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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. Halloween poster for 'Spookymoor,' in a sinister orange font on a purple background, decorated with bats. pumpkins and cobwebs.

    Add Spookymoor to your Itinerary

    Spookymoor

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Spennymoor

    Welcome to Spookymoor 2026! We invite you to join us for a spooktacular Halloween experience. Wander along our enchanting Halloween trail, packed with spooky tales, magical encounters, and surprises lurking around every corner. Once you’ve completed…

    Dates

    From:
    30 Oct 2026Open 17:00 - 19:00
    More info for Spookymoor
  2. A book propped up against a mossy tree.

    Add Welcome to Storytime with Gruffalo Granny to your Itinerary

    Welcome to Storytime with Gruffalo Granny

    Type

    Type:

    October Half Term

    Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland

    Come to the forest for a day of family fun this October half-term and hear the new Gruffalo story. There’s also a visit from The Gruffalo! You’ll be able to enjoy Gruffalo Granny storytelling sessions and Gruffalo meet-and-greets at intervals…

    Dates

    From:
    27 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Welcome to Storytime with Gruffalo Granny
  3. Stalls in a Christmas market, full of handmade goods and crafts.

    Add Christmas Markets - South Causey Inn to your Itinerary

    Christmas Markets - South Causey Inn

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Stanley

    Our Christmas Markets are filled with twinkling lights, beautifully dressed stalls, and the comforting scent of mulled wine and seasonal treats in the air. Wander through a handpicked selection of independent traders offering unique gifts,…

    Dates

    From:
    24 Nov 2026Open 10:00 - 20:00
    From:
    1 Dec 2026Open 10:00 - 20:00
    From:
    8 Dec 2026Open 10:00 - 20:00
    From:
    15 Dec 2026Open 10:00 - 20:00
    From:
    22 Dec 2026Open 10:00 - 20:00
    More info for Christmas Markets - South Causey Inn
  4. Santa and his helpers aboard the train.

    Add Santa Express - Weardale Railway to your Itinerary

    Santa Express - Weardale Railway

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Bishop Auckland,

    Santa Express – A Magical Christmas Journey. Create unforgettable Christmas memories aboard the Santa Express at Weardale Railway. Running on selected dates throughout November and December, this festive heritage train departs from Stanhope Station…

    Dates

    From:
    28 Nov 2026to24 Dec 2026Open 09:30 - 18:00
    More info for Santa Express - Weardale Railway
  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. A group of people sit on hay bales inside a barn while a speaker gives an astronomy presentation beside a projected image.

    Add Star Camp - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Star Camp - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Cotherstone

    Join the Star Camp for an astronomical weekend in Teesdale. The camp is perfect for novice astronomers and is great for adults and children (6+ years).

    Dates

    From:
    23 Oct 2026to25 Oct 2026Open 19:00 - 10:00
    More info for Star Camp - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  7. Poster for The Big Blaze, of a large bonfire with performers either side.

    Add The Big Blaze - Lintz Hall Farm to your Itinerary

    The Big Blaze - Lintz Hall Farm

    Type

    Type:

    Bonfire Night

    Join us at Lintz Hall Farm For a Bonfire Spectacular! Expect a fun evening out for the whole family.

    Dates

    From:
    5 Nov 2026to7 Nov 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for The Big Blaze - Lintz Hall Farm
  8. Two children participating in hands-on science experiments at Locomotion.

    Add Celebrate Science - Locomotion to your Itinerary

    Celebrate Science - Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    October Half Term

    Shildon

    Calling all young scientists! Locomotion is the next stop for the annual festival to celebrate science. Get inspired by science this autumn! Durham University is partnering with Locomotion to host an exciting three-day festival. Join us for live…

    Dates

    From:
    27 Oct 2026to29 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Celebrate Science - Locomotion
  9. An autumnal landscape view of The Light.

    Add October Half-Term Programme to your Itinerary

    October Half-Term Programme

    Type

    Type:

    October Half Term

    Durham

    Autumnal fun for all the family at The Light this half-term. Kids go free for our vibrant, interactive and colourful light art exhibition Victory Over the Sun.

    Dates

    From:
    28 Oct 2026to1 Nov 2026
    More info for October Half-Term Programme
  10. Three witches from Hocus Pocus, looking mischievously at the camera.

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

    Grand Cinema: Hocus Pocus - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Stanley

    A teenage boy named Max and his little sister move to Salem, where he struggles to fit in before awakening a trio of diabolical witches that were executed in the 17th century.

    Dates

    From:
    29 Oct 2026to1 Nov 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Grand Cinema: Hocus Pocus - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  11. A spooky green grave in the forest saying "Dr.Acula 1897" with a skeleton coming out of the ground

    Add Halloween After Dark in The Plotters’ Forest - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Halloween After Dark in The Plotters’ Forest - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Darlington

    Halloween After Dark Illuminated Trail in The Plotters Forest. As dusk descends, The Plotters’ Forest stirs with an eerie excitement. Adventurers don their spookiest costumes and venture into the shadows, where spiders spin webs and witches and…

    Dates

    From:
    24 Oct 2026Various Opening Times
    From:
    29 Oct 2026to31 Oct 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Halloween After Dark in The Plotters’ Forest - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens
  12. A wooden easel holding a drawing pad with a charcoal sketch of a sphere against a dark shaded background. Natural light from a window behind.

    Add Make an Impression! The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Make an Impression! The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    October Half Term

    Barnard Castle

    Inspired by Impressions of Light: Masterpieces from MuMa – Le Havre and The Bowes Museum, look out from the Create Space and make their own artwork based on what they can see.

    Venue

    The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

    Dates

    From:
    26 Oct 2026to30 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    From:
    27 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    From:
    28 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    From:
    29 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    From:
    30 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    More info for Make an Impression! The Bowes Museum
  13. A field of pumpkins

    Add Pumpkin Picking - Tweddle Farm to your Itinerary

    Pumpkin Picking - Tweddle Farm

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Blackhall Colliery, Hartlepool

    Join us at the North East’s most loved Pumpkin Patch! Filled with garden games, face painting, funfair rides, photo opportunities and more! Our patch is bursting with all kinds of shapes, colours & sizes! Choose your favourite to take home and carve.

    Dates

    From:
    17 Oct 2026to18 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 14:30
    From:
    24 Oct 2026to30 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 14:30
    More info for Pumpkin Picking - Tweddle Farm
  14. An illustrated poster for A Christmas Carol, with Scrooge in a top hat.

    Add A Christmas Carol with Alfie Joey - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens to your Itinerary

    A Christmas Carol with Alfie Joey - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Bearpark, Durham

    This December, feel the chill of Christmas past, the urgency of the present, and the hope of a future redeemed as Alfie Joe, performs his own solo version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; a timeless tale, told like you’ve never seen it…

    Dates

    From:
    6 Dec 2026
    More info for A Christmas Carol with Alfie Joey - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens
  15. Green Shrek font, with a green 'S' with Shrek's ears, on a blue sequin background.

    Add DULOG: Shrek The Musical - Gala Durham to your Itinerary

    DULOG: Shrek The Musical - Gala Durham

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Durham

    Shrek the Musical comes to Gala Durham in this hilarious and heartwarming stage spectacular, presented by Durham University’s biggest musical theatre company, DULOG.

    Dates

    From:
    26 Jan 2027to30 Jan 2027Various Opening Times
    More info for DULOG: Shrek The Musical - Gala Durham
  16. A young child looks through the eyepiece of a telescope.

    Add Family Astronomy - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Family Astronomy - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle

    This is a great way to get children interested in astronomy and science. They will enjoy an interactive talk in the classroom and then will be able to see and touch rocks from space – meteorites. A stunning interactive talk on space stuff in the…

    Venue

    Grassholme Observatory, Teesdale

    Dates

    From:
    31 Oct 2026Open 18:00 - 19:30
    More info for Family Astronomy - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  17. Wallace and Gromit characters holding brass instruments against a green background

    Add Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers LIVE with EverReady Band - Empire Consett to your Itinerary

    Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers LIVE with EverReady Band - Empire Consett

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Consett

    EverReady Band is bringing the award-winning Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers LIVE to Empire Consett this October!
    ​​​​​​​Join one of the UK’s most celebrated brass bands for an unforgettable afternoon of live music, laughter and cinematic magic.

    Dates

    From:
    24 Oct 2026Open 14:30 -
    More info for Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers LIVE with EverReady Band - Empire Consett
  18. The illustrated Snowman flying with a child.

    Add The Snowman with Live Orchestra - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens to your Itinerary

    The Snowman with Live Orchestra - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Bearpark, Durham

    Step into the wonder of the season with a heartwarming performance of The Snowman — perfect for all ages. Enjoy a live orchestral accompaniment by the Durham Music Youth Orchestra as they bring the beloved animated film to life, complete with the…

    Dates

    From:
    12 Dec 2026
    More info for The Snowman with Live Orchestra - Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens
  19. A spooky Halloween events poster for Aycliffe & District Bus Preservation Museum, decorated with ghosts, bats, spiders and a creepy bus under the full

    Add A Night At The Museum Horror Spooktackular - Aycliffe & District Bus Preservation Museum to your Itinerary

    A Night At The Museum Horror Spooktackular - Aycliffe & District Bus Preservation Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Aycliffe Business Park, Newton Aycliffe

    Get ready for a fun-filled Halloween evening for all the family as Aycliffe Bus Museum opens its doors for 'A Night at the Museum – Halloween Horror Spooktakular.' Local residents are invited to come along to the museum on Burtree Road, Newton…

    Dates

    From:
    31 Oct 2026Open 17:30 - 21:00
    More info for A Night At The Museum Horror Spooktackular - Aycliffe & District Bus Preservation Museum
  20. The Snowman with Live Brass Band. The Snowman and the boy, in his dressing gown, flying through the night sky. © Snowman Enterprises Limited

    Add The Snowman with Live Brass Band - Redhills Durham Miners Hall to your Itinerary

    The Snowman with Live Brass Band - Redhills Durham Miners Hall

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Flass Street, Durham

    Fly away on a magical journey with The Snowman…
    After the snow settles on a cold winter’s day, a little boy builds a Snowman. Later that night, under the glittering stars, the Snowman comes to life! Together they fly through the night sky on a…

    Dates

    From:
    6 Dec 2026Open 15:00 - 16:30
    More info for The Snowman with Live Brass Band - Redhills Durham Miners Hall
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