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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. An audience watching outdoor cinema at Raby Castle

    Add Adventure Cinema at Raby Castle to your Itinerary

    Adventure Cinema at Raby Castle

    Type

    Type:

    Film

    Staindrop

    Outdoor cinema at Raby Castle.

    Dates

    From:
    18 July 2025Open 19:30 -
    From:
    19 July 2025Open 18:30 -
    From:
    20 July 2025Open 13:30 -
    From:
    20 July 2025Open 19:30 -
    More info for Adventure Cinema at Raby Castle
  2. Locomotive outside of Locomotion's Collection Building

    Add S&DR200 - Summer Festival at Locomotion to your Itinerary

    S&DR200 - Summer Festival at Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Shildon

    Head down to Locomotion for a summer of fun.

    Dates

    From:
    19 July 2025to31 Aug 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - Summer Festival at Locomotion
  3. The Tyne Valley Big Band

    Add Durham Brass Festival: BATH Tea Dance featuring Tyne Valley Big Band to your Itinerary

    Durham Brass Festival: BATH Tea Dance featuring Tyne Valley Big Band

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Bishop Auckland

    Dance the afternoon away at this traditional social gathering with live music from the fantastic Tyne Valley Big Band, led by musical director Dave Hignett and accompanied by the fabulous vocals of Barbara Hignett. 

    Dates

    From:
    13 July 2025Open 14:00 -
    More info for Durham Brass Festival: BATH Tea Dance featuring Tyne Valley Big Band
  4. Two women and three children walking around the lake at Hardwick Park

    Add Hardwick Conservation Champions 2025 to your Itinerary

    Hardwick Conservation Champions 2025

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Sedgefield

    Become a Durham Countryside Conservation Champion this Summer through our park experience.

    Dates

    From:
    4 Aug 2025to8 Aug 2025Open 09:00 - 16:00
    More info for Hardwick Conservation Champions 2025
  5. Lottery balls, text reads, 'Lucky Numbers', by Mike Yeaman (comedy)

    Add Lucky Numbers by Mike Yeaman (Comedy) to your Itinerary

    Lucky Numbers by Mike Yeaman (Comedy)

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Fowlers Yard, Durham

    Does winning the Lottery bring the family together …….. they'd know if they could find it!

    Dates

    From:
    23 Nov 2025Open 14:30 -
    From:
    24 Nov 2025to28 Nov 2025Open 19:30 -
    From:
    29 Nov 2025Open 14:30 -
    More info for Lucky Numbers by Mike Yeaman (Comedy)
  6. Crowds of people watching a performance at the Hardwick Festival

    Add Hardwick Festival 2025 to your Itinerary

    Hardwick Festival 2025

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Sedgefield

    Hardwick Festival returns 15th to 17th August. The 2025 line-up will be revealed soon.

    Dates

    From:
    15 Aug 2025to17 Aug 2025
    More info for Hardwick Festival 2025
  7. Close up of Tom Bolton holding a suit of aces which cover one side of his face.

    Add Durham Fringe Festival: Tom Bolton & Friends to your Itinerary

    Durham Fringe Festival: Tom Bolton & Friends

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham City

    Tom Bolton is back, and this time, he’s not coming alone. He’s bringing some of the most exciting names in magic from outside and within Durham Fringe for a night of mind-blowing illusions!

    Dates

    From:
    23 July 2025to27 July 2025Open 17:30 -
    More info for Durham Fringe Festival: Tom Bolton & Friends
  8. Idyllic views of Ramside Golf Course

    Add Senior Mens Team of 4 Open - Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa to your Itinerary

    Senior Mens Team of 4 Open - Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa

    Type

    Type:

    Golf Events

    Durham

    Senior Mens Team of 4 Open.

    Dates

    From:
    3 Sept 2025
    More info for Senior Mens Team of 4 Open - Ramside Hall Hotel, Golf and Spa
  9. Stalls at Sedgefield Farmers Market on the village green

    Add Sedgefield Farmers Market to your Itinerary

    Sedgefield Farmers Market

    Type

    Type:

    Markets

    Sedgefield

    The market is run by Sedgefield Development Trust - and is held every first Sunday of the Month, on the village green, from 8.30am to 12.30pm - and includes a free community stall, music tent & health bus.

    The free stall is available to clubs and…

    Dates

    From:
    1 Jan 2025to31 Dec 2025
    More info for Sedgefield Farmers Market
  10. coloured painting of the Manor House in the snow with a Christmas Tree in cartoon style

    Add Mistletoe, Misery & Murder - Murder Mystery to your Itinerary

    Mistletoe, Misery & Murder - Murder Mystery

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    West Auckland

    Step into the glitz and glam of the Roaring Twenties for a festive night of flappers, fedoras, and foul play.

    Dates

    From:
    28 Nov 2025Open 19:00 - 23:45
    More info for Mistletoe, Misery & Murder - Murder Mystery
  11. Phil Green writing in a notebook, wearing a suit (top half) minus trousers.

    Add Durham Fringe Festival - Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others to your Itinerary

    Durham Fringe Festival - Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others

    Type

    Type:

    Comedy

    Durham

    After a chance meeting at a failed Big Brother audition changed his life and the lives of others, Phil now brings us a show to save all men from a mental health crisis (well, maybe not all men). As heard on BBC Radio 4.

    Dates

    From:
    26 July 2025Open 19:30 -
    More info for Durham Fringe Festival - Phil Green: A Broken Man’s Guide to Fixing Others
  12. The Prince Bishop River Cruiser sailing on the River Wear in Durham City with the Cathedral in the background

    Add Durham Brass Festival: BRASS Boat Cruises Diddy Sweg to your Itinerary

    Durham Brass Festival: BRASS Boat Cruises Diddy Sweg

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham City

    This year, Brass Festival will take over the streets…and the water too! Cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with our fantastic street bands onboard.

    Dates

    From:
    19 July 2025Open 14:00 -
    More info for Durham Brass Festival: BRASS Boat Cruises Diddy Sweg
  13. poster promoting free family fun day in Peterlee

    Add Free Family Summer Fun Day to your Itinerary

    Free Family Summer Fun Day

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Helford Road, Peterlee

    Looking for something exciting to do with the kids this summer? Peterlee Town Council is bringing you free  Family Fun Days packed with entertainment, activities, and summer vibes!

    Dates

    From:
    4 Aug 2025Open 10:30 - 15:30
    More info for Free Family Summer Fun Day
  14. Boyzlife - Keith Duffy & Brian McFadden

    Add Boyzlife Live in Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    Boyzlife Live in Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    The College, Durham

    Keith Duffy & Brian McFadden will be performing the greatest hits from Boyzone & Westlife live in Durham Cathedral with their full band in October.

    Dates

    From:
    25 Oct 2025Open 19:00 -
    More info for Boyzlife Live in Durham Cathedral
  15. A woman wearing a colourful embroidered jacket smiles as she looks into a glass display case filled with vintage bottles and framed items in a museum

    Add The Curator Series: Redressing the Balance - The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    The Curator Series: Redressing the Balance - The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Lecture

    Barnard Castle

    A thought-provoking talk exploring feminist and queer perspectives, social justice and radical ecology. Eleanor Thirlway, Co-Production Curator will discuss why it's crucial to rethink the stories we tell in museums, challenging dominant narratives…

    Dates

    From:
    7 Aug 2025Open 14:30 - 15:30
    More info for The Curator Series: Redressing the Balance - The Bowes Museum
  16. Sherlock Holmes reading a newspaper through a magnifying glass

    Add Durham Fringe Festival: Sherlock Holmes the Last Act to your Itinerary

    Durham Fringe Festival: Sherlock Holmes the Last Act

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Durham

    The year is 1916. Drawn from two years of Sussex retirement for the funeral of his friend, Dr Watson, Holmes returns to Baker Street to resolve ‘the last act’ of his epic career.

    Dates

    From:
    24 July 2025to26 July 2025Open 18:15 -
    More info for Durham Fringe Festival: Sherlock Holmes the Last Act
  17. A person dressed in Shakespearean clothing, holding up a moustache on a stick in front of their face. Poster, 'Shakespeare in Love'.

    Add Shakespeare in Love - TCR The HUB to your Itinerary

    Shakespeare in Love - TCR The HUB

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Barnard Castle

    The Castle Players invite you to experience a heartwarming tale of love, theatre, and passion!

    Dates

    From:
    4 July 2025Open 18:00 - 21:30
    More info for Shakespeare in Love - TCR The HUB
  18. 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
  19. A bus made from Meccano

    Add Meccano Exhibition 2025 to your Itinerary

    Meccano Exhibition 2025

    Type

    Type:

    Show / Display

    Beamish

    See the North Eastern Meccano Society display at Beamish.

    Dates

    From:
    12 July 2025to13 July 2025
    More info for Meccano Exhibition 2025
  20. Crowds enjoying food at Chester-le-EATS. Image credit: Gareth Williams Photo & Film

    Add Chester-le-EATS 2025 to your Itinerary

    Chester-le-EATS 2025

    Type

    Type:

    Food & Drink Festival

    Chester le Street

    Chester-le-EATS Festival Returns to Durham Cricket With An Exciting New Line-Up

    Dates

    From:
    27 Sept 2025to28 Sept 2025Open 11:00 - 17:00
    More info for Chester-le-EATS 2025
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