Durham Children's Book Festival

19/05/2026

Please Share & help spread the word 🎪one FREE Mega weekend!! ✨ DURHAM MARKET 175th ANNIVERSARY
THROUGH THE DECADES WEEKENDER ✨🎪

Join us for a HUGE FREE family event in Durham Market Place as we celebrate 175 years of Durham Markets with an action-packed weekend full of entertainment, music, history, performers and activities for all ages! 🎶🎭🎉

Across the weekend you can enjoy:
✨ Live music & performers
✨ Stilt walkers & disco heads
✨ Victorian reenactors & living history camps
✨ Military drills, workshops & walkabout characters
✨ Children’s activities & Little Traders Tent
✨ Face painting, glitter tattoos & hair braids
✨ Fancy dress competition
✨ FREE Puppachinos for your four-legged friends 🐶☕
✨ Plus Durham’s fantastic indoor, outdoor and independent businesses

We’re bringing the city centre to life with something genuinely fun, affordable and FREE for families to enjoy together ❤️

📍 Durham Market Place
📅 Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th May
⏰ 10am–4pm
🎟 FREE ENTRYr

With high streets struggling everywhere, events like this are all about bringing people back into the city to support local independent businesses and celebrate the amazing community we have here in Durham 🙌

06/05/2026

🎉 DURHAM MARKET 175TH ANNIVERSARY 🎉 ✨ Through the Decades Weekender ✨

Join us for a huge weekend celebration as we celebrate 175 YEARS of Durham Market 🥳

📅 Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th May
📍 Durham Market Place
🕙 10am till 4pm

Expect a fantastic mix of:
🛍️ Market stalls
🎤 Live singers & performers throughout the day
🎶 Music from across the decades
💃 Community groups & entertainment
🍔 Delicious food & local traders
🎉 A brilliant atmosphere for the whole family

Come along and celebrate one of Durham’s oldest traditions with a fun-filled weekend of shopping, music and community spirit right in the heart of the city 💙

03/09/2024

Congratulations to our winners of our Children's Book Festival Treasure Trail 👏👏👏

Lizzie Wakefield, age 8, and Chloe Wakefield, age 5, from Durham popped in to BookWyrm with mum Miriam, to pick up their winners' vouchers before heading off to spend them no doubt with the city's independent businesses!!

Thanks to BookWyrm for organising a brilliant book festival, to Durham BID for the vouchers and their support, and to Durham Markets !

23/08/2024

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23/08/2024

Are you thinking about another free family day out in Durham? How about Durham Classic Car Show from 11am on Bank Holiday Monday 😁😁🚗🚙

21/08/2024

This is what it's all about ... Durham Children's Book Festival - with thanks to ITV Tyne Tees

20/08/2024

Thank you for a fabulous Day 1 of Durham Children's Book Festival 😁📖😁📖

Thank you to all our authors who ran fabulous workshops, to Kylie Dixon of The Magical World of Mushroom Marvellous, to Lisa and Mark and the Roundabout Rabbits, to Lauren Osborne Artworks, to Miles Nelson - Author and Illustrator, to ITV Tyne Tees for popping down to see what was going on, to BookWyrm for organising it all, to bugsnstuff.com for bringing along their mini beasts, to Moons Art for face painting, and to Durham BID and City of Durham Parish Council for their support!

AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME ALONG AND TOOK PART AND ENJOYED😁😁😁😁😁

GUESS WHAT ... we're doing it all again tomorrow! For full details click here https://durhammarkets.co.uk/event/childrens-book-fest/

20/08/2024

Here's the schedule for Day 2 of Durham Children's Book Festival on Wednesday 21st (tomorrow) ...

For the full leaflet - click herehttps://durhammarkets.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Group-PDF-Export4.pdf

20/08/2024

Today and tomorrow ... we'll have FREE facepainting in the Market Hall ...

Come enjoy Durham Children's Book Festival ... and pop into the Market Hall while you're here for face painting, shopping, to see Thomas the Tank Engine and more!

FREE face painting today in the Market Hall… come down the main ramp, turn left and head to unit 13