Regional Guide
Christmas in the North East
The North East does Christmas properly. There are city-centre markets and one of the country's finest festive weekends in Durham, castle-garden light trails and steam-hauled Santa trains, living-museum Christmases and a coast full of frosty walks. This is our evergreen guide to the best of it, from the markets to the days out. Dates move each year, so treat this as your starting point and always check the latest details and book ahead for the big events.
Christmas markets
From a six-week city market to one-day village fairs, take your pick.
Newcastle Christmas Market
Newcastle city centre
Mid-November to Christmas · free
The region's biggest, spread along Grey Street and around Grey's Monument and Grainger Street, with wooden chalets, street food and the 'North Pole Terrace' igloo pods. It runs for around six weeks up to a few days before Christmas.
Durham Christmas Festival
Durham
First full weekend of December
One of the UK's best-loved festive markets, with a craft and producers' marquee on Palace Green beside the cathedral and outdoor stalls in the Market Place, plus a children's lantern parade. The Palace Green marquee is ticketed; the other markets are free.
Tynemouth Station Christmas Market
Tynemouth
December weekends · free
The famous weekend market inside Tynemouth's glazed Victorian station turns festive through December, its 150-plus stalls piled with crafts, gifts, wreaths and food under the old train shed. A lovely, atmospheric browse by the coast.
Explore Tynemouth→Hexham Christmas Market
Hexham, Northumberland
A Saturday in mid-December
More than 130 stalls of crafts, food and gifts fill the Market Place and the historic Abbey grounds for the day, in one of the prettiest settings in the region. An established annual fixture in this handsome market town.
Explore Hexham→Corbridge Christmas Shopping Night
Corbridge, Northumberland
An evening in early December
The whole village turns out for a late-night shopping evening of fairy lights, brass-band carols, mulled wine and the church Christmas Tree Festival, with the independent shops staying open late.
Sunderland & Morpeth festive markets
Sunderland · Morpeth
Through November and December
Sunderland runs festive markets around Keel Square and Riverside Sunderland alongside its lights switch-on, and Morpeth holds a town-centre Christmas market on a December weekend. Dates move year to year, so check locally.
Explore Morpeth→Festive days out & light trails
Living-museum Christmases, castle-garden lights and a city institution.
Christmas at Beamish
County Durham
Late November to Christmas Eve
The open-air Living Museum of the North dresses its Georgian, Edwardian, 1940s and 1950s streets for Christmas, with costumed characters, an Elf Wood, festive baking and stalls. Look out for the separately ticketed after-dark Christmas Evenings, which sell out.
More big days out→The Alnwick Garden Winter Light Trail
Alnwick, Northumberland
Late November to early January
An after-dark light-and-sound trail through The Alnwick Garden and the Lilidorei play village, with illuminated installations, Father Christmas and reindeer, and festive food and drink. One of the North East's headline Christmas nights out.
Plan a day in Alnwick→Christmas at Cragside
Rothbury, Northumberland
National Trust · Christmas season
The Victorian estate lights up for Christmas, centred on its record-breaking living Christmas tree, a giant redwood strung with well over a thousand lights, with a weekend Twilight Lantern Walk through the Debdon valley.
Christmas at Wallington
Cambo, Northumberland
National Trust · Christmas season
Indoor and outdoor festive displays, thousands of lights, a big courtyard tree, a woodland winter trail, Mrs Christmas storytelling and Father Christmas make this National Trust hall a gentle family favourite.
The Fenwick Christmas Window
Newcastle upon Tyne
From early November · free
A Newcastle institution since 1971: the animated Christmas window at Fenwick on Northumberland Street, a different story each year, free to view and worth the queue. The unofficial start of the city's Christmas.
Ice skating at the Life Science Centre
Newcastle upon Tyne
Early November to early January
A real-ice outdoor rink in Times Square outside the Life Science Centre, with special sessions from silent discos to karaoke on ice. An established fixture of the city's festive calendar.
Santa specials & steam trains
Meet Father Christmas the proper way, by heritage railway.
Tanfield Railway North Pole Express
East Tanfield, Gateshead
December weekends
A steam-hauled Santa special on the world's oldest existing railway, with a ride to meet Father Christmas and his elves in the grotto, a gift for children and festive refreshments.
Weardale Railway Santa Express
Stanhope, County Durham
Late November to Christmas Eve
A heritage Santa train ride into the Durham dales to 'Santa's Durham Workshop', where every child meets Santa and receives a gift. A magical day out in the upper Wear valley.
Lights switch-ons & pantomimes
Lights switch-ons. Most towns kick off the season with a mid-to-late-November switch-on, usually with entertainment, food and a market or funfair. Newcastle, Morpeth, South Shields, Blyth, Sunderland and Durham all hold annual events. Check your local council or town site for this year's date.
Pantomimes.The region's big traditional pantos run at Newcastle's Theatre Royal and the Tyne Theatre & Opera House, the Sunderland Empire, the Gala Theatre in Durham and the Playhouse in Whitley Bay. They go on sale months ahead and the best dates sell out, so book early.
Plan & book your visit
- Join the National Trust→— Christmas at Cragside & Wallington
- Book festive tickets & experiences→— light trails, Santa trains, days out & more
- Find places to stay in the North East→
More across the region
Make more of your visit with our guides to things to do in the North East, a weekend itinerary and the region's market towns, or see what is on across the region this weekend.