Looking for something to do int the middle of October 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 10th October to Thursday 17th October.
Pumpkin Forest – Auckland Palace – from now until Thurs 31st Oct
We’re starting in Bishop Auckland for some family-friendly spookiness at Auckland Palace. We’ve got the Pumpkin Forest, a special night time event organised by The Auckland Project that sees the Palace’s gardens turned into a trail with over 600 hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins. There’s lots of different themes and characters to spot, like Beetlejuice, Harry Potter and the Wizard of Oz, and plenty of photo opportunities too. Also, this is a really great chance to get some inspiration for your own pumpkins. There’ll be food and drink available at around the trail as well, including seasonal light bites, hot cider and creamy hot chocolates, which will definitely get you in the autumnal mood. This is on now until Thursday 31st and the tickets are already very popular, so if you fancy it, book on The Auckland Project’s website now.
Oktoberfest Newcastle – Times Square – Fri 11th to Sat 26th Oct
While October means spooky season for some, it means Oktoberfest for lots of others and one of the biggest ones in the region is Oktoberfest Newcastle in Times Square. There’s multiple dates to choose from starting from Friday 11th until Saturday 26th, and thousands of people go to this, so it’s a pretty big deal and definitely one for people who want to get their party on this month. There’ll be bratwurst, pretzels, beer steins, lederhosen and some of Europe’s best oompah Bavarian bands, as well as cocktails and spirits for the non-beer lovers, so if you’re looking to enjoy a stein on the Tyne, check it out and book your tickets on the Oktoberfest Newcastle website.
Scream Factory – Kirkleatham Museum Grounds – from Fri 11th Oct to Sat 2nd Nov
For the daring among us, one of the biggest scare events in the North East is back and ready to welcome and frighten everyone. Scream Factory is a multi award-winning Halloween experience that’s held in the grounds of Kirkleatham Museum in Redcar and it starts from Friday 11th October until Saturday 2nd November. This event runs in a linear way, so you won’t be waiting in queues and you’ll get to go through every zone, including the new Tunnels of Terror, which sounds so terrifying. I’ve been a couple of times and even though you know the characters are all actors, it’s still so scary, and there’s even an isolation tour for the extra brave amongst us. And if you’ve got kids who want to get involved in the scaring, there’s a family-friendly twilight tour where little ones can meet familiar characters and do some trick or treating. There’s plenty of tickets left, so head to the Scream Factory website to book yours.
Pumpkin Garden – The Alnwick Garden – Sat 12th Oct to Sun 3rd Nov
This is another pumpkin-themed event, but this time, they’re taking over the Alnwick Garden. From Saturday 12th October until Sunday 3rd November, the gardens will be transformed in the Pumpkin Garden, with a sea of orange around every corner. There’ll be carved pumpkins scattered around the grounds to spot, a sandpit pumpkin patch, an autumnal scavenger hunt and plenty of opportunities for a seasonal selfie or two. There’ll also be a pumpkin drop at the cascade waterfall every day at 12pm and 2pm, so don’t miss out on that. The Pumpkin Garden is free when you buy garden entry tickets, so go and book yours and experience Alnwick in autumn.
Twisterella Festival – across Middlesbrough – Sat 12th Oct
Twisterella’s always a massive thing for Middlesbrough and this year is no different as it’s celebrating its tenth anniversary. So this festival is on all day on Saturday 12th and it centres around Teesside University and the venues on surrounding streets, like Southfield Road, and Baker and Bedford Street. It’s a multi-award winning music event that brings the best up and coming national, regional and local artists to the town, and it’s always a really great thing to go to and find your new favourite band. The organisers are also really good at spotting talent because Sam Fender played at Twisterella before he was a megastar, so you might just stumble across the next big thing. The line up this year includes The Howl & The Hum, Amelia Coburn and Shakk, among many others, and there aren’t too many tickets left, so if you’re free on Saturday and fancy some live music, check out the Twisterella website.
Halloween Spooktacular – Whitehouse Farm, Morpeth – Sat 12th and Sun 13th Oct
Whitehouse Farm are taking Halloween out into the countryside with their Spooktacular. They’ve crammed in as many activities as possible to keep families and little ones entertained on select dates, starting from Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th. There’s going to be a witch’s lair with immersive storytelling, a creepy walkway of terror, a spooktacular show with Magic Merlin in the grim grotto, and a pumpkin patch with a carving station. There’s also going to be fancy dress competitions, so make sure your kids turn up in their best scaring gear. And this is amongst all the other regular farm activities, like small animal handling, bird of prey meet and greets, pony grooming and so much more. This would be the perfect thing to fill a full day, so if you think your littles would love it, head to the Whitehouse Farm website to book.
Heathers the Musical – Stockton Globe – Tues 15th to Sat 19th Oct
The North East is saying greetings and salutations as it welcomes Heathers the Musical to the region. Following a smash hit in London’s West End and two record-breaking national tours, the show is heading to the Stockton Globe with a bang from Tuesday 15th to Saturday 19th. This dark comedy, rock musical is based on the teen cult classic film that starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, following Veronica Sawyer, a loner navigating life at Westerberg High School. She’s unexpectedly taken under the wing of the three beautiful and cruel Heathers, and her dreams of being popular start to come true. Then she meets the mysterious JD and things take a dark turn. There are still tickets left on the Globe website, but you’ll have to be quick to snatch them up if it sounds up your street!
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Newcastle Theatre Royal – Thurs 17th Oct
Last but certainly not least, we’ve got something a little bit different at Newcastle Theatre Royal. Showstopper! The Improvised Musical has had rip-roaring success since it first started in 2008 and since then, it’s had 15 sell out years at Edinburgh Fringe, two West End runs and it’s won an Olivier award, so it’s a pretty big deal. In the show, the audience meets a writer of musicals who is on a deadline and he needs their help. The audience shouts out suggestions of a setting, musical styles and the title of the show and they’re off! A brand new musical is woven together right in front of your eyes, all completely improvised but including fabulous dance routines, characters, songs and a storyline. It’s absolutely hilarious and I really recommend going to see it because you’ve got no idea what’s going to happen and every show is different. It’s on for one night only on Thursday 17th and there’s some last minute tickets available on the Theatre Royal website.
Make sure you check back next week for more amazing events!
