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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. 4 Roman Germanic mercenaries in battle

    Add Roman Army Weekend to your Itinerary

    Roman Army Weekend

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Bishop Auckland

    The Roman Army returns to Binchester Roman Fort to do battle against the enemy! Come and see demonstrations of archery, slingstaffs and the firing of the artillery catapult; the ballista.

    Dates

    From:
    24 Aug 2025to25 Aug 2025Open 10:00 - 16:30
    More info for Roman Army Weekend
  2. Sunset over Raby Castle, view from the lake

    Add Summer Lates - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Summer Lates - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Summer Event

    Staindrop

    Join us for a relaxed Summer Late. Amble in the stunning remodelled walled gardens, enjoy a bite to eat or a glass of wine in the beautiful Vinery and why not treat yourself to something from the stunning Coach House Shop.  A wonderful evening…

    Dates

    From:
    26 July 2025to16 Aug 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for Summer Lates - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens
  3. Crook Hall gardens

    Add Crook Hall Gardens Poetry Walk to your Itinerary

    Crook Hall Gardens Poetry Walk

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham City

    From summer sonnets to autumn anthologies, wintery works to springtime stanzas, experience a seasonal poetry walk at Crook Hall Gardens.

    Dates

    From:
    14 Sept 2025to15 Sept 2025Open 13:00 - 13:50
    From:
    6 Dec 2025Open 13:00 - 13:50
    More info for Crook Hall Gardens Poetry Walk
  4. Families enjoying the facilities at Wharton Park

    Add Summer Brass Concerts at Wharton Park to your Itinerary

    Summer Brass Concerts at Wharton Park

    Type

    Type:

    Music Event

    Durham City

    We look forward to welcoming a selection of local colliery brass bands who will bring music to the ears of our visitors.

    Dates

    From:
    17 Aug 2025Open 13:00 - 15:00
    From:
    31 Aug 2025Open 13:00 - 15:00
    More info for Summer Brass Concerts at Wharton Park
  5. A willow reindeer

    Add Festive Willow Reindeer Workshop at Raby Castle to your Itinerary

    Festive Willow Reindeer Workshop at Raby Castle

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Staindrop

    Join our Festive Willow Reindeer Workshop, hosted in the beautifully restored Riding School at Raby Castle.

    Venue

    Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, Staindrop

    Dates

    From:
    6 Dec 2025Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Festive Willow Reindeer Workshop at Raby Castle
  6. Collabro: The Harmonies Tour. Poster shows half of the faces of four members of the group

    Add Collabro: The Harmonies Tour - Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    Collabro: The Harmonies Tour - Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    The College, Durham

    To celebrate their famous harmonies, the boys are touring the UK's most beautiful cathedrals for stunning, intimate, piano-led concerts.

    Dates

    From:
    26 Feb 2026Open 19:30 -
    More info for Collabro: The Harmonies Tour - Durham Cathedral
  7. Children in Hamsterley Forest searching for stick characters on The Stickman Man Trail. Credit Forestry England Crown Copyright

    Add The Stick Man Trail at Hamsterley Forest to your Itinerary

    The Stick Man Trail at Hamsterley Forest

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland

    Families can join a new forest adventure as the much-loved character Stick Man, based on the beautiful picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, returns to Forestry England Hamsterley.

    Dates

    From:
    12 Feb 2025to31 Jan 2026
    More info for The Stick Man Trail at Hamsterley Forest
  8. A Japanese Noh theatre mask

    Add Family Activities: Mask Making Workshop - Durham University Oriental Museum to your Itinerary

    Family Activities: Mask Making Workshop - Durham University Oriental Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Durham City

    Check out our new Telling Tales exhibition and make your own theatre-style mask.

    Dates

    From:
    23 Aug 2025Open 13:00 - 15:00
    More info for Family Activities: Mask Making Workshop - Durham University Oriental Museum
  9. Illustration of Prince Rupert of The Rhine, Mark Turnbull book cover.

    Add Mark Turnbull 'Prince Rupert - The Cavalier and His Conflicts' - Bishop Auckland Library to your Itinerary

    Mark Turnbull 'Prince Rupert - The Cavalier and His Conflicts' - Bishop Auckland Library

    Type

    Type:

    Talks

    Bishop Auckland

    Prince Rupert of The Rhine (nephew to King Charles I) was both the archetypal royalist hero and parliamentarian villain. He was the dashing cavalier; handsome, courageous and determined. But he also had at least 11 derogatory pseudonyms, coined by…

    Dates

    From:
    13 Sept 2025Open 11:00 -
    More info for Mark Turnbull 'Prince Rupert - The Cavalier and His Conflicts' - Bishop Auckland Library
  10. Exterior view of Escomb Saxon Church

    Add Heritage Open Days - Escomb Saxon Church to your Itinerary

    Heritage Open Days - Escomb Saxon Church

    Type

    Type:

    Heritage Open Days

    Escomb, Bishop Auckland

    Have a guided tour of this ancient, Anglo-Saxon Church, built in the 7th century, and learn about its history and heritage.

    Dates

    From:
    20 Sept 2025Open 13:00 - 17:00
    More info for Heritage Open Days - Escomb Saxon Church
  11. Nick Helm

    Add Nick Helm No One Gets Out Alive to your Itinerary

    Nick Helm No One Gets Out Alive

    Type

    Type:

    Comedy

    Barnard Castle

    Well don't worry, the man with the golden larynx is back – and he's aiming high.

    Dates

    From:
    10 Oct 2025Open 19:30 - 21:30
    More info for Nick Helm No One Gets Out Alive
  12. Statue of St Godric

    Add Heritage Open Days - Church of our Lady of Mercy and St. Godric to your Itinerary

    Heritage Open Days - Church of our Lady of Mercy and St. Godric

    Type

    Type:

    Heritage Open Days

    Durham City

    Between the train and the bus stations, a landmark in the Durham City Conservation Area, St. Godric's Grade II listed church was designed by Edward Pugin. Opened in 1864 it has beautiful examples of Victorian stained glass and a fine high altar.

    Dates

    From:
    12 Sept 2025to13 Sept 2025Open 11:00 - 17:00
    From:
    19 Sept 2025to20 Sept 2025Open 11:00 - 17:00
    More info for Heritage Open Days - Church of our Lady of Mercy and St. Godric
  13. Illustration of faceless person - Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaidan book of Japanese ghost stories

    Add Lafcadio Hearn – Kwaidan at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Lafcadio Hearn – Kwaidan at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Durham

    This Autumn at Ushaw, see a touring exhibition of prints inspired by the writing of Lafcadio Hearn’s Kwaidan book of Japanese ghost stories. Perfect for spooky season!

    Dates

    From:
    6 Sept 2025to2 Nov 2025
    More info for Lafcadio Hearn – Kwaidan at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens
  14. Large Christmas Tree at Raby Castle

    Add Raby Castle at Christmas to your Itinerary

    Raby Castle at Christmas

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Staindrop

    Step back in time to experience a traditional family Christmas at Raby Castle.

    Venue

    Raby Castle, Park and Gardens, Staindrop

    Dates

    From:
    22 Nov 2025to23 Nov 2025
    From:
    28 Nov 2025to30 Nov 2025
    From:
    3 Dec 2025to7 Dec 2025
    From:
    10 Dec 2025to12 Dec 2025
    From:
    14 Dec 2025
    From:
    17 Dec 2025to24 Dec 2025
    From:
    29 Dec 2025to31 Dec 2025
    From:
    2 Jan 2026to4 Jan 2026
    More info for Raby Castle at Christmas
  15. A woman looking at a car crash, on a desolate rural road.

    Add Alys Always by Lucinda Cox (Psychological Drama) to your Itinerary

    Alys Always by Lucinda Cox (Psychological Drama)

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Fowlers Yard, Durham

    After helping at the scene of a fatal accident, Frances finds her life changed.

    Dates

    From:
    21 Sept 2025Open 14:30 -
    From:
    22 Sept 2025to26 Sept 2025Open 19:30 -
    From:
    27 Sept 2025Open 14:30 -
    More info for Alys Always by Lucinda Cox (Psychological Drama)
  16. A performer singing on stilts between rolls of hay at Tweddle Carnival.

    Add Tweddle Carnival - Tweddle Children's Animal Farm to your Itinerary

    Tweddle Carnival - Tweddle Children's Animal Farm

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Blackhall Colliery

    A day of carnival fun for all the family! Take part in all of our activities including: Children's funfair rides (additional charges), face painting, local treat stalls, garden games, a circus workshop & more!

    Dates

    From:
    15 Aug 2025to17 Aug 2025Open 10:00 - 17:00
    More info for Tweddle Carnival - Tweddle Children's Animal Farm
  17. Crook Hall gardens

    Add Crook Hall Gardens Tour: Horticulture to your Itinerary

    Crook Hall Gardens Tour: Horticulture

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham City

    Join our gardening guru volunteers for a tour of Crook Hall Gardens.

    Dates

    From:
    15 Aug 2025Open 11:00 - 15:00
    From:
    22 Aug 2025Open 11:00 - 15:00
    From:
    29 Aug 2025Open 11:00 - 15:00
    More info for Crook Hall Gardens Tour: Horticulture
  18. Joséphine, A Woman of Taste and Fashion

    Add Spotlight Tour - Joséphine, A Woman of Taste and Fashion - The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Spotlight Tour - Joséphine, A Woman of Taste and Fashion - The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Barnard Castle

    Join Rachel Whitworth, Curator of Fashion & Textiles for an insightful introduction to the new Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion exhibition.

    Dates

    From:
    18 Sept 2025Open 11:00 - 11:30
    From:
    23 Oct 2025Open 11:00 - 11:30
    From:
    27 Oct 2025Open 11:00 - 11:30
    From:
    5 Feb 2026Open 11:00 - 11:30
    More info for Spotlight Tour - Joséphine, A Woman of Taste and Fashion - The Bowes Museum
  19. Book related fun at Durham Children's Book Festival. Characters such as the BFG, the Gruffalo and Peter Rabbit with families.

    Add Durham Children's Book Festival to your Itinerary

    Durham Children's Book Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    The Durham Children’s Book Festival is a joyful celebration of reading, creativity, and storytelling, designed to inspire young minds and ignite a lifelong love of books.

    Dates

    From:
    14 Aug 2025to15 Aug 2025Open 09:30 - 16:00
    More info for Durham Children's Book Festival
  20. HST charter at Stanhope Station - Credit Dan Millard

    Add InterCity 125 High Speed Train (HST) at The Weardale Railway to your Itinerary

    InterCity 125 High Speed Train (HST) at The Weardale Railway

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Station Road, Stanhope

    Railway fans and families are in for a treat this summer as the legendary InterCity 125 High Speed Train (HST) makes a rare appearance on the scenic Weardale Railway.

    Venue

    The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland

    Dates

    From:
    17 Aug 2025
    More info for InterCity 125 High Speed Train (HST) at The Weardale Railway
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