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You are here > Home > What's On > Festivals

Festivals

Experience the vibrant spirit of Durham with our curated guide to festivals.

From cultural celebrations and music extravaganzas to arts and crafts showcases, Durham's festival scene offers a diverse array of events for every interest. Immerse yourself in the joy of community gatherings, indulge in culinary delights at food festivals, and enjoy the lively atmosphere of local celebrations. Stay updated on the latest festival happenings, and discover the rich tapestry of events that make Durham a festival destination like no other.

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Number of results: 41

, currently showing 21 to 40.

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  1. The Orionid Meteor Shower

    Add The Orionid Meteor Shower - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    The Orionid Meteor Shower - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    nr Mickleton

    Halleys Comet! The most famous interloper of them all is the parent comet of the Orionid meteor shower.

    Dates

    From:
    22 Oct 2025Open 20:00 -
    More info for The Orionid Meteor Shower - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  2. Star trails at Grassholme Observatory.

    Add Astronomy and Stargazing - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Astronomy and Stargazing - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    nr Mickleton

    Have you ever looked up at the night-time sky and wondered why you can’t see anything other than stars? There are four chances to book onto this event during the North Pennines Stargazing Festival: Wednesday 29 and Friday 31 October; and Saturday 1…

    Dates

    From:
    29 Oct 2025Open 20:00 - 23:00
    From:
    31 Oct 2025Open 20:00 - 23:00
    From:
    1 Nov 2025to2 Nov 2025Open 20:00 - 23:00
    More info for Astronomy and Stargazing - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  3. Durham Cathedral Liquid Geometry Javier Riera. Lumiere 2023 produced by Artichoke. Photo by Matthew Andrews

    Add Lumiere Durham to your Itinerary

    Lumiere Durham

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    The UK’s light art biennial. The hugely popular event will take place over three evenings this autumn, from Thursday to Saturday, 13th -15th November.

    Dates

    From:
    13 Nov 2025to15 Nov 2025
    More info for Lumiere Durham
  4. Colourful print of Locomotion No.1 travelling over a railway bridge

    S&DR200 - Anniversary Journey 1825-2025: Shildon, Darlington and Stockton

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    County Durham

    The festival is unveiling a week of unmissable spectacles that will celebrate the region and its historic legacy.

    Dates

    From:
    26 Sept 2025to28 Sept 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - Anniversary Journey 1825-2025: Shildon, Darlington and Stockton
  5. outer space galaxy

    North Pennines Stargazing Festival 2025

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    The North Pennines Stargazing Festival is returning for 2025 – running for a week between Friday 24 October and Sunday 2 November.

    Dates

    From:
    24 Oct 2025to2 Nov 2025
    More info for North Pennines Stargazing Festival 2025
  6. Outdoor seating, fire pit, picnic hamper, a starry dark sky

    Add Stargazing at the Lord Crewe - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Stargazing at the Lord Crewe - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    Blanchland

    ​​​​​​Are we alone in the universe? This question has fascinated humans for a long time, and it has regularly come up as a conversation topic on previous stargazing events at The Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland.

    Dates

    From:
    24 Oct 2025Open 19:00 - 22:00
    More info for Stargazing at the Lord Crewe - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  7. Black and white images of buildings, poster reads, 'South West Durham Heritage Festival'.

    South West Durham Heritage Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Aycliffe Town Centre,

    Baccanalia is excited to announce the launch of the brand new South West Durham Heritage Festival, taking place this September and October across Spennymoor, Bishop Auckland, and Aycliffe.

    Dates

    From:
    27 Sept 2025Open 10:00 - 15:00
    From:
    3 Oct 2025Open 15:00 - 20:00
    More info for South West Durham Heritage Festival
  8. S&DR 200 logo

    S&DR200 Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    The 27 September 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), which gave birth to the modern railway. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, the nine-month S&DR200 Festival will take place across…

    Dates

    From:
    1 Mar 2025to30 Nov 2025
    More info for S&DR200 Festival
  9. Locomotive outside of Locomotion's Collection Building

    Add S&DR200 - Rail Futures at Locomotion to your Itinerary

    S&DR200 - Rail Futures at Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Shildon

    A chance to visit a mobile exhibition train that looks at the railway and freight industry, showcasing how rail transport can help address future challenges.

    Dates

    From:
    18 Sept 2025to1 Oct 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - Rail Futures at Locomotion
  10. The Story at Mount Oswald

    Add S&DR200 - All Change to your Itinerary

    S&DR200 - All Change

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    South Road, Durham City

    Through authentic voices from letters, diaries, court papers, and other day-to-day records from their collections, The Story will uncover the impact of the Stockton & Darlington Railway on the socio-economic fabric of the region.  

    Dates

    From:
    25 May 2025to26 Jan 2026
    More info for S&DR200 - All Change
  11. Close up image of a steam engine funnel/chimney

    S&DR200 - Ghost Train

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Darlington and Stockton

    The S&DR200 Festival’s epic outdoor event ‘Ghost Train’ will steam through Darlington and Stockton this September. This two-part outdoor performance, created and produced by Avanti Display Ltd and Walk the Plank, is part of the regional celebrations…

    Dates

    From:
    20 Sept 2025
    From:
    28 Sept 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - Ghost Train
  12. A starry sky over High Force Waterfall.  Photo by Gary Lintern

    Add Family Stargazing at High Force - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Family Stargazing at High Force - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    Forest In Teesdale

    Discover the Magic of the Night Sky — Together.

    Dates

    From:
    29 Oct 2025to30 Oct 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for Family Stargazing at High Force - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  13. Preston Park Museum and Grounds

    Add S&DR200: Tracks of Change to your Itinerary

    S&DR200: Tracks of Change

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Stockton on Tees

    Following a major redevelopment, Preston Park will open its new exhibition space with Tracks of Change, a series of exhibitions exploring the impact and legacy of the Stockton & Darlington Railway. 

    Dates

    From:
    1 June 2025to30 Sept 2025
    More info for S&DR200: Tracks of Change
  14. Durham Book Festival 2025 logo

    Durham Book Festival 2025

    Type

    Type:

    Durham Book Festival

    Durham

    Durham Book Festival is one of the country’s oldest literary festivals, taking place in and around Durham City, returning this year on 10th to 12th October.

    Dates

    From:
    10 Oct 2025to12 Oct 2025
    More info for Durham Book Festival 2025
  15. The Milky Way, photograph by AstroVentures

    Add Dark Sky Stargazing - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Dark Sky Stargazing - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    Old School House, Allenheads

    ​​​​​​Step beneath one of the darkest night skies in England and witness the Milky Way in all its glory. From the Allenheads Observatory at ACA, located in one of the darkest skies in the country, you will discover a stargazer’s paradise where the…

    Dates

    From:
    26 Oct 2025Open 20:00 - 22:00
    More info for Dark Sky Stargazing - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  16. A selection of vegetables on a red and white chequered table decorated with colourful bunting and flowers.

    Add Harvest Festival at Auckland Palace & Gardens to your Itinerary

    Harvest Festival at Auckland Palace & Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Bishop Auckland

    Celebrate the season in style at Bishop Auckland’s very own Harvest Festival - a joyful weekend built around the traditional Horticultural & Produce Show in the stunning grounds of Auckland Palace.

    Dates

    From:
    27 Sept 2025to28 Sept 2025Open 11:00 - 16:00
    More info for Harvest Festival at Auckland Palace & Gardens
  17. People looking at the exhibition display stand at Locomotion

    Add S&DR200 - Railway Firsts at Locomotion to your Itinerary

    S&DR200 - Railway Firsts at Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Shildon

    Home to one of largest collections of historic rail vehicles in the world, Locomotion is pulling out all the stops to commemorate S&DR200.

    Dates

    From:
    15 Feb 2025to31 Dec 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - Railway Firsts at Locomotion
  18. S&DR Fringe logo

    S&DR200 - Festival Fringe

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    The Fringe Festival will include events created by community organisations, local businesses and heritage partners.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Mar 2025to30 Nov 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - Festival Fringe
  19. Rookhope Arch on a starry night, photograph by Cain Scrimgeour

    Add Introduction to Astrophotography - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Introduction to Astrophotography - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    Carrshield

    If you have ever wanted to capture the wonders of the night sky but don’t know where to start – this is the event for you. Join Martin Kitching for an engaging talk and workshop at Carrshield Village Hall, on Monday 27 October, 7pm to 9pm.

    Dates

    From:
    27 Oct 2025Open 19:00 - 21:00
    More info for Introduction to Astrophotography - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  20. A woman and boy sitting at a table eating pie, chips and peas

    Add Pies and Skies - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Pies and Skies - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Stargazing Events

    Nenthead

    ​​​​​​Join Richard Darn at the Hive for this mash-up event on Saturday 1 November, 7pm to 10pm, combining a pie and peas supper and a fascinating talk on dark skies in the North Pennines – and why you should love them.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Nov 2025Open 19:00 - 22:00
    More info for Pies and Skies - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
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