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You are here > Home > What's On > Summer Highlights

Summer Highlights

From festivals and fetes to vintage vehicles and open air theatre, enjoy a packed summer of fun in Durham with events to enthral and excite the whole family.

Embrace the warmth and vibrancy of summer in Durham with our curated guide to seasonal highlights. Discover a plethora of events, from lively festivals and outdoor performances to family-friendly activities and cultural showcases. Immerse yourself in the richness of summer arts, enjoy open-air concerts, and savor culinary delights at seasonal workshops. Whether it's nature excursions or festive celebrations, Durham's summer highlights offer a diverse array of experiences for all. Stay connected with the latest happenings and make the most of your summer in Durham, where every moment becomes a highlight.

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  1. Photograph of two women engaging in a craft activity at a table filled with art supplies, including paper flowers, beads, and paintbrushes.

    Add Volunteering Open Day - The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Volunteering Open Day - The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Talks

    Barnard Castle

    Find out more about volunteering at The Bowes Museum.

    Dates

    From:
    2 June 2026Open 10:00 - 15:00
    More info for Volunteering Open Day - The Bowes Museum
  2. Elvana frontman in swimming pool.

    Add ELVANA "Viva Brass Vegas" with Oompah Brass XXL to your Itinerary

    ELVANA "Viva Brass Vegas" with Oompah Brass XXL

    Type

    Type:

    Music Event

    Durham City

    Blending the swagger of rockabilly with the raw punch of grunge, ELVANA rips through Nirvana's catalogue while smashing it together with the finest moments of Elvis Presley's legacy.

    Dates

    From:
    12 July 2026Open 19:30 -
    More info for ELVANA "Viva Brass Vegas" with Oompah Brass XXL
  3. Johns' Boys Welsh Male Voice Choir 10th Anniversary Tour

    Add Johns' Boys Welsh Male Voice Choir - Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    Johns' Boys Welsh Male Voice Choir - Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    Durham

    Join us for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate a decade of musical excellence. Johns’ Boys Welsh Male Voice Choir has redefined the male voice tradition with breathtaking interpretations of chart hits, opera classics, musical theatre…

    Dates

    From:
    14 Nov 2026Open 19:30 - 21:30
    More info for Johns' Boys Welsh Male Voice Choir - Durham Cathedral
  4. 1900s Pit Village band hall

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

    Beamish Folk - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Music Event

    Beamish

    Beamish Folk is a new folk music session taking place on the second Sunday of each month in our 1900s Pit Village band hall, 11.30am-1.30pm.

    Dates

    From:
    14 June 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    From:
    12 July 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    From:
    9 Aug 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    From:
    13 Sept 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    From:
    11 Oct 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    From:
    8 Nov 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    From:
    13 Dec 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    More info for Beamish Folk - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  5. View of the Palace Museum in the 1920s and 2025; Photos: © The Palace Museum; Image designed by Ziyu Zhou

    Add Journey of a Century: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum - Durham University Oriental Museum to your Itinerary

    Journey of a Century: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum - Durham University Oriental Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Durham City

    Jointly organised by the Palace Museum and the Oriental Museum.

    Dates

    From:
    26 Sept 2025to31 May 2026
    More info for Journey of a Century: From the Forbidden City to the Palace Museum - Durham University Oriental Museum
  6. Opulence at Lumley Castle Hotel

    Add Opulence at Lumley Castle Hotel to your Itinerary

    Opulence at Lumley Castle Hotel

    Type

    Type:

    Music Event

    Chester-Le-Street

    Lumley Castle Hotel at Chester-le-Street, County Durham, will be the backdrop for Opulence, running on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 September.

    While the big-name performers are not being unveiled until later this month, organisers have promised it will…

    Dates

    From:
    4 Sept 2026to5 Sept 2026
    More info for Opulence at Lumley Castle Hotel
  7. A fairground on the street.

    Add Sacriston Party in the Park to your Itinerary

    Sacriston Party in the Park

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Sacriston

    Free community fun day including fairground rides, inflatables, climbing wall, face-painting & much more!

    Dates

    From:
    6 June 2026Open 11:00 - 15:00
    More info for Sacriston Party in the Park
  8. Audience enjoying Open Air Theatre at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens

    Add Open Air Theatre – The Three Inch Fools – King Arthur and the Holy Fail to your Itinerary

    Open Air Theatre – The Three Inch Fools – King Arthur and the Holy Fail

    Type

    Type:

    Outdoor Cinema and Theatre

    Staindrop

    Join us for a magical evening as we welcome back the brilliant Three Inch Fools to present an epic tale of Arthurian adventure and medieval mayhem, in the atmospheric setting of Raby Castle's open-air theatre.

    Dates

    From:
    26 June 2026Open 19:00 - 21:00
    More info for Open Air Theatre – The Three Inch Fools – King Arthur and the Holy Fail
  9. Audience enjoying Adventure cinema on a sunny day at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens.

    Add Adventure Cinema – Mamma Mia! ExtrABBAganza - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Adventure Cinema – Mamma Mia! ExtrABBAganza - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Outdoor Cinema and Theatre

    Staindrop

    Mamma Mia! ExtrABBAganza Outdoor Cinema at Raby Castle

    Dates

    From:
    11 July 2026Open 18:00 - 22:00
    More info for Adventure Cinema – Mamma Mia! ExtrABBAganza - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens
  10. Trains at Locomotion

    Add Yesterbus Classic Bus Gathering at Locomotion to your Itinerary

    Yesterbus Classic Bus Gathering at Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Shildon

    Featuring a display of classic buses from across the region.

    Dates

    From:
    21 June 2026
    More info for Yesterbus Classic Bus Gathering at Locomotion
  11. Illustration of three of the Tyrones gathering in the family home on the coast of New England.

    Add Long Day’s Journey into Night (10+) - The Witham to your Itinerary

    Long Day’s Journey into Night (10+) - The Witham

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Barnard Castle

    Elysium Theatre Company presents LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT by Eugene O’Neill.

    Dates

    From:
    26 May 2026Open 19:00 -
    More info for Long Day’s Journey into Night (10+) - The Witham
  12. DreamWorks Shrek The Musical logo

    Add Shrek The Musical to your Itinerary

    Shrek The Musical

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Chester-le-Street

    Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is an award-winning fairy tale adventure.

    Dates

    From:
    10 June 2026to13 June 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Shrek The Musical
  13. Ushaw Classic Car & Bike Show

    Add Ushaw Classic Car & Bike Show to your Itinerary

    Ushaw Classic Car & Bike Show

    Type

    Type:

    Heritage

    Durham

    The Ushaw Classic Car & Bike Show returns on Saturday 23 May 2026, bringing a stunning display of vintage, classic, and modern classics to the historic grounds of Ushaw.

    Dates

    From:
    23 May 2026
    More info for Ushaw Classic Car & Bike Show
  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. Digital image of woman sitting cross-legged meditating with text saying 'Meditation Classes everyone welcome Durham Darlington and Middlesbrough'.

    Add Meditation Classes - The Dunelm Club to your Itinerary

    Meditation Classes - The Dunelm Club

    Type

    Type:

    Workshop

    Durham

    Wednesdays 7 - 8:15pm. These introductory classes begin with a simple guided meditation to reduce stress, tension and distractions. This is followed by a short teaching on how to apply Buddhist principles to daily life, followed by a second…

    Dates

    From:
    3 June 2026Open 19:00 - 20:15
    From:
    24 June 2026Open 19:00 - 20:15
    From:
    1 July 2026Open 19:00 - 20:15
    From:
    8 July 2026Open 19:00 - 20:15
    From:
    15 July 2026Open 19:00 - 20:15
    From:
    22 July 2026Open 19:00 - 20:15
    More info for Meditation Classes - The Dunelm Club
  16. Mark Watson leaning against a wall

    Add Mark Watson "Before It Overtakes Us" - The Witham to your Itinerary

    Mark Watson "Before It Overtakes Us" - The Witham

    Type

    Type:

    Comedy

    Barnard Castle

    20 years in stand-up for the 'Taskmaster' cheeky texts icon, multi-award-winner.

    Dates

    From:
    12 June 2026Open 19:30 - 21:30
    More info for Mark Watson "Before It Overtakes Us" - The Witham
  17. The Hound of The Baskervilles 22nd - 28th November 2026.

    Add The Hound of the Baskervilles - The City Theatre to your Itinerary

    The Hound of the Baskervilles - The City Theatre

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Back Silver Street, Durham

    A reduced cast production of this classic tale.

    Dates

    From:
    22 Nov 2026Open 14:30 -
    From:
    23 Nov 2026to27 Nov 2026Open 19:30 -
    From:
    28 Nov 2026Open 14:30 -
    More info for The Hound of the Baskervilles - The City Theatre
  18. Crook Hall

    North East Festival of Blossom 2026: Art and photography student exhibition

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Durham,

    Students from the University of Sunderland’s Art and Photography departments have worked with us to create an immersive response to blossom in and around Crook Hall Gardens.

    Dates

    From:
    19 May 2026to12 June 2026
    More info for North East Festival of Blossom 2026: Art and photography student exhibition
  19. Colourful houses lining a canal with small boats and reflections in the water in Burano, Venice, Italy

    Add Evening Language Courses - The Centre for Foreign Language Study to your Itinerary

    Evening Language Courses - The Centre for Foreign Language Study

    Type

    Type:

    Lecture

    Elvet Riverside, New Elvet

    Yearly, October – April: The Centre for Foreign Language Study at Durham University offers evening language courses which are open to all. Languages available include Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian,…

    Dates

    From:
    27 Apr 2026to26 June 2026
    From:
    12 Oct 2026to11 Dec 2026
    From:
    18 Jan 2027to19 Mar 2027
    More info for Evening Language Courses - The Centre for Foreign Language Study
  20. Two staff perched on Victorian steam locomotive ‘Sir Berkeley’.

    Add Festival of Transport 2026 - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North to your Itinerary

    Festival of Transport 2026 - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Beamish

    Join us for a Festival of Transport as part of May Half Term!

    Dates

    From:
    23 May 2026to31 May 2026
    More info for Festival of Transport 2026 - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
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