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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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  1. Family Stargazing. Starry night's sky over High Force Waterfall.

    Add Family Stargazing at High Force - High Force Hotel and Waterfall to your Itinerary

    Family Stargazing at High Force - High Force Hotel and Waterfall

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    Forest in Teesdale, Barnard Castle

    Looking for a unique and educational family activity in October? Join us for a Family Stargazing Adventure at High Force, a professionally hosted evening designed especially for young explorers aged 5–15.

    Dates

    From:
    29 Oct 2026Open 18:00 - 20:00
    More info for Family Stargazing at High Force - High Force Hotel and Waterfall
  2. Durham Fringe Festival Logo of a colourful Sanctuary Knocker, Family Showcase

    Add Durham Fringe Family Showcase - Durham Fringe Festival to your Itinerary

    Durham Fringe Family Showcase - Durham Fringe Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Sample a taste of Durham Fringe 2026 at our FREE family showcase. See up to 6 different family-friendly acts from this year's programme, squeezed into 60 minutes. The perfect event if you're not sure what to go see at this year's festival.

    Dates

    From:
    29 July 2026Open 13:45 - 14:45
    More info for Durham Fringe Family Showcase - Durham Fringe Festival
  3. Image of a trophy and House Banners - 'The House Cup' at The Hole in Wand.

    Add The House Cup - The Hole in Wand to your Itinerary

    The House Cup - The Hole in Wand

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Seaham

    The House Cup
    18th July – 6th September
    Five Houses. Five Locations. One House Cup.

    Venue

    The Hole in Wand, Seaham

    Dates

    From:
    18 July 2026to6 Sept 2026Open 11:00 - 18:00
    More info for The House Cup - The Hole in Wand
  4. People wearing gloves, and mixing purple bath bombs at Lanchester Garden Centre.

    Add Children's Bath Bomb Workshop - Lanchester Garden Centre to your Itinerary

    Children's Bath Bomb Workshop - Lanchester Garden Centre

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Lanchester

    Join us for another exciting Bath Bomb Workshop that's perfect for keeping the kids entertained! They'll love creating their own colourful, fizzy bath bombs in this hands-on, creative session!

    Dates

    From:
    7 Aug 2026Open 10:30 - 12:00
    More info for Children's Bath Bomb Workshop - Lanchester Garden Centre
  5. Small child, with face paint, sat on a large Durham University themed, purple deck chair in the Botanic Garden

    Add Face Painting - Botanic Garden to your Itinerary

    Face Painting - Botanic Garden

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Durham

    Come along and have your face painted with flowers, butterflies, glitter or animals.

    Dates

    From:
    14 Aug 2026Open 10:00 - 15:00
    More info for Face Painting - Botanic Garden
  6. Guitar and a pair of walking boots, on a woodland step

    Add A Pilgrim’s Song - Durham Fringe Festival to your Itinerary

    A Pilgrim’s Song - Durham Fringe Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Marking ten years since his acclaimed song 'City of Sanctuary', Durham folk singer-songwriter Sam Slatcher presents an intimate evening of songs and stories from a modern pilgrim. Inspired by journeys of sanctuary, chance encounters on trains, and…

    Dates

    From:
    29 July 2026to30 July 2026Open 18:35 -
    More info for A Pilgrim’s Song - Durham Fringe Festival
  7. A Witch and a cat riding a broom.  Room on the Broom © 2001 Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler. Licensed by Magic Light Pictures Ltd.

    Add Room on the Broom Trail at Hamsterley Forest to your Itinerary

    Room on the Broom Trail at Hamsterley Forest

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Redford, Hamsterley Forest

    This interactive family trail is packed with Room on the Broom themed activities, fascinating forest facts and plenty of hands-on fun. 

    Dates

    From:
    28 Jan 2026to31 Dec 2026
    More info for Room on the Broom Trail at Hamsterley Forest
  8. Child looking at fossils on a rock.

    Add Wild Wednesday - Fantastic Fossils to your Itinerary

    Wild Wednesday - Fantastic Fossils

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Newbiggin

    Discover fantastic fossils around Bowlees in this family friendly outdoor activity

    Venue

    Bowlees Visitor Centre, Newbiggin

    Dates

    From:
    12 Aug 2026Open 10:30 - 12:30
    More info for Wild Wednesday - Fantastic Fossils
  9. Scoops & Scales - close up of a reptile.

    Add Scoops & Scales - Lanchester Garden Centre to your Itinerary

    Scoops & Scales - Lanchester Garden Centre

    Type

    Type:

    Workshop

    Lanchester

    Scoops & Scales is a hands‑on, family‑friendly experience where guests get up close with a variety of fascinating lizards before heading to Moo's Ice Cream Bar for a delicious scoop of their choice.

    Dates

    From:
    14 Aug 2026Open 10:00 - 11:00
    From:
    27 Aug 2026Open 10:00 - 11:00
    More info for Scoops & Scales - Lanchester Garden Centre
  10. Crowds of people at Seaham Food Festival with north sea visible in the background.

    Add Seaham Food Festival 2026 to your Itinerary

    Seaham Food Festival 2026

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Seaham

    The festival welcomes thousands of visitors each year for two days of sun, sea, family fun and, of course, food. 

    Dates

    From:
    1 Aug 2026to2 Aug 2026
    More info for Seaham Food Festival 2026
  11. Close up of an Alpaca.

    Add Alpaca Petting - Lanchester Garden Centre to your Itinerary

    Alpaca Petting - Lanchester Garden Centre

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Lanchester

    Join us this Summer when Fellside Alpacas return of our Alpaca Petting event.

    What to expect - get the chance to get up close with some gorgeous Alpacas, feed them and learn more about these amazing animals.

    Dates

    From:
    28 Aug 2026Open 11:00 - 15:00
    More info for Alpaca Petting - Lanchester Garden Centre
  12. County Durham Libraries Summer Reading Challenge - Stacey Bone - Cornforth Library. 10:30-11:30am.

    Add Stacey Bone - Cornforth Library to your Itinerary

    Stacey Bone - Cornforth Library

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Cornforth

    Join us for an amazing story session with Stacey Bone reading her book, 'The Wonderful Woodlouse', (recommended for ages 3-7).

    Dates

    From:
    11 Aug 2026Open 10:30 - 11:30
    More info for Stacey Bone - Cornforth Library
  13. Elegant font depicting "The Fairytale Pantomime: Beauty and the Beast," with an extravagant interior background and a rose

    Add Beauty and the Beast - Pantomime - Empire Consett to your Itinerary

    Beauty and the Beast - Pantomime - Empire Consett

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Consett

    Leah Bell and company return in 2026 with a tale as old as pantomime – Beauty and the Beast.

    Dates

    From:
    27 Nov 2026to31 Dec 2026
    More info for Beauty and the Beast - Pantomime - Empire Consett
  14. Ariel view of Wolsingham Show

    Add Wolsingham Show 2026 to your Itinerary

    Wolsingham Show 2026

    Type

    Type:

    Agricultural Show

    Wolsingham

    Celebrate the county’s farming life at England’s oldest and Durham’s biggest open-air Agricultural show. A jam-packed weekend of family-friendly entertainment.

    Dates

    From:
    5 Sept 2026to6 Sept 2026
    More info for Wolsingham Show 2026
  15. Adults and children enjoying the pop-up beach at Locomotion by Richard Salkeld, with colourful buckets and spades, a giant deckchair and seaside photo

    Add Summer Festival - Locomotion to your Itinerary

    Summer Festival - Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Summer Event

    Shildon

    Join us for an action-packed summer of fun! Enjoy our sandy beach, take a train ride and get stuck into hands-on family activities as we celebrate the exciting world of engineering. Legendary locomotive Flying Scotsman will be visiting from 2…

    Dates

    From:
    18 July 2026to31 Aug 2026
    More info for Summer Festival - Locomotion
  16. Member of Beamish Museum staff with a Nutcracker figure and festive decorations in the background.

    Add Christmas Daytimes - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North to your Itinerary

    Christmas Daytimes - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Beamish

    Experience the magic of a traditional Christmas through time at Beamish.

    Dates

    From:
    21 Nov 2026to24 Dec 2026
    More info for Christmas Daytimes - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  17. County Durham Libraries Summer Reading Challenge - Liz Million Bishop Auckland Town Hall Library.

    Add Liz Million - Bishop Auckland Town Hall to your Itinerary

    Liz Million - Bishop Auckland Town Hall

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Bishop Auckland

    Love drawing? Join us to take part in a lively and interactive draw-along with the fabulous Liz Million.
    Suitable for all ages as long as you can sit and hold a pencil!

    Dates

    From:
    30 July 2026Open 13:15 - 14:15
    More info for Liz Million - Bishop Auckland Town Hall
  18. Buddy from the film Elf (2003) wearing a green festive outfit, smiling with his hands on his hips, on a white background

    Add Grand Cinema: Elf (PG) - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North to your Itinerary

    Grand Cinema: Elf (PG) - 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:
    5 Dec 2026Open 14:00 -
    More info for Grand Cinema: Elf (PG) - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  19. Scientist performs an experiment which results in a lot of flames.

    Add Big Science of Sound Workshop - Lanchester Garden Centre to your Itinerary

    Big Science of Sound Workshop - Lanchester Garden Centre

    Type

    Type:

    Workshop

    Lanchester

    Join us this Summer for our very first Big Science of Sound Workshop.

    This session brings sound to life as children experiment with vibrations, learning how sounds are made and how they move through the air. They will even get to make their own…

    Dates

    From:
    24 Aug 2026Open 10:00 - 11:00
    More info for Big Science of Sound Workshop - Lanchester Garden Centre
  20. County Durham Libraries Summer Reading Challenge Bugs N Stuff at Crook Library. Tuesday 11th August.

    Add Bugs n Stuff - Crook Library to your Itinerary

    Bugs n Stuff - Crook Library

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    North Terrace, Crook

    Join the Bugman for a hands-on workshop with some amazing animals - cold, warm, hard, soft, rough, smooth, scaly, silky, slimy, hairy and of course tickly!

    Dates

    From:
    11 Aug 2026Open 10:00 - 11:00
    More info for Bugs n Stuff - Crook Library
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