18/02/2026
Durham City will come alive with colour, dancing and music next week to celebrate the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival.
The city will ring in the Year of the Horse with an exciting line up of family activities and events, to mark the official New Year on 17 February.
Starting on Monday (16 February), Durham Amateur Rowing Club will host a Spring Festival Fireworks Celebration from 5pm.
A series of free events will then be on offer across the city centre on Saturday (21 February), for all ages to enjoy, organised by us and our partners, including Durham University , Durham Markets and Durham BID .
From 10.30am until 3.30pm, children can drop into Clayport Library to create their own lanterns and horse-themed paper crafts. Families can also enjoy drop-in language and calligraphy taster sessions with Durham University.
At 12.30pm, the traditional Lion Dance will make its way through the Market Place and city centre, with the Mayor hoping to catch the lucky lettuce to bring good luck to the city for the coming year.
From 1pm until 3pm, families with children aged between five and 11 can visit the Oriental Museum for free and make some decorations for the museum’s Year of the Horse celebration later this month.
Finally, from 2pm until 4pm, visitors can enjoy a performance of music, song and dance at Durham Town Hall as members of the Chinese Scholars and Students Association, the Han Fu Society and Durham Chinese School will take part in a music, dance and costume show, introducing traditional Chinese costumes and instruments.
Cllr Karen Allison, Cabinet member for leisure, tourism and high street, said: “We can’t wait to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year and welcome the Year of the Horse next weekend. The horse symbolises energy, opportunity and social activity which will be on offer in abundance across the city centre.
“Alongside a host of free activities, visitors can experience different cultures and traditions, create their own crafts and come together to celebrate and experience an incredibly warm welcome to Durham.”
A full programme of events can be found at www.thisisdurham.com/chinese
