Judges will meet more than 200 people on Friday who want Tyneside to be Europe's Capital of Culture in 2008.

Sir Jeremy Isaacs is leading a panel of eight judges who will tour Newcastle and Gateshead during a six-hour lightening visit.

They will take in more than 50 sites and hear details of a further 50 developments planned for the area.

The Newcastle and Gateshead bid promises more than 17,000 new jobs and a �3bn boost to transport, leisure, housing and business.

The Baltic opened to the public in July

The final leg of the panel's visit will be a walk across the Gateshead millennium bridge to visit the recently-opened Baltic arts centre.

Earlier they are due to take in some of the area's top attractions and projects including Newcastle quayside, the centre for the children's book, the Angel of the North and Newcastle's controversial blue carpet.

Designer Wayne Hemingway and paralympic athlete Stephen Miller are amongst more than 50 people who will meet the panel at the launch of a new exhibition - Building for 2008 - in Newcastle.

Other bidders

Bradford Bristol Birmingham Belfast Brighton Coventry Canterbury Liverpool Inverness Norwich Oxford

Neil Rami, chief executive of the Newcastle and Gateshead Initiative, said: "This is a momentous occasion for the region and all our hopes to become European Capital of Culture 2008 rests on the impression we leave the judging panel with.

"We want everyone to help us show the judges just how much we want to win this, and how much we deserve it."

The Newcastle and Gateshead bid includes a 10-year events programme costing �100m, which will feature contributions from Tyneside-born pop star Sting, Billy Elliott writer Lee Hall and film director Peter Greenaway.

More than 2,500 businesses and organisations have contributed to the Tyneside bid.