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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. Saturday Outdoor Market Vintage Stall

    Add Saturday Outdoor Market to your Itinerary

    Saturday Outdoor Market

    Type

    Type:

    Markets

    Durham

    Every Saturday, the Market Place is transformed by up to 30 small independent traders…it becomes a traditional, bustling, fresh air market and a great shopping experience.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Jan 2025to31 Dec 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for Saturday Outdoor Market
  2. Crook Hall gardens

    Add Active play: Summer of Play at Crook Hall Gardens to your Itinerary

    Active play: Summer of Play at Crook Hall Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham City

    Wacky races and silly faces: try outdoor games and sports at Crook Hall Gardens.

    Dates

    From:
    18 Aug 2025Open 11:30 - 15:00
    More info for Active play: Summer of Play at Crook Hall Gardens
  3. Artwork relating to beasts and legends on display at Palace Green Library. Silhouette of knights and dragons.

    Add Beasts and Legends: Adventures Through North East Folklore to your Itinerary

    Beasts and Legends: Adventures Through North East Folklore

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Durham

    This family friendly exhibition features a selection of artefacts from across the Durham University collections to help tell the stories of local folktales. 

    Dates

    From:
    14 June 2025to2 Nov 2025Open 10:00 - 17:00
    More info for Beasts and Legends: Adventures Through North East Folklore
  4. The Bowes Museum and grounds.

    Add Heritage Open Days at The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Heritage Open Days at The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Heritage Open Days

    Barnard Castle

    Discover the architecture of buildings, fashion, art and landscapes through artist-led workshops, interactive trails and behind-the-scenes access to fascinating collections and archives. A fun, free day out for all with plenty to do and explore.

    Dates

    From:
    13 Sept 2025to14 Sept 2025Open 10:00 - 16:30
    More info for Heritage Open Days at The Bowes Museum
  5. 'We Were At The Sharp End Us' Copyright Narbi Price. Painting of a green field against a black and white landscape.

    Add GOING BACK BROCKENS: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners’ Strike to your Itinerary

    GOING BACK BROCKENS: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners’ Strike

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Bishop Auckland

    Opening on Friday 13 June at The Warehouse in Newgate Centre, Bishop Auckland, GOING BACK BROCKENS: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners’ Strike, is a three-part exhibition across County Durham that sees North East artist Narbi Price and writer…

    Dates

    From:
    22 Aug 2025
    More info for GOING BACK BROCKENS: Monuments and Rhetoric After the Miners’ Strike
  6. 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
  7. Exhibition at the Spanish Gallery - The Auckland Project

    Add Spanish Gallery - Murillo: Master of the Golden Age Exhibition to your Itinerary

    Spanish Gallery - Murillo: Master of the Golden Age Exhibition

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Bishop Auckland

    Step into the splendour of Spain’s Golden Age through the work of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - one of the most celebrated and enduring artists of his time.

    Venue

    The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland

    Dates

    From:
    29 July 2025to31 Dec 2025
    More info for Spanish Gallery - Murillo: Master of the Golden Age Exhibition
  8. A brass band performing in the 1900s Town Bandstand at Beamish Museum with crowds watching.

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

    Brass Bands - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

    Type

    Type:

    Music Event

    Beamish

    Tap your foot along to the sound of brass bands at Beamish Museum, who will be performing tunes in The 1900s Town bandstand from 2pm - 4pm. 

    Dates

    From:
    26 July 2025to7 Sept 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for Brass Bands - Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  9. 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
  10. Sound Bath

    Add Morning Sound Bath and Meditation at Raby Castle to your Itinerary

    Morning Sound Bath and Meditation at Raby Castle

    Type

    Type:

    Wellness Event

    Staindrop

    Experience a profound and restorative Sound Bath & Meditation session under the expert guidance of Stephen, a highly qualified meditation instructor, set within the tranquil and historic surroundings of Raby Castle. This one-hour session offers an…

    Dates

    From:
    12 Oct 2025Open 10:00 -
    From:
    8 Nov 2025Open 10:00 -
    More info for Morning Sound Bath and Meditation at Raby Castle
  11. Auckland Palace and Gardens

    Add British Landscapes in the Bishop Trevor Rooms - Auckland Palace to your Itinerary

    British Landscapes in the Bishop Trevor Rooms - Auckland Palace

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Bishop Auckland

    Explore the birth of British landscape painting through works by 18th-century masters including Gainsborough, Reynolds, Stubbs, and Wilson. Set within the historic apartments of Bishop Trevor, this exhibition charts the rise of a genre that shaped…

    Dates

    From:
    2 July 2025to30 Nov 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for British Landscapes in the Bishop Trevor Rooms - Auckland Palace
  12. stars in sky by High Force Hotel

    Add Stargazing Suppers - High Force Hotel and Waterfall to your Itinerary

    Stargazing Suppers - High Force Hotel and Waterfall

    Type

    Type:

    Dark Skies

    Forest-in-Teesdale

    Discover the magnificence of the night sky with an exciting stargazing experience at the breath-taking High Force Waterfall in County Durham.

    Dates

    From:
    21 Oct 2025to22 Oct 2026
    From:
    24 Oct 2025
    From:
    20 Nov 2025
    From:
    2 Jan 2026to4 Jan 2026
    From:
    12 Feb 2026to15 Feb 2026
    From:
    20 Feb 2026to21 Feb 2026
    From:
    27 Feb 2026to28 Feb 2026
    From:
    13 Mar 2026to14 Mar 2026
    From:
    19 Mar 2026to21 Mar 2026
    From:
    27 Mar 2026to28 Mar 2026
    More info for Stargazing Suppers - High Force Hotel and Waterfall
  13. Artist Dinah Kelly in her studio

    Add Enchanted Objects: Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone to your Itinerary

    Enchanted Objects: Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Durham City

    Contemporary artist Dinah Kelly shines a light on the protective powers and symbolism of charms, talismans and amulets.

    Venue

    Durham University Oriental Museum, Durham City

    Dates

    From:
    13 June 2025to9 Nov 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for Enchanted Objects: Adornment and Personal Protection from Amulets to the Mobile Phone
  14. Child holding a crayon, sitting with other children at Little Dragons.

    Add Little Dragons - Durham University Oriental Museum to your Itinerary

    Little Dragons - Durham University Oriental Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham City

    Join us at the Oriental Museum on Wednesday mornings for Little Dragons, our FREE session for children under 5 and their families/carers. Each session will be packed full of exploring the museum galleries, fun craft activities, singing, games and…

    Dates

    From:
    13 Aug 2025to17 Dec 2025Various Opening Times
    More info for Little Dragons - Durham University Oriental Museum
  15. Pizza and Pizza oven

    Add Saturday's of Alfresco Pizza on The Vinery Terrace to your Itinerary

    Saturday's of Alfresco Pizza on The Vinery Terrace

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Staindrop

    Enjoy delicious seasonal dining this summer on the beautiful Vinery Terrace at Raby Castle. Our pop-up kitchens offer the perfect way to relax and savour fresh, handcrafted pizzas in the stunning castle grounds.

    Dates

    From:
    16 Aug 2025
    From:
    30 Aug 2025
    More info for Saturday's of Alfresco Pizza on The Vinery Terrace
  16. Poster promoting free family fun day in Peterlee. Illustrations of the sun, ice creams, doughnuts and hot dogs.

    Add Free Family Fun Day in Peterlee to your Itinerary

    Free Family Fun Day in Peterlee

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    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:
    27 Aug 2025Open 10:30 - 15:30
    More info for Free Family Fun Day in Peterlee
  17. Sepia image of No. 1 Locomotive Darlington

    S&DR200 - The Whistle Stop

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    This bespoke touring library exhibition will travel round the region and showcases the Stockton and Darlington Railway's history using high-quality reproductions of important artefacts and documents found and brought together from archives across…

    Dates

    From:
    25 Mar 2025to25 Nov 2025
    More info for S&DR200 - The Whistle Stop
  18. A firework display

    Add Festival of Fireworks at Durham Cricket to your Itinerary

    Festival of Fireworks at Durham Cricket

    Type

    Type:

    Bonfire Night

    Chester le Street

    The Festival of Fireworks is back and set to light up the skies over Banks Homes Riverside on Saturday 1st November 2025 in collaboration with Chester-le-Street CC.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Nov 2025Open 19:30 -
    More info for Festival of Fireworks at Durham Cricket
  19. Iguana, macaw, tortoise and Leon holding a reptile.

    Add Exotic Animal Encounters with Leon Exotics - High Farm Holiday Park to your Itinerary

    Exotic Animal Encounters with Leon Exotics - High Farm Holiday Park

    Type

    Type:

    Family Fun

    Bishop Auckland

    Exciting News: Leon's Exotics is Coming to The Paddocks!

    Dates

    From:
    16 Aug 2025Open 11:00 - 12:00
    More info for Exotic Animal Encounters with Leon Exotics - High Farm Holiday Park
  20. RSPB Saltholme Nature Reserve

    Add Guided Walks for Groups - RSPB Saltholme to your Itinerary

    Guided Walks for Groups - RSPB Saltholme

    Type

    Type:

    Guided Walk

    Port Clarence, Middlesbrough

    Want to get more out of your visit to RSPB Saltholme? We offer group guided walks! We can tailor the walk route and topic(s) to suit your group.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Jan 2025to31 Dec 2025
    More info for Guided Walks for Groups - RSPB Saltholme
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