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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. Trains at Locomotion

    Add Pride at Locomotion to your Itinerary

    Pride at Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Shildon

    Celebrating diversity in partnership with Durham Pride, including our Trainbow craft activity.

    Dates

    From:
    24 May 2026
    More info for Pride at Locomotion
  2. Guided walk in Wolsingham: a group of walkers and a dog on a scenic woodland trail.

    Add Free Monthly Guided Walks - Wolsingham to your Itinerary

    Free Monthly Guided Walks - Wolsingham

    Type

    Type:

    Guided Walk

    Wolsingham, Bishop Auckland

    Our monthly guided walks take place on the 2nd Saturday of every month leaving Wolsingham Town Hall in the Market Place at 10am.

    Dates

    From:
    10 Jan 2026to12 Dec 2026
    More info for Free Monthly Guided Walks - Wolsingham
  3. 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 2026to31 Dec 2026Various Opening Times
    More info for Saturday Outdoor Market
  4. Bluebells in woodland with sunlight coming through the trees.

    Add A Guided Bluebell Walk - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens to your Itinerary

    A Guided Bluebell Walk - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Guided Walk

    Staindrop

    Guided Walk Through the Historic Woodlands. Experience the enchanting beauty of spring with the Bluebell Walk at Raby Castle. Hike uphill through the castle’s picturesque woodlands, where vibrant carpets of bluebells create a breathtaking natural…

    Dates

    From:
    30 Apr 2026to10 May 2026
    More info for A Guided Bluebell Walk - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens
  5. Trader at Barnard Castle Farmer's Market at stall taking money from customer

    Add Barnard Castle Farmers' Market to your Itinerary

    Barnard Castle Farmers' Market

    Type

    Type:

    Markets

    Barnard Castle

    Barnard Castle Farmers’ Market is one of the North East’s most popular markets featuring a wide range of artisan food and crafts from the region. Open 9:00 to 14:00 on the first Saturday of each month.

    Dates

    From:
    1 Jan 2026to31 Dec 2026
    More info for Barnard Castle Farmers' Market
  6. A group of performers singing.

    Add Ensemble 84 to your Itinerary

    Ensemble 84

    Type

    Type:

    Theatre

    Peterlee

    Shakespeare - 28th May to 6th June followed by Pits, People and Players - 9th to 13th June, 125 years of Horden's history.

    Dates

    From:
    28 May 2026to6 June 2026
    From:
    9 June 2026to13 June 2026
    More info for Ensemble 84
  7. Public Lecture: Cosmos to Clinic: Towards Personalised Cancer Care inspired by Astrophysics

    Add Cosmos to Clinic: Towards Personalised Cancer Care inspired by Astrophysics to your Itinerary

    Cosmos to Clinic: Towards Personalised Cancer Care inspired by Astrophysics

    Type

    Type:

    Lecture

    South Road, Durham City

    Join us for an exciting in-person event where we dive deep into how the mysteries of the universe are shaping the future of cancer treatment. Discover how cutting-edge astrophysics research fuels breakthroughs in personalised medicine, making…

    Dates

    From:
    5 May 2026Open 18:00 - 19:00
    More info for Cosmos to Clinic: Towards Personalised Cancer Care inspired by Astrophysics
  8. Spring Garden Fair at Raby Castle, Park & Gardens

    Add Spring Garden Fair - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens to your Itinerary

    Spring Garden Fair - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens

    Type

    Type:

    Fete / Fair

    Staindrop

    Celebrate the garden's reawakening after its winter slumber as spring breathes new life into the landscape. Watch as petals unfurl and fresh shoots push through the earth, signalling the season's vibrant return.

    Dates

    From:
    23 May 2026to25 May 2026Open 10:00 - 16:00
    More info for Spring Garden Fair - Raby Castle, Park and Gardens
  9. A Witch and a cat riding a broom.  Room on the Broom © 2001 Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler. Licensed by Magic Light Pictures Ltd.

    Add Room on the Broom Trail at Hamsterley Forest to your Itinerary

    Room on the Broom Trail at Hamsterley Forest

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Redford, Hamsterley Forest

    This interactive family trail is packed with Room on the Broom themed activities, fascinating forest facts and plenty of hands-on fun. 

    Dates

    From:
    28 Jan 2026to31 Dec 2026
    More info for Room on the Broom Trail at Hamsterley Forest
  10. Trains at Locomotion

    Add Festival of Steam at Locomotion to your Itinerary

    Festival of Steam at Locomotion

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Shildon

    A celebration of steam traction, featuring storytelling with Caroline Hardie.

    Dates

    From:
    2 May 2026to4 May 2026
    More info for Festival of Steam at Locomotion
  11. Chester-le-EATS 26. Food, Drink and Music Festival. Poster shows a starry background.

    Add Chester-le-EATS - Durham Cricket to your Itinerary

    Chester-le-EATS - Durham Cricket

    Type

    Type:

    Food & Drink Festival

    Riverside, Chester-le-Street

    Chester-le-EATS returns for its milestone fifth anniversary in 2026, and this year promises to be the biggest celebration yet.

    Dates

    From:
    26 Sept 2026to27 Sept 2026Open 11:00 - 16:00
    More info for Chester-le-EATS - Durham Cricket
  12. Joanna Bailey - Disreputable: How a Victorian lass from County Durham broke the rules — and got away with it! Thornley Library.

    Add Joanna Bailey - Disreputable: How a Victorian lass from County Durham broke the rules — and got away with it! Thornley Library to your Itinerary

    Joanna Bailey - Disreputable: How a Victorian lass from County Durham broke the rules — and got away with it! Thornley Library

    Type

    Type:

    Talks

    Thornley, Durham

    May is Local & Community History Month. Joanna Bailey - Disreputable: How a Victorian lass from County Durham broke the rules — and got away with it! Thornley Library.

    Dates

    From:
    14 May 2026Open 10:30 -
    More info for Joanna Bailey - Disreputable: How a Victorian lass from County Durham broke the rules — and got away with it! Thornley Library
  13. 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:
    10 May 2026Open 11:30 - 13:30
    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
  14. Scouting for Girls concert poster with image of Durham Cathedral.

    Add Scouting For Girls Live in Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    Scouting For Girls Live in Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    Durham City

    Scouting For Girls will be performing their greatest hits live in Durham Cathedral.

    Dates

    From:
    29 Oct 2026Open 19:45 - 22:00
    More info for Scouting For Girls Live in Durham Cathedral
  15. Close-up of a mannequin wearing a vibrant, multicoloured fuzzy coat in shades of blue, purple, and yellow. Underneath is a white shirt with a bold pin

    Add Vivienne Westwood: Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary at The Bowes Museum to your Itinerary

    Vivienne Westwood: Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary at The Bowes Museum

    Type

    Type:

    Exhibition

    Barnard Castle

    Vivienne Westwood: Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary (28 March 2026 – 6 September 2026) is a multi-gallery exhibition honouring one of fashion's most provocative and imaginative designers.

    Dates

    From:
    28 Mar 2026to6 Sept 2026Open 10:00 - 17:00
    More info for Vivienne Westwood: Rebel - Storyteller - Visionary at The Bowes Museum
  16. Wallace and Gromit with cymbals and a tenor horn - A Grand Day Out.

    Wallace & Gromit A Grand Day Out with Live Brass Band

    Type

    Type:

    Children/Family events

    Durham

    Spend a delightful afternoon at Redhills: Durham Miners Hall as we bring the much‑loved Wallace & Gromit classic A Grand Day Out to the big screen — complete with the joyful sound of the Durham Miners' Association Brass Band

    Dates

    From:
    14 June 2026Open 15:00 - 16:00
    More info for Wallace & Gromit A Grand Day Out with Live Brass Band
  17. May is Local History Month. 'Lost & Found: The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles'. Film screening followed by Q&A with Thorpe Thewles History Group.

    Add Lost & Found: The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles - Sedgefield Library to your Itinerary

    Lost & Found: The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles - Sedgefield Library

    Type

    Type:

    Film

    Sedgefield

    May is Local History Month. 'Lost & Found: The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles'. Film screening followed by Q&A with Thorpe Thewles History Group at Sedgefield Library.

    Dates

    From:
    21 May 2026Open 14:00 -
    More info for Lost & Found: The McLaren Diaries of Thorpe Thewles - Sedgefield Library
  18. Carrie Hope Fletcher concert poster

    Add Carrie Hope Fletcher: The Ghost Light Tour to your Itinerary

    Carrie Hope Fletcher: The Ghost Light Tour

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    Durham City

    Carrie Hope Fletcher (Heathers, Cinderella, Calamity Jane), one of the UK's most beloved musical theatre stars, is set to light up cathedrals across the UK in her breathtaking new Ghost Light concert tour.

    Dates

    From:
    22 Oct 2026Open 19:30 - 22:30
    More info for Carrie Hope Fletcher: The Ghost Light Tour
  19. Audience at a candlelight concert.

    Add Motown By Candlelight at Durham Cathedral to your Itinerary

    Motown By Candlelight at Durham Cathedral

    Type

    Type:

    Concert

    Durham City

    Expect to hear the soulful sounds of your favourite artists, from The Supremes, The Temptations and Diana Ross to Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, Marvin Gaye and many more!

    Dates

    From:
    2 Oct 2026to3 Oct 2026Open 19:30 - 22:30
    More info for Motown By Candlelight at Durham Cathedral
  20. Tibetan and crystal singing bowls

    Add Sound Bath & Meditation Session - Raby Castle to your Itinerary

    Sound Bath & Meditation Session - 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:
    10 May 2026
    From:
    14 June 2026
    More info for Sound Bath & Meditation Session - Raby Castle
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