What’s On Events Calendar
Little Dragons
04 December 2024 - 04 December 2024
10:45 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
- Public
- Under 5s
Explore Image Transfer workshop
04 December 2024 - 04 December 2024
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
7 Owengate, Art Collection
Join Mixed Media Artist Sarah Calavera for an exciting hands-on workshop and discover the magic of laser print image transfers!
- Creative
- Everyone
Twilight Opening at Oriental Museum
05 December 2024 - 05 December 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Oriental Museum is open until 7pm on the 1st Thursday of every month.
- Accessible
- Exhibitions
- Lates
- Public
- Everyone
Lovely Lions
07 December 2024 - 07 December 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Spot the magnificent Chinese lion on display and make your own roar-some lion puppet.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Saturnalia Trail
09 December 2024 - 06 January 2025
10:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Museum of Archaeology
Explore the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Durham University Staff Chamber Choir
10 December 2024 - 10 December 2024
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Botanic Garden
Join the Durham University Staff Chamber Choir at the Botanic Garden for their 'Music for Christmas' performance.
- Family friendly
Friends of the Oriental Museum: International Projects Update
11 December 2024 - 11 December 2024
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Oriental Museum: International projects update Gill Ramsay, Assistant Curator, Oriental Museum
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Friends of the Oriental Museum
Cool Coral
14 December 2024 - 14 December 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Check out an intriguing sculpture called Coral Eye and make your own coral-inspired seascape.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Self-Guided Visit: Christmas Day at Durham Castle
15 December 2024 - 15 December 2024
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Durham Castle
Join us for a unique visit to Durham Castle for the whole family to celebrate the festive season.
- Holiday activities
- Public
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Countdown to Christmas Craft Worksop
21 December 2024 - 21 December 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Find out how Christmas is celebrated around the world and decorate ceramic Christmas decorations to take home.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Durham University Science 100 Exhibition
01 January 2025 - 04 May 2025
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Durham Castle, Museum of Archaeology, Oriental Museum, Outdoor Art Gallery, Art Collection
Durham University Science 100 outdoor exhibition explores the history of science education and research at Durham, featuring remarkable artefacts and stories from our museum collections.
- Exhibition
- Everyone
Flaming Flies
04 January 2025 - 04 January 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Find out why the bravest Ancient Egyptians were award a golden fly and make your own.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Rivers Within
09 January 2025 - 27 April 2025
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre, Historic Libraries
Rivers Within is a creative project by homegrown artist Ruth Flowers who has recently been exploring Durham folklore legend, The Lambton Worm and connections to the River Wear. This has been made possible by the support of Cultivate Commissions, a strand of Into the Light initiative delivered by organisations No More Nowt and Northern Heartlands.
- Exhibition
- Exhibitions
- Everyone
Selfie Art
11 January 2025 - 11 January 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Spot the Selfie Queen sculpture in our South Asian Gallery and make some funky selfie art.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Blue On White
11 January 2025 - 11 January 2025
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Inspired by the beautiful blue and white Chinese ceramics at the Oriental Museum, spend an afternoon creating your own blue and white artworks using inks on paper and ceramic.
- Creative
- Public
- Workshop
- Everyone
- Friends of the Oriental Museum
- Lifelong Learners and Community groups
Winter Wonderland
18 January 2025 - 18 January 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Did you know that plum blossom is a symbol of winter in Chinese culture? Find out about this special flower and make a snowy plum blossom wreath.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Little Dragons
22 January 2025 - 22 January 2025
9:30 AM - 11:30 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
- Public
- Family friendly
- Under 5s
Meet the Art Collection: Light
22 January 2025 - 22 January 2025
2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
5 The College, Art Collection
Join us for an up-close viewing of the Art Collection inspired by this years Student Art Prize theme of light.
- Creative
- Everyone
Elevate Gel printing Workshop
22 January 2025 - 22 January 2025
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Art Collection
Take your gel printing skills to the next level in this exciting 2-hour workshop with our local Artist in Residency, Sarah Calavera!
- Creative
- Everyone
Behind the Scenes of the Bioscience Collection Reawakening – Curation, Conservation, and Archives Research.
23 January 2025 - 23 January 2025
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Museum of Archaeology
Over the past 2 years, work has been undertaken by Durham's curatorial staff to begin to reawaken the university's Bioscience Collection. In this talk, recent graduate intern Anna will explore the processes of reviving the Bioscience Collection through careful curation, conservation, and archival research.
- Lecture
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- 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.