How to Spend Your Weekend
Let us inspire your weekend plans
Turn a new page…
Join a long weekend (Friday to Sunday) of books, new writing, ideas and conversation, as Durham Book Festival returns to bring you some of the most exciting international speakers alongside home-grown talent, including our very own columnist LJ Ross. Find just some of the highlights of the festival here.
Join the party…
This Saturday, don’t miss an exceptional evening of music, song, choir and dance as Daft As a Brush Cancer Patient Care (who we are proudly supporting at Living North’s Christmas Fair) presents its Last Night of the Proms. Ray Spencer MBE returns as compère with musical director, Ernest Young, the Newcastle Dance School, the Bede Wind Orchestra and Choir and special guests. Every ticket sale will go towards their 100th ambulance and includes a free event programme and the all-important flag for waving.
Treat yourself…
Head to the Magna Science and Adventure Centre in Rotherham this Saturday for the Yorkshire Chocolate Festival. Bringing together live music, workshops and more than 70 stalls featuring all things chocolate, it’s a deliciously different festival. Better still, every penny raised will go to Roundabout, South Yorkshire’s youth homelessness charity.
Read More: LJ Ross Shares This Month's Book Club Pick
Book ahead…
Early bird tickets are on sale now for a jam-packed day out as our Christmas Fair once again returns to Newcastle Racecourse (27th–30th October) and York Racecourse (10th–13th November). Head to the Shopping Halls for great gifts from artisan designers and makers you won’t find anywhere else, and our fantastic food producers will not disappoint either, with a huge range of artisan treats from sweets to local meats, spirits and cheeses. Plus, to add to the festivities, live performances from local choirs and musicians will be the soundtrack to your shopping experience, and some of the North’s top chefs will be cooking live in our Demo Kitchen. Book your Early Bird discounted tickets here.
Join your shipmates…
When a group of Cornish fishermen came together to sing traditional working songs, they didn’t expect to end up on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury. Based on the true story of the chart-topping Cornish singing sensations and their movie, Fisherman's Friends: The Musical (at Theatre Royal, Newcastle until Saturday) is a feel-good voyage through friendship, community and good music. Its star-studded cast includes Corrie’s James Gaddas – read our chat with him here.
See the light…
From sunrise to sunset, light and sound will create an immersive experience at Durham Cathedral for Life by Luxmuralis until Sunday. The display will take you on a journey through the beauty of planet earth, portraying the sounds and textures of humanity, extinction and time. Stunning artwork will be projected onto architectural features, transforming and enveloping the historic cathedral as you make your way through.
Read More: Amazing Immersive Light Display Shines into Newcastle Art Gallery
A hair-raising exhibition…
It’s your last chance to see Beehives, Bobs & Blowdries at The Piece Hall, Halifax before this first of its kind exhibition ends on Sunday. Curated by fashion research consultant and senior academic at Solent University, Donna Bevan, and award-winning hairdresser Andrew Barton, it celebrates the art and skill of hairdressing along with some of the most iconic looks of the past 70 years. It will highlight technological breakthroughs in salon products and the influence of hair fashion trends and subcultural styles.
Get into the spirit…
This weekend sees the opening of Raby Castle’s Witches and Wizards Trail – the perfect way to get the whole family in the spirit for spooky season. Collect an activity sheet and set off to discover hidden creatures. Bring along your best-dressed pumpkins so they can put your designs on display and the Garden Team will judge them, before awarding the winner a 2023 annual pass.
For something a little more frightening, dare you face Hallowscream’s killer clowns or flesh eating zombies? Head to York Maze this weekend for an immersive scare experience featuring five live-action haunted house attractions which are sure to terrify you.
Pick your pumpkin…
Farmer Copley’s Pumpkin Festival runs 15th–18th October at Ravensknowle Farm, Pontefract, so why not head down to the farm this weekend to join in the fun and pick your perfect pumpkin? You can find out all about pumpkins from farmer Robert Copley here. And although that’s the kids’ fun sorted, forget pumpkin spice lattes – it’s all about the pumpkin martinis this spooky season so adults might want to try this fun recipe.
Open doors…
This weekend you’re invited to step inside some of York's buildings which aren’t normally open to (or regularly visited by) the public, to discover parts of the city that are often unseen or overlooked. This weekend event is a new take on successful Unlocked events which are already established in other cities across Europe. Herbert House (a Grade I-listed building dating from the 16th and 17th centuries), The Guildhall (a municipal building behind York’s Mansion House) and RIBA award-winner Bootham Bar Café (also known as Bean & Gone) are just three of the buildings you can explore. Find out more about some of the buildings you’ll have special access to here.
