Originally a working-class suburb, Newtown has followed gentrification trends in recent years, attracting large numbers of immigrants, students and young professionals and resulting in an ethnically diverse population.

Newtown Park is located next to the Zoo, off Roy Street and provides a venue for athletics and football.

Wellington City Council has spent $3.6 million on modernising facilities at Newtown Park to meet current and future needs for the athletics and soccer sports codes, and the wider community.

[10] The annual Newtown Festival takes place over one day, culminating in the Newtown Festival Street Fair which is usually held on International Children's Day (usually the first Sunday in March).

It is now New Zealand's biggest free musical festival and street fair, with 16 outdoor stages, more than 1000 performers and crowds of 80,000 a year.

It also has an indoor heated swimming pool, computer suite, and separate junior and senior playgrounds.