Yahoo News County Durham gears up for a summer of music, food and sport as festival season hits
With just days to go before the launch of Durham Brass Festival, the city is in party mood as it prepares to celebrate its local music heritage in style.
The July 5-13 festival will launch with a concert at Durham Cathedral to mark the 40-year anniversary of the miners' strike, which will see the Public Service Broadcasting band play - in full - its 2017 album Every Valley, which was inspired by the rise and fall of coal mining. Then brass sounds, both traditional and modern, will bring festival fun to the city streets, and the likes of Gala Theatre, for nine solid days.
The festival, run by Durham County Council, promises to be a stunner and it will be followed by another major event in the city|: the 138th outing of the Miners' Gala which is all set to take place on July 13. And then that festival party mood will continue with a range of events running throughout the summer.
Here's an idea of what to look out for as the city's summer entertainment programme steps up a gear.
Durham festival dates this summer
Durham Brass Festival - July 5-13
The annual festival will showcase a range of brass-inspired performances including new commissions, free concerts, community activities and outdoor performances by world-renowned street bands. Read all about it here.
Durham Run Festival - July 18-20
This event's 5k and 10k runs are open to everyone and follow a route through the centre of Durham. There's also a Run Like A Legend one-mile challenge and Paula Radcliffe’s Families on Track event. Festival extras including a screening at Gala Theatre of a new film about Olympic champion Daley Thompson. See here for more festival information.
Seaham Food Festival - August 2-4
A sister event to April's Bishop Auckland Food Festival, this will feature around 130 food and drink stalls; live cookery demonstrations by celebrity chefs; family entertainment and live music. Read all about it here.
Durham Book Festival - October 10-13
The annual book-athon always draw big name guests for its programme of readings and performances, with last year's household names including Toby Jones, who starred in TV hit Mr Bates vs the Post Office, doing a reading from the novel Cuddy by Durham-born Benjamin Myers. Organisers have yet to announce this year's programme so keep an eye out here.
