Durham Christmas Festival 2026

Durham station is managed by LNER. The organiser says it is about a ten-minute walk from the station to the Market Place, with trains from Newcastle, Darlington and other places. Palace Green is further on, up the cobbled streets of the peninsula: in a straight line the station is about 0.4 miles from Palace Green (worked out from the coordinates), but the walk is longer and uphill. National Rail lists step-free access to all platforms. It was also showing a notice about lift refurbishment when we checked, so confirm before travelling if you rely on the lifts.

The organiser recommends park and ride over driving into the city. Durham County Council has three sites: Belmont and Sniperley, joined by one route through the centre, and Howlands Farm. Parking is free if you take the bus, and an adult day pass is £2.20 (read October 2026); children aged 5 to 15 travel free with a paying adult over 21. The sites are open 7am to 7pm with buses every 15 minutes, and the last buses leave the sites at about 6.30pm, so ask the driver when the last one back is. Howlands Farm is closed on Sunday 6 December: use Belmont or Sniperley that day.

The organiser expects the city centre car parks to fill early each day, with long queues to get in. Roads on the peninsula are closed during festival hours, including Silver Street, Saddler Street and both Elvet and Framwellgate Bridges. If you do drive, the council's central pay and display car parks are The Sands multi-storey on Riverside Place and Sidegate, both £2.10 for up to two hours and £1.10 an hour after that (read October 2026). Prince Bishops Place, Walkergate and The Riverwalk are privately run multi-storeys. The organiser says Blue Badge holders can use on-street pay and display bays free and without time limit, and that Prince Bishops Place has accessible spaces on level 1.

The Cathedral Bus does not run during the festival because of the road closures, so the organiser lays on a free, wheelchair-accessible taxi loop for anyone who cannot manage the cobbled climb to Palace Green. It leaves from the bottom of the Market Place, between Next and St Nicholas' Church, and drops at the back of the cathedral, from where a route with ramps and lifts leads through to the marquee. The marquee has ramped entrances but stands on grass, so the floor is not perfectly level. Accessible toilets and Shopmobility are at Prince Bishops Place car park, and there is a Changing Places at Freeman's Quay Leisure Centre. On the Friday a carer gets in free.

The organiser says Friday, the first day, is regularly the quietest of the three and suggests it to anyone who would rather avoid the crowds. It has also widened the space between stalls in the marquee, and now opens the marquee at the same time as the Market Place market, 9am, to cut queues. For a break from the crowds it points to the seating inside the cathedral, which is available throughout festival hours and is quieter and out of the weather.

The Children's Lantern Parade is on Sunday 6 December 2026. It leaves the Market Place at 3pm behind the Chester-le-Street Salvation Army Band, climbs to Palace Green and reaches the cathedral for the St Nicholas Service at 3.30pm. Lanterns cost £6 and are reserved in advance. Carols for All services are held in the cathedral on the Saturday and Sunday, and Palace Green has a Father Christmas grotto, storytelling and a static falconry display. Durham Market Hall is open each day of the festival. The rest of the entertainment programme had not been announced when we checked.

The festival is on the peninsula, the loop of the River Wear that holds the cathedral, castle and Market Place, and the whole city centre is within about 15 minutes' walk of it. Claypath and the streets north of the Market Place, Elvet across the river to the east, and the North Road and station side to the west are all close. The organiser lists city centre hotels and guest houses on its own site, without endorsing any.