What’s On Events Calendar
Building closure - upcoming dates
Due to extensive roofing works at Palace Green Library, there will be times when we have to close the building to visitors between summer 2024 and spring 2025, with no access to Museum of Archaeology, Cosin’s Library, Penned and Printed exhibition and World Heritage Site Visitor Centre.
Visit our Tickets and Times pages at each venue for more information.
Wonderful Weather Dolls
15 June 2024 - 15 June 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Find out about teru teru bozu - the famous Japanese weather doll and have a go at making one.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Botanic Garden Fun Day
16 June 2024 - 16 June 2024
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Botanic Garden
Following the success of last year’s inaugural Botanic Garden Fun Day, this has now become an annual event and will take place on Sunday 16 June, from 10am-4pm. This family-friendly, Fun Day offers loads of free activities, all in the beautiful surroundings of the Garden.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Student Art Prize 2023/24 Awards Event!
17 June 2024 - 17 June 2024
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Palatine Centre, Art Collection
Join us at this special awards evening and view the Student Art Prize 2023/24 shortlisted exhibition.
- Creative
- Exhibition
- Lates
- Student experience
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Alumni
- Everyone
- Students in HE
Little Dragons
19 June 2024 - 19 June 2024
9:30 AM - 10:31 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
Little Dragons
19 June 2024 - 19 June 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
Autism-Friendly Family Activities
20 June 2024 - 20 June 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Join us for some fun, autism-friendly crafts for families at the Oriental Museum when the galleries are quieter. Experiment with ways of folding, scrunching and sticking to make your own paper sculpture.
- Accessible
- Creative
- Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Workshop
- Family friendly
- Children and families
- Everyone
Twilight Opening at Oriental Museum
20 June 2024 - 20 June 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Oriental Museum is open until 7pm the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month.
- Accessible
- Exhibitions
- Lates
- Public
- Everyone
Play Time!
22 June 2024 - 22 June 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Explore our new exhibition all about play and toys, then try making your own game.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
Little Dragons
26 June 2024 - 26 June 2024
9:30 AM - 10:31 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
Little Dragons
26 June 2024 - 26 June 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
Twilight Opening at Palace Green Library
27 June 2024 - 27 June 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre, Museum of Archaeology
Palace Green Library is open until 7pm the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month.
- Accessible
- Exhibition
- Lates
- Public
- Everyone
Twilight Talk - Twilight Talk: Under Durham: Searching for Stories in Objects
27 June 2024 - 27 June 2024
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Durham World Heritage Site Visitor Centre, Museum of Archaeology
Join this year’s Museum of Archaeology's MA Museum and Artefact students as they explore some of the interesting objects from their exhibition Under Durham: The untold stories, and how they discovered and researched the stories behind them.
- Lecture
- Outreach & community
- Public
- Talks, training, seminars & conferences
- Everyone
Strike! Art Collective
28 June 2024 - 14 November 2024
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Outdoor Art Gallery, Art Collection
STRIKE is a new women-led public art collective in County Durham. Together they use public art to take up space without apology, saying farewell to the many ‘sorrys’ of the women who walked before them.
- Creative
- Everyone
Portrait and Figure Drawing with Isabel Gotti 1. Portrait Drawing Crash Course
28 June 2024 - 28 June 2024
5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
7 Owengate, Art Collection
Want to sharpen your drawing skills or draw? Join our Arts Social with Durham University's Art Collection for a tutored drawing session.
- Creative
- Everyone
- Lifelong Learners and Community groups
- Students in HE
Magnificent Manga
29 June 2024 - 29 June 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Oriental Museum
Explore the Oriental Museum's collection of Japanese Manga comics and create your own to take home.
- Family friendly
- Children and families
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.