These arches pivot around their common springing point to allow shipping to pass beneath. The motion is efficient and rational, yet dramatic beyond the capabilities of previously explored opening mechanisms. Since the whole bridge tilts, the composition undergoes a metamorphosis into a 'grand arch' of great width and grace, in an operation which evokes the action of a closed eye slowly opening. Visually elegant both when static and in motion, the bridge is spectacular by day and in its nighttime illumination.

The bridge has quickly achieved iconic attraction status, with local, national, and international visitors. During the summer months, non-shipping bridge openings occur daily to satisfy the demand from visitors to Newcastle and Gateshead wishing to see the unique spectacle of the bridge tilting. The Gateshead Millennium Bridge makes regular appearances on television as a backdrop to news items, factual entertainment, and dramas. The bridge is a new symbol for the Northeast and the backdrop for concerts, the Great North Games, and fairs.