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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. Two misty purple cocktails with berries on top

    Add Halloween Cocktail Masterclass - The Curious Mr Fox to your Itinerary

    Halloween Cocktail Masterclass - The Curious Mr Fox

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Durham

    Join us for a one-off Halloween Cocktail Masterclass from 6-8pm featuring spooky cocktails, mezze boards & certificate

    Dates

    From:
    31 Oct 2026Open 18:00 - 21:00
    More info for Halloween Cocktail Masterclass - The Curious Mr Fox
  2. Singer with a microphone on a stage.

    Add Angeline Morrison - Durham Folk Festival to your Itinerary

    Angeline Morrison - Durham Folk Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Recently hailed as one of MOJO's 'voices taking folk into the future', Angeline Morrison is a singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter whose work combines a deep love of traditional song, a deep respect for the hidden ancestral voices of Old…

    Dates

    From:
    20 Sept 2026Open 17:30 - 18:00
    More info for Angeline Morrison - Durham Folk Festival
  3. Author with their book on a yellow background.

    Add James Marriott: Forged in the North - Durham Book Festival to your Itinerary

    James Marriott: Forged in the North - Durham Book Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Books are dying. Across the world, the number of people reading is in free fall. The golden chain of knowledge linking reader to reader through the centuries is breaking for the first time since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire ushered in…

    Dates

    From:
    10 Oct 2026Open 13:00 - 14:00
    More info for James Marriott: Forged in the North - Durham Book Festival
  4. A group of four people sitting down playing folk instruments, with the text 'Relentless Ceilidh Band' underneath.

    Add Relentless Band, Caller Fee Lock - Durham Folk Festival to your Itinerary

    Relentless Band, Caller Fee Lock - Durham Folk Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Relentless are an energetic ceilidh band blurring the line between traditional and contemporary dance music. With boundless enthusiasm and musical intensity, they drive the dancing with a power that’s bold and utterly infectious.

    Dates

    From:
    19 Sept 2026Open 13:00 - 15:00
    More info for Relentless Band, Caller Fee Lock - Durham Folk Festival
  5. A field of pumpkins

    Add Pumpkin Picking - Tweddle Farm to your Itinerary

    Pumpkin Picking - Tweddle Farm

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Blackhall Colliery, Hartlepool

    Join us at the North East’s most loved Pumpkin Patch! Filled with garden games, face painting, funfair rides, photo opportunities and more! Our patch is bursting with all kinds of shapes, colours & sizes! Choose your favourite to take home and carve.

    Dates

    From:
    10 Oct 2026to11 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 14:30
    From:
    17 Oct 2026to18 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 14:30
    From:
    24 Oct 2026to30 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 14:30
    More info for Pumpkin Picking - Tweddle Farm
  6. Bowie Tribute artists performing on a candlelit stage.

    Add Bowie By Candlelight - Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    Bowie By Candlelight - Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    Durham City

    We are delighted to bring you Bowie by Candlelight, featuring 'David Live' The David Bowie Tribute Show. An incredible night of Bowie anthems including Let's Dance, Starman, Life on Mars, Rebel Rebel and more, performed by candlelight.

    Dates

    From:
    16 Oct 2026Open 19:30 - 22:15
    More info for Bowie By Candlelight - Durham Cathedral
  7. Durham folk festival logo with a purple sanctuary knocker as the 'o', on a light yellow background.

    Add Morris Dance Displays - Durham Folk Festival to your Itinerary

    Morris Dance Displays - Durham Folk Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Morris dance displays in the Market Square, including performances from:

    Dates

    From:
    20 Sept 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Morris Dance Displays - Durham Folk Festival
  8. An adult holding a baby in festive clothes, looking at a light installation of a bear.

    Add AGLOW 2026 - Auckland Palace and Gardens to your Itinerary

    AGLOW 2026 - Auckland Palace and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Bishop Auckland

    Bishop Auckland’s AGLOW light trail is alive!  
    Walk in wonder through one and a half magical miles of light and sound. Imagine a place where an ancient palace overlooks 150 acres of Deer Park that, as the sun sets, comes alive with wonderful lights…

    Dates

    From:
    20 Nov 2026to3 Jan 2027Open 16:30 - 19:30
    More info for AGLOW 2026 - Auckland Palace and Gardens
  9. An ornate marble statue of a hooded figure connected to a church

    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

    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:
    18 Sept 2026to19 Sept 2026Open 11:00 - 17:00
    More info for Heritage Open Days - Church of Our Lady of Mercy and St. Godric
  10. Durham folk festival logo with a purple sanctuary knocker as the 'o', on a light yellow background.

    Add Don't Mourn: Organise - Durham Folk Festival to your Itinerary

    Don't Mourn: Organise - Durham Folk Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Flass Street, Durham

    A live tribute to one of America's most prolific and influential musical troubadours. Joe Hill was an activist, musician and a seminal figure of the Labor Movement. His remarkable life and death have provided inspiration for songs and stories for…

    Dates

    From:
    18 Sept 2026Open 13:00 - 15:00
    More info for Don't Mourn: Organise - Durham Folk Festival
  11. Holly Sterling with her book, Karate Kids, on a yellow background with cartoon books.

    Add Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book Festival to your Itinerary

    Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Join Maya and her friends as they learn to spin, kick and block their way through their karate class, learning new moves and mastering their minds and bodies, with a little help from each other along the way in this fun and exciting story time as…

    Dates

    From:
    10 Oct 2026Open 10:00 - 10:45
    More info for Holly Sterling: Karate Kids Storytime - Durham Book Festival
  12. A telescope silhouetted against a star-filled night sky, with the Milky Way visible in the background.

    Add Saturn - Lord of the Rings - North Pennines Stargazing Festival to your Itinerary

    Saturn - Lord of the Rings - North Pennines Stargazing Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle

    Saturn – the enigmatic ringed beauty is by far most people's favourite – if you haven't looked through a telescope at Saturn then do not miss this opportunity to do so. With its glorious ring system dazzling the observer it is a veritable observing…

    Venue

    Grassholme Observatory, Teesdale

    Dates

    From:
    23 Oct 2026Open 20:00 - 23:00
    From:
    31 Oct 2026Open 20:00 - 23:00
    More info for Saturn - Lord of the Rings - North Pennines Stargazing Festival
  13. People tending to a small rowing boat on a rocky landscape.

    Add Klovharun - Durham Folk Festival to your Itinerary

    Klovharun - Durham Folk Festival

    Type

    Type:

    Festival

    Durham

    Klovharun is the name of the island in Finland where author Tove Jansson and artist Tuulikki Pietilä spent 26 summers. Tove is best known as the beloved creator of The Moomins, but more recently, her personal life has been revealed as a pioneering…

    Dates

    From:
    20 Sept 2026Open 12:00 - 13:00
    More info for Klovharun - Durham Folk Festival
  14. A bearded person, wearing a black and yellow striped top and blue jacket, screaming whilst holding a skull next to their face on a black background.

    Add Ghastly Stories for Gruesome Gremlins - Middleton-in-Teesdale to your Itinerary

    Ghastly Stories for Gruesome Gremlins - Middleton-in-Teesdale

    Type

    Type:

    Halloween

    Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle

    Boggarts, ghosts & things that go burp in the night... Ghastly Stories for Gruesome Gremlins is a silly & spooky storytelling show for ages 6+ and their families from master storyteller, Gav Cross!

    Dates

    From:
    24 Oct 2026Open 13:45 - 15:45
    More info for Ghastly Stories for Gruesome Gremlins - Middleton-in-Teesdale
  15. 2 vibrant fireworks

    Add Fireworks Extravaganza - Hardwick Hall Hotel to your Itinerary

    Fireworks Extravaganza - Hardwick Hall Hotel

    Type

    Type:

    Bonfire Night

    Sedgefield

    Hardwick Hall Hotel present the annual FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA! Experience the annual Fireworks Extravaganza at Hardwick Hall Hotel on Thursday 5th November and Saturday 7th November!

    Dates

    From:
    5 Nov 2026to7 Nov 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Fireworks Extravaganza - Hardwick Hall Hotel
  16. Photograph of a museum or gallery setting where a guide explains exhibits to a group of four visitors.

    Add Bowes Book Club: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney - The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Bowes Book Club: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney - The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Workshop

    Barnard Castle

    Unravel the web of secrets within Rock Paper Scissors, Alice Feeney's psychological thriller about a couple whose anniversary trip to a remote chapel reveals the fragile games people play in relationships.

    Venue

    The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle

    Dates

    From:
    22 Nov 2026Open 14:30 - 15:30
    More info for Bowes Book Club: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney - The Bowes Museum
  17. St Cuthbert's Church, with stained glass windows, commonwealth war graves and exterior view of the church.

    Add St. Cuthbert’s Church - Heritage Open Days to your Itinerary

    St. Cuthbert’s Church - Heritage Open Days

    Type

    Type:

    Heritage Open Days

    High Etherley, Bishop Auckland

    Church is open from 9.30 - 15.30 on Saturday, September 19th. Church guide. Christian artwork on display. Saints trail for children. Nature trail for children. Refreshments available. 

    Dates

    From:
    19 Sept 2026Open 09:30 - 15:30
    More info for St. Cuthbert’s Church - Heritage Open Days
  18. A vintage sewing machine with a Vivienne Westwood bag.

    Add Making Westwood - The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Making Westwood - The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Barnard Castle

    An extended version of the museum’s recent and highly successful exhibition, Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary in the Fashion & Textile Gallery. It honours one of fashion’s most provocative and imaginative British designers,…

    Dates

    From:
    12 Sept 2026to1 Nov 2026
    More info for Making Westwood - The Bowes Museum
  19. The Grand Festive (Party Night). Illustration of bunting and music.

    Add Signature Christmas Party Nights (The Grand Festive) to your Itinerary

    Signature Christmas Party Nights (The Grand Festive)

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Riverside, Chester-le-Street

    Celebrate the festive season at Durham Cricket's Signature Party Nights. Enjoy an arrival drink, festive carvery, dessert and dancing with our resident DJ as part of the magical Christmas Circus 2026. Perfect for friends, family and colleagues…

    Dates

    From:
    4 Dec 2026Open 19:00 - 00:00
    From:
    11 Dec 2026Open 19:00 - 00:00
    From:
    18 Dec 2026Open 19:00 - 00:00
    More info for Signature Christmas Party Nights (The Grand Festive)
  20. Alexander Armstrong and Aled Jones standing side-by side in blue velvet suits against a festive background.

    Add The Big Christmas Sing A-Long with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong - Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    The Big Christmas Sing A-Long with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong - Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Christmas and New Year

    Durham

    Get ready to lift your voices and celebrate the festive season as The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long embarks on its debut UK tour in November and December 2026. Starring much-loved performers and presenters Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong, this…

    Dates

    From:
    2 Dec 2026Open 19:30 -
    More info for The Big Christmas Sing A-Long with Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong - Durham Cathedral
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