Looking for something to do at the end of March 2024, the Easter weekend or the start of April 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 28th March to Thursday 4th April.
Easter Adventure Quests at English Heritage sites – until Sun 14th April
We’re starting with something that’s happening in a few spots across the North East. English Heritage are hosting Easter Adventure Quests at a few sites from now until Sunday 14th April, including Tynemouth Priory, Belsay Hall, Warkworth Castle and Chesters Roman Fort. They’re inviting you on a cracking expedition to hunt for clues across the site, track down the hidden Easter eggs and earn yourself a chocolatey reward. I think it’s a really nice idea to help get out of the house over the Easter weekend or school holidays, and costs just £2 on top of the ticket price. You don’t need to book, you can just pay when you get there, but if you book your entry online, you can get yourself a cheeky little 15% off.
Easter celebrations at Beamish Museum – from Fri 29th to Mon 1st April
Beamish have been knocking it out of the park with their events recently and this one sounds just as brilliant. So if you fancy doing something a little bit different, there are Easter celebrations happening at Beamish Museum from Friday 29th March until Easter Monday (1st April). Now there is absolutely tons going on across the whole weekend, like Easter wreath making at the Board School, egg rolling in the 1900s Town Park, traditional Simnel cake and hot cross bun baking demos, and egg jarping, which I hear is like conkers but with eggs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, there’s oodles of things to see and do, and they’re all included in the admission price. And when you buy a ticket to Beamish, it gives you access to the museum for 12 months, so you can enjoy all of the future events too.
Easter Extravaganza – Whitehouse Farm, Morpeth – Fri 29th to Mon 1st April
This sounds like a great one if you’ve got littlies to entertain over the Easter weekend. So Whitehouse Farm near Morpeth are holding an Easter extravaganza from Friday 29th March until Monday 1st April where you can expect all kinds of cute, Easter fun. The days are going to be jam-packed with things to do, like bottle feeding lambs, small animal handling, pony grooming, interactive meerkat talks, magic shows and so much more. And of course, it isn’t Easter without an egg hunt, so make sure you’ve got your detective skills up to scratch to find them all. It should be a really great way to start the school holidays and a fun way for little kids to celebrate Easter, so if you fancy it, you can book tickets on the Whitehouse Farm website.
100 Years of Fashion – Kirkleatham Museum – Fri 29th March into Sept
I thought this sounded really cool and a bit different, so Kirkleatham is bringing in a new touring exhibition for the year, which is going to be 100 Years of Fashion, showcasing a century of the art of women’s clothing. From the opulent and structured styles of the early 1900s to the more casual and laidback looks of the 1990s, you’ll be able to take a walk through and see the evolution of the fashion for yourself. You’ll also discover how clothing has shaped and continues to influence our everyday lives. As I mentioned, this is a touring exhibition, so it’s not going to be sticking around at the museum permanently, but you’ve got plenty of time to see it as it’s on from Friday 29th March right through until September, and I think it’ll be right up your street if you’re into fashion or if you want a bit of a blast from the past.
Newcastle Puppetry Festival – toon-wide – Sat 30th to Sun 7th April
Newcastle Puppetry Festival is basically taking over the city from Saturday 30th March until Sunday 7th April with a programme that is absolutely jam-packed with things to see and do, all following the puppet theme. It’s all kicking off on the Saturday with the City of Kittiwakes parade down Northumberland Street with hundreds of participants joining in with kittiwake puppets to celebrate the iconic birds that live under the Tyne Bridge. And that’s just the start, because following that is a week-long schedule of outdoor theatre, workshops, films, shows and so much more. I couldn’t possibly read out the whole programme, but for a taster, Ouseburn Farm have got a whole day of free activities this Sunday, there’s workshops at theatre at the Great North Museum: Hancock, and plenty of shows at Northern Stage, including one called Sea Dragon, which looks especially sweet. It sounds like it’s going to be a brilliant festival, so make sure you check out the Newcastle Puppetry Festival website to see the full programme and plan what you’d like to see.
Annual Duck Race – Alnwick Garden – Sat 30th March
We’re going from puppets to rubber ducks with the Annual Duck Race at Alnwick Garden. If you’ve never seen thousands of rubber ducks rolling down an ornamental waterfall fountain, then now is your chance! So how exactly does it work? Well you buy your duck through the Alnwick Garden website, then come the day of the race (Saturday 30th March), the ducks are released into the fountains. Winners are announced at the end of the race by surname and order number, and there are some great prizes up for grabs, like £200 for first place, meals out, tickets to local Northumberland attractions and lots more. All of this is in aid of the Northumbrian Blood Bikes too and what a fun way to support a charity. If you want to have a go, make sure you book your Alnwick Garden ticket and duck online.
Stockton Calling – Stockton town centre – Sat 30th March
Stockton Calling is back for 2024 and bringing a day of amazing music to Stockton town centre. This is a day-long festival that’s happening on Saturday 30th March in multiple venues across the town, like the ARC, The Georgian, NE Volume bar and so many more, and the schedule is utterly full to the brim with local, national and international talent. This year’s headliners are The Zutons who are most well-known for their hit song, Valerie, but there are plenty of acts to see throughout the day, like heartfelt indie rocker Ernie, the riotous alternative VENUS GRRRLS, and the genre-bending six-piece musical collective CVC, to name just a few. The festival has hosted unforgettable sets in recent years from internationally known bands like Circa Waves and Blossoms, so you never know, you might just discover the next big thing. Take a look at the Stockton Calling website to book tickets and view the schedule.
Houdini’s Greatest Escape – Darlington Hippodrome – Tues 2nd April
I’ve picked out a couple of things at the theatre to keep kids entertained during the school holidays, and the first is Houdini’s Greatest Escape at Darlington Hippodrome. This is on Tuesday 2nd April and follows Harry and Bess Houdini as they are framed for murder, just as Harry is on the cusp of worldwide fame for his magic and escapology stunts. Can they escape the plot and clear their name? You’ll have to go along and find out! It’s been dubbed as a laugh out loud show not to be missed with death defying escapes and incredible feats of magic, so it sounds fabulous. The Hippodrome is also running their Lucky Hipp promotion on this show where you’re assigned a random full view seat in the theatre for just £15 and don’t worry, all tickets in your booking will be allocated together, so if you fancy it, grab your tickets from the Darlington Hippodrome website.
Awful Auntie – Sunderland Empire – Thurs 4th to Sun 7th April
This is another great theatre option for over the school holidays, so we’ve got Awful Auntie at Sunderland Empire from Thursday 4th until Sunday 7th April. If you’ve got young kids, you might recognise the name Awful Auntie, as this show follows the storyline of David Walliams’ much loved book. When our main character, Stella, sets off to visit London with her parents, she has no idea her life is in danger! When Stella wakes up three months later, only her Aunt Alberta can tell her what has happened and it turns out that not everything she says is true. The tour of this show follows the outstanding productions of other David Walliams books, like Gangster Granny and Billionaire Boy, so I think we can expect great things. Make sure you take a look at the Sunderland Empire website for tickets.
Make sure you check back next week for more amazing events!
