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Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
Entertainment
Sophie Brownson

Newcastle retro arcade bar urges gamers to enter new Mario Kart tournament for chance to win 'mystery prize'

A retro arcade bar in Newcastle is giving customers the chance to prove they are one of the city's top gamers as it launches an exciting new tournament.

NQ64 on Pilgrim Street is getting set to host a gaming competition that will see customers take part in a Mario Kart battle in the hope of being crowned the game's Newcastle champion. The event will take place on Tuesday, January 24 at 6pm and is set to be the first in a series of monthly tournaments at the venue.

Entry to the competition is free and includes pizza and a 'gin in a tin' drink from event partner, Hartwall Original. Players will be competing for medal positions, with first place winners bagging prizes including tokens to use at NQ64 Newcastle, a bucket of Hartwall Original Long Drink, and a "mystery goody bag."

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To enter the competition, gamers will need to send a direct message to NQ64 on Instagram. The event is first come, first served, so the bar is urging gamers to be quick if they want to get involved. The gaming tournaments will then be held monthly until March.

NQ64 Newcastle is an adult-only basement venue that opened last August offering retro arcades such as Mario Kart, Pac-Man and Guitar Hero, as well as classic consoles including Gamecube and PlayStation. The late-night venue, took over the former Intermezzo bar and serves craft beers and game-themed cocktails.

NQ64 on Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, opened last August. (Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)

Customers can buy tokens from the bar to operate the retro arcades and pinball machines, while the game consoles are all free to play. The NQ64 bar chain was founded by Matt Robson from Newcastle and first launched in Manchester in 2019 before expanding across the UK with venues in London, Liverpool, Glasgow and Cardiff.

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