What’s On Events Calendar
Durham Castle Self Guided Visit
10 April 2025 - 10 April 2025
11:00 AM - 3:15 PM
Durham Castle
Join us at Durham Castle for a special visit at your own pace this April.
- Tour
- Children and families
- Everyone
Shadow Puppet Workshop
12 April 2025 - 12 April 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Spot some amazing Chinese shadow puppets, then try making your own and telling your own story.
- Outreach & community
- Children and families
- Everyone
Brush Up!
18 April 2025 - 18 April 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Pick up a paintbrush, join in with some arty school holiday fun and decorate a shield.
- Outreach & community
- Children and families
- Everyone
Durham Castle Self Guided Visit
19 April 2025 - 19 April 2025
11:00 AM - 3:15 PM
Durham Castle
Join us at Durham Castle for a special visit at your own pace this April.
- Tour
- Children and families
- Everyone
Blast Off!
19 April 2025 - 19 April 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Find out about the Japanese art of paper folding and make an origami rocket ship that can fly!
- Outreach & community
- Children and families
- Everyone
Easter Chick Hunt
20 April 2025 - 21 April 2025
10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Easter Chicks are hiding in the Garden over Easter Weekend. Pick up your spotter sheet and see how many you can find in this fun family event. Self-led activity.
- Family friendly
Terrible Teeth
23 April 2025 - 23 April 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Spot the huge hippo jaw and make a your own to take home.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Crazy Creatures
24 April 2025 - 24 April 2025
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Botanic Garden
Get interactive with the Crazy Creatures visiting the Garden for the day.
- Family friendly
Create your own beast: Ruth Flowers clay artwork making
24 April 2025 - 24 April 2025
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Museum of Archaeology
Join artist Ruth Flowers and create your own little clay sculpted beast for an upcoming exhibition.
- Outreach & community
- Partnerships & Collaboration
- Children and families
Twilight Talk: Shakespeare Recovered - Preserving Durham’s Folio
24 April 2025 - 24 April 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Historic Libraries, Museum of Archaeology
Join us for a talk on the journey of Durham’s First Folio—from its creation in 1623 to its theft, recovery, and future. This talk is an invitation to join conservators from Palace Green Library behind the scenes in the considerations required to steward our heritage.
- Lecture
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Everyone
Personal Patterns of Enlightenment: the chant styles of Buddhist Monks in South Korea
24 April 2025 - 24 April 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Oriental Museum
Join us for a free talk on Korean Buddhist music given by Prof Simon Mills, Department of Music, Durham University
- Exhibition
- Outreach & community
- Partnerships & Collaboration
- Public
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Everyone
Durham World Heritage Site celebrations
25 April 2025 - 25 April 2025
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Durham Castle, Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre, Historic Libraries, Museum of Archaeology
Join us on Friday 25th April to celebrate World Heritage Day and visit our wonderful attractions.
- Exhibitions
- Festival
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Tour
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Make Do and Mend
25 April 2025 - 25 April 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Spot some darning in the museum and learn how Japanese people make repairs beautiful.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Colour and Create
26 April 2025 - 26 April 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Play with colour and make your own bold and bright artwork.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
The “Glorious Glosters”: Christianity, Chaplaincy and Captivity in Cold War Korea
30 April 2025 - 30 April 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Oriental Museum
Join us for a free talk given by Canon Professor Michael Snape FBA, Durham University
- Exhibition
- Outreach & community
- Partnerships & Collaboration
- Public
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Everyone
Saturday Archaeological Illustration Club
03 May 2025 - 03 May 2025
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Museum of Archaeology
Join the Saturday Archaeological Illustration Club to develop your skills in archaeological illustration. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned illustrator, these sessions offer a chance to refine your technique, interact with real artefacts, and engage with the archaeology community in a relaxed, informal environment.
- Creative
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Family friendly
- Everyone
- Lifelong Learners and Community groups
- Local and family historians
- Students in HE
Japanese Children's Day
03 May 2025 - 03 May 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Get ready to celebrate Japanese Children's Day, make cool carp banners and dress up in kimonos.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Little Dragons
07 May 2025 - 07 May 2025
9:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Oriental Museum
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 stories.
- Creative
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Family friendly
- Under 5s
Little Dragons
14 May 2025 - 14 May 2025
9:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Oriental Museum
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 stories.
- Creative
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Family friendly
- Under 5s
Beastly Guardians
17 May 2025 - 17 May 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Learn about animal-headed gods around the world and make your own animal guardian.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
What’s on across our venues
Our unique cultural attractions include Durham Castle, Botanic Garden, Historic Libraries at Palace Green, Oriental Museum, Museum of Archaeology and our World Heritage Site Visitor Centre. Whatever your interest, there's something for everyone to enjoy.