate the event as by then the new 2024/25 football season would be up and running.
Rugby League live report – 21 November 2023:
‘The Super League Magic Weekend will not be held at Newcastle’s St James’ Park next year, Rugby League Live can reveal, with Leeds United’s Elland Road set to host the event next year.
The 38,000-capacity stadium will become the sixth venue to host the event since its introduction in 2007, with next year’s festival to take place on the weekend of August 17/18th. It has previously been staged at Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool and most recently, Newcastle.
It was initially hoped that the event would stay in Newcastle, with the city seen by many as the spiritual home of the event. But despite there being an appetite from local officials to retain the event, logistical issues meant a date that worked for both parties could not be reached. Next year’s Challenge Cup Final will be staged in June and with officials keen to spread out the big events, it meant a May date wasn’t preferable.
But an August date can bring challenges, specifically for stadia where football is played as it coincides with the beginning of the season. That is thought to have been one of the challenges in keeping the event in Newcastle next year.’