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You are here > Home > What's On > Family Events

Family Events

For guaranteed fun for all the family check out our list of events taking place across the county.

Whether you are looking for things on this weekend, or looking for what's on today, we have all the amazing events for a great days out with the kids.

Create lasting memories with your loved ones at Durham's family-friendly events. Explore a diverse array of kid-friendly activities, family festivals, and interactive outings that cater to all ages. From educational workshops to entertaining performances, Durham offers a vibrant calendar of events designed to bring families together. Stay informed about the latest family-friendly happenings, and plan your weekends with the exciting array of cultural and recreational activities that Durham has to offer.

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Number of results: 119

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  1. The Snowman playing on a large projector in Durham Cathedral, with a large crowd watching

    Add The Snowman: Film with Live Orchestra - Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    The Snowman: Film with Live Orchestra - Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Durham

    Make it a Christmas to remember with a special screening of the much-loved film. The Snowman, shown on the big screen with its unforgettable soundtrack performed live by a professional orchestra.

    Dates

    From:
    5 Dec 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for The Snowman: Film with Live Orchestra - Durham Cathedral
  2. A vibrant firework display

    Add Seaham Town Council Fireworks Display - Seaham Seafront to your Itinerary

    Seaham Town Council Fireworks Display - Seaham Seafront

    Type

    Type:

    Bonfire Night

    Seaham

    Back by popular demand the fantastic Seaham Fireworks takes place on a Sunday to make it easier to plan your visit.
    Seafront, ASDA, Marina, Terrace Green. Event opens 5-9pm. Fireworks 6.30pm.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Nov 2026
    More info for Seaham Town Council Fireworks Display - Seaham Seafront
  3. Holly Sterling with her book, Karate Kids, on a yellow background with cartoon books.

    Add Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book Festival to your Itinerary

    Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Join Maya and her friends as they learn to spin, kick and block their way through their karate class, learning new moves and mastering their minds and bodies, with a little help from each other along the way in this fun and exciting story time as…

    Dates

    From:
    10 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 10:45
    More info for Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book Festival
  4. Photograph of a young child with red hair wearing a mustard yellow shirt and beige shorts, smiling while crawling on a large white cushioned surface.

    Add Bowes Babies - The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Bowes Babies - The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Barnard Castle

    A sensory museum session for little ones and their grown-ups.

    Venue

    The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

    Dates

    From:
    29 Oct 2026Open 11:00 - 12:00
    From:
    26 Nov 2026Open 11:00 - 12:00
    From:
    30 Dec 2026Open 11:00 - 12:00
    More info for Bowes Babies - The Bowes Museum
  5. Festival of Fireworks - Graphic image of a silhouette of a fairground against an orange sky full of fireworks.

    Add Festival of Fireworks - Banks Homes Riverside to your Itinerary

    Festival of Fireworks - Banks Homes Riverside

    Type

    Type:

    Bonfire Night

    Chester-le-Street

    Experience the North East's ultimate Festival of Fireworks, featuring one of the region's largest fireworks, laser and pyrotechnic spectaculars, perfectly choreographed to music against the stunning backdrop of the River Wear at Banks Homes…

    Dates

    From:
    7 Nov 2026Open 19:30 -
    More info for Festival of Fireworks - Banks Homes Riverside
  6. Scene from The Polar Express (2004) Small child looking up a towering steam train in the snow

    Add Grand Cinema: Polar Express - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North to your Itinerary

    Grand Cinema: Polar Express - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Stanley

    Transport yourself to the golden age of cinema with a nostalgic afternoon in our beautifully restored 1950s Grand cinema. The Grand cinema, from Ryhope, in Sunderland, has been recreated and brought to life in our 1950s Town.

    Dates

    From:
    21 Nov 2026Open 14:00 -
    More info for Grand Cinema: Polar Express - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  7. A handmade paper autumn wreath on a tree.

    Add Autumn Leaves - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Autumn Leaves - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    October Half Term

    Bearpark, Durham

    Ready for an Autumnal Celebration of Leaves at Ushaw? Join us this October Half Term for two days packed with autumn-inspired creativity, colour and craft.

    Dates

    From:
    26 Oct 2026to27 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Autumn Leaves - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens
  8. Spooky black font, 'Halloween Karting,' on an orange background.

    Add Halloween Karting - Top Gear Karting to your Itinerary

    Halloween Karting - Top Gear Karting

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Gilesgate Moor, Durham

    Start Your Halloween With a Hit of Adrenaline...and Pizza! Fuel the Kids up on Racing, Pizza & Goodies for a Guaranteed Treat - No Tricks!

    Dates

    From:
    30 Oct 2026to31 Oct 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Halloween Karting - Top Gear Karting
  9. Text 'Hopetown Comic Con' with Dr. Who's Tardis in the background.

    Add Hopetown Comic Con - Hopetown Darlington to your Itinerary

    Hopetown Comic Con - Hopetown Darlington

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Darlington

    Hopetown Comic Con – Doctor Who Themed Event. 

    Dates

    From:
    3 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Hopetown Comic Con - Hopetown Darlington
  10. Santa reading a list in a festive grotto

    Add Santa Sunday's - South Causey Inn to your Itinerary

    Santa Sunday's - South Causey Inn

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Stanley

    Step into the magic of Christmas at South Causey Inn’s Santa Sundays... Join us in the enchanting Old Barn on 6th, 13th or 20th of December for a truly unforgettable festive experience the whole family will love. From the moment you arrive, the…

    Dates

    From:
    6 Dec 2026Open 11:30 -
    From:
    13 Dec 2026Open 11:30 -
    From:
    20 Dec 2026Open 11:30 -
    More info for Santa Sunday's - South Causey Inn
  11. Small child playing with paint in a craft session.

    Add Halloween Craft Day - The Story to your Itinerary

    Halloween Craft Day - The Story

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    South Road, Durham

    Gather your little monsters for a spooktacular craft day at The Story!

    Dates

    From:
    26 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Halloween Craft Day - The Story
  12. Large sculpture of a Velociraptor dinosaur in the lobby of Ushaw.

    Add Extinction - Ushaw, Historic Houses, Chapels and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Extinction - Ushaw, Historic Houses, Chapels and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Summer Event

    Bearpark, Durham

    Extinction affects us all and one in ten of our wildlife in the UK is critically endangered. Scientists have identified five periods of mass extinction over the geological record and the question is now being asked: are we in a sixth? The exhibition…

    Dates

    From:
    20 June 2026to8 Nov 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Extinction - Ushaw, Historic Houses, Chapels and Gardens
  13. A garden in front of a historic stone house.

    Add Wellies, Wildlife & Autumn Fun Trail - October Half Term 2026 - Crook Hall Gardens to your Itinerary

    Wellies, Wildlife & Autumn Fun Trail - October Half Term 2026 - Crook Hall Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    October Half Term

    Durham

    Autumn has arrived! Leaves are falling, and the gardens are changing from bright green to lovely gold, orange, and brown.

    Dates

    From:
    17 Oct 2026to8 Nov 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    More info for Wellies, Wildlife & Autumn Fun Trail - October Half Term 2026 - Crook Hall Gardens
  14. Poster from the 1951 'A Christmas Carol,' Scrooge wearing a long coat, top hat and yellow scarf, looking glumly on the left of the image

    Add Grand Cinema: A Christmas Carol (1951) - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North to your Itinerary

    Grand Cinema: A Christmas Carol (1951) - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Stanley

    Transport yourself to the golden age of cinema with a nostalgic afternoon in our beautifully restored 1950s Grand cinema. The Grand cinema, from Ryhope, in Sunderland, has been recreated and brought to life in our 1950s Town.

    Dates

    From:
    22 Nov 2026Open 14:15 -
    More info for Grand Cinema: A Christmas Carol (1951) - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  15. A starry night sky

    North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    The North Pennines Stargazing Festival is back for 2026 – running between Friday 16 October and Sunday 1 November. This year is the tenth edition of the annual festival. Events are being organised by the North Pennines National Landscape team and a…

    Dates

    From:
    16 Oct 2026to1 Nov 2026
    More info for North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  16. 2 vibrant fireworks

    Add Fireworks Extravaganza - Hardwick Hall Hotel to your Itinerary

    Fireworks Extravaganza - Hardwick Hall Hotel

    Type

    Type:

    Bonfire Night

    Sedgefield

    Hardwick Hall Hotel present the annual FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA! Experience the annual Fireworks Extravaganza at Hardwick Hall Hotel on Thursday 5th November and Saturday 7th November!

    Dates

    From:
    5 Nov 2026to7 Nov 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Fireworks Extravaganza - Hardwick Hall Hotel
  17. A halloween landscape, of pumpkins lined up along a spooky path in the dark.

    Add Kids Halloween Party - South Causey Inn to your Itinerary

    Kids Halloween Party - South Causey Inn

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Stanley

    Bring the whole family along for an afternoon packed with Halloween entertainment, including fun games, singing with Charlotte, and plenty of chances to win exciting prizes. Don't forget to come dressed in your favourite spooky costume, as fancy…

    Dates

    From:
    28 Oct 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Kids Halloween Party - South Causey Inn
  18. A group of people at a Durham Book Festival event who are seated and clapping.

    Durham Book Festival 2026

    Type

    Type:

    Durham Book Festival

    Durham

    The Durham Book Festival takes place from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 October, celebrating the power of the written word.

    Dates

    From:
    9 Oct 2026to11 Oct 2026
    More info for Durham Book Festival 2026
  19. A person wearing a red top smiling to the left, the the title 'Tracy Borman, Tudors on Tour', with two Tudor-style paintings of notable people.

    Add Tracy Borman: Tudors on Tour - Gala Durham to your Itinerary

    Tracy Borman: Tudors on Tour - Gala Durham

    Type

    Type:

    Talks

    Durham

    Discover the Tudors as you’ve never seen them before with historian, broadcaster and bestselling author Tracy Borman OBE. Tudors on Tour brings the drama, scandal and intrigue of England’s most notorious dynasty to life in a thrilling theatrical…

    Dates

    From:
    14 Oct 2026Open 19:30 -
    More info for Tracy Borman: Tudors on Tour - Gala Durham
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