Durham's Christmas festival will be biggest yet

Durham City’s Traditional Christmas Festival opens tomorrow (Friday, December 5) and runs until Sunday.

The main attraction will be a huge craft and gift marquee on Palace Green, featuring more than 200 stalls.

It will be open 10am to 6pm on Friday, 9am to 6pm on Saturday and 10am to 4.30pm on Sunday.

Tickets are £3 for the Friday, £4 for Saturday and Sunday. A discount of 50p is available if tickets are bought online in advance. Under 16s accompanied by an adult can enter free of charge.

A regional food producers’ market will be staged in the Durham Cathedral cloisters from 10am to 5pm on Friday, 9am to 5pm on Saturday and noon to 3pm on Sunday. Entry is free.

There will be festive family entertainment on Palace Green throughout the weekend, including live reindeer, birds of prey, children’s storytelling, wood and ice carving and more.

Carols for All services will take place in the cathedral at 11am and 2pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday and the popular St Nicholas children’s lantern procession returns on Saturday, leaving the Market Place at 3.45pm to arrive at the cathedral for a St Nicholas service at 4.10pm. Places are now fully booked.

There will also be outdoor and indoor markets in the city centre and guided tours of Durham Castle.

Colin Wilkes, from Durham Markets – joint organisers of the Christmas Festival with Durham University’s Event Durham, said: “We’re so pleased to add the third day to the local producers’ market.

“It means that everyone, never mind which day they come to the Christmas Festival, can visit and browse all the different traders.

“We’re aiming, once again, to create a family-friendly event which will have something special for everyone. Whether your ideal start to the Christmas season in carolling in the cathedral, ticking loads of items off a long gift list, or enjoying festive family entertainment, then we’ve got it planned.”

For full listings, visit durhamchristmasfestival.com