Looking for something to do late April or early May 2024 in the North East? I’ve got you covered with this list. As part of my feature on BBC Tees and Newcastle, I select my top picks of things happening across the North East, and here’s what I’ve chosen for Thursday 25th April to Thursday 2nd May.
Dear Zoo – South Shields Customs House – Fri 26th and Sat 27th April
This week, we are starting in South Shields at the Customs House for Dear Zoo, so if you’ve got little’uns around reception age, this could be for you. The timeless kids book is making a welcome return to the stage on Friday 26th and Saturday 27th with the story of the zoo that sends different animals to find out which would be the perfect pet. The animals are brought to life with puppets, music and plenty of audience interaction, so it’s a bit of a must-see for little fans of the book and young animal lovers. Plus, the book is now 42 years old, so it’s sure to be a nostalgia hit for parents too. If you fancy that, you can get tickets on the South Shields Customs House website.
Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana – Newcastle O2 City Hall – Sat 27th April
So Elvana are dubbed as the world’s finest Elvis tribute to Nirvana, and yes, you absolutely read that right. From the bowels of Disgraceland, two rock ’n’ roll icons are brought back to the stage as Elvis fronts Nirvana, giving the band the frontman it’s been missing since 1994. So what exactly can you expect in this show? Well, the band will tear through Nirvana’s catalogue whilst splicing in grunged up sections of the King’s finest moments, which will culminate in a massive old school rockabilly mash up. These are always hugely popular and are supposed to be a heck of a lot of fun, so if you like the sound of it, they’re on at Newcastle O2 City Hall on Saturday 27th and you can get your tickets on the City Hall website.
Festival of Blossom – National Trust Gibside – Sat 27th April
If you’re looking for something a bit gentler than an Elvis and Nirvana mash up, you might like the Festival of Blossom at National Trust Gibside. The site have got a few different activities on to welcome blossom season in, including a family pollinator scavenger hunt where you’ll be tasked with finding butterflies and moths around the grounds to learn about our most important pollinators and why we need to look after them. There are also drop in art workshops planned in, where you can learn to make blossom-inspired origami or write a spring-themed haiku. And finally, the Gibside resident beekeepers will be about in the Walled Garden to help you learn about honeybees and why they’re important for the environment. It sounds like a really lovely day and all of the activities I’ve mentioned are included with the standard admission, so you’ll get to explore Gibside itself too, and there’s no booking required, so go along on Saturday 27th for a look.
Darlington Motorsport Day – Darlington town centre – Sat 27th April
This is the first ever Darlington Motorsport Day and it sounds like it’ll be a great day for fans, both big and small. This is going to be a family-friendly day with displays, live demonstrations, and chances to talk to officials to find out more about what the region has to offer for motorsport lovers. There’ll be motorbikes, rally cars, vintage racers, go karts and so many more to see, whether you’re a fan of motors on two, four or even three wheels, this sounds like it could be right up your street and the best bit is that it’s free to go to. So if you fancy it, that’s on in Darlington town centre on Saturday 27th and you can get more info on the Darlington Motorsport Day Facebook page.
Tractor Gathering 2024 – Beamish Museum – Sat 27th and Sun 28th April
We’re going from rally cars and motorbikes to tractors at Beamish Museum, which, again, would be a brilliant event for big kids and little kids who love all things machinery. That’s on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th, and across the two days, you’ll be able to see Fordsons, Fergies, Field Marshalls and more as the museum welcomes a superb collection of vintage tractors, stationary engines and agricultural machinery to the Events Field near the Fairground. There’ll also be a convoy around the museum grounds, so you’ll get to see them all in action too. This event is included in the standard museum admission, so you can explore the rest of the site too, including the 1900s pit village, where you can get the best fish and chips, and the 1940s farm, where there are live animals. And when you buy a Beamish ticket, you get museum access for the next 12 months, so that’s a nice bonus too.
Dawn Chorus Safari – National Trust Wallington – Wed 1st May
I’m terrible at waking up early, but I might just be persuaded to set an early alarm for this one. As the lighter mornings have rolled in, you might’ve started to hear the gorgeous sound of the dawn chorus starting too. Well, the folks at National Trust Wallington are inviting you to immerse yourself in the spectacle with them for a Dawn Chorus Safari. This is being ran by Wild Intrigue who will guide you on a walk around Wallington to help you discover nature’s early morning orchestra. From the first blackbird melody in the early moments of darkness, to the finches that sound with the light of the sun, each species has its own place in this beautiful spectacle. Now, you will need to be up bright eyed and bushy tailed for the 5am start, but it’ll be worth it to hear this amazing, naturally-occurring event in a totally different way. If you fancy it, it’s on Wednesday 1st May and you can book your place on the National Trust Wallington website.
Kinky Boots – Darlington Hippodrome – Wed 1st to Sat 11th May
The international hit musical, Kinky Boots, is strutting back on to the Darlington Hippodrome stage with performances from the Darlington Operatic Society. This story follows Charlie, who has reluctantly inherited his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous drag entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realised and discover that when you change your mind, you can change your whole world. You can expect some fantastic music too as the show has a Tony and Grammy winning score by Cyndi Lauper. So if you’re in the mood for a musical at the start of May, this is on from Wednesday 1st to Saturday 11th May, and you can get tickets on the Darlington Hippodrome website.
Newton Faulkner – Stockton ARC – Thurs 2nd May
Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got some gorgeous acoustic live music from the incredible Newton Faulkner at Stockton ARC. The Feels Like Home part 2 tour is coming to the UK two years after Feels Like Home part 1, and for this tour, he’ll be focusing on songs that work best with just vocals and a guitar. He’s also said he’ll be dusting off songs that he hasn’t played for a long time, so if you’ve been fan of his for a while, there may be some gems from the back catalogue for you. But if you’re new to Newton Faulkner, he’s one to check out if you like folk rock, a bit of indie and maybe percussive guitar playing. It should be a really brilliant show and there’s even a ticket option that gets you a guitar lesson with the man himself. That’s on Thursday 2nd May and you can get the last of the tickets on the Stockton ARC website.
Make sure you check back next week for more amazing events!
