My top 30+ Autumn Events in the North East & North Yorkshire you should definitely book
- Kelly
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
Autumn is one of my favourite times of year to explore the North East and North Yorkshire.
The leaves are changing, the evenings are getting darker, there are pumpkins everywhere and suddenly there seems to be an event, festival or spooky adventure happening every weekend.
From steam trains and food festivals to Halloween trails, stargazing and spectacular autumn walks, here are 20 autumn events and experiences to add to your diary for 2026.
🍂 September
1. Tynemouth Food Festival
📍 Tynemouth Priory & Castle
Head to Tynemouth for a weekend of food, drinks and seaside exploring at the Tynemouth Food Festival, taking place 5–6 September 2026.
It's an easy one to combine with a walk along Longsands or a wander around the village.
2. Ushaw Flower Festival
📍 County Durham
A beautiful September event for anyone who loves flowers, gardens and photography.
Ushaw is transformed with spectacular floral displays, making this a lovely alternative to the bigger family events. 10th-13th September
3. Filey Kite Festival
📍 Filey
Look up rather than down at Filey Kite Festival.
Expect colourful kites, displays and plenty of fresh sea air — and combine it with a beach walk while you're there. 18th-20th September
4. Durham Heritage Coast
📍 County Durham
Not technically an event, but autumn is the perfect time to explore the Durham Heritage Coast.
Pack a flask, wrap up warm and make a day of walking the cliffs.
🍁 October
5. North York Moors Dark Skies Fringe Festival
📍 North York Moors
October is perfect for getting outside after dark.
The Dark Skies Fringe Festival celebrates the North York Moors' International Dark Sky status with stargazing, moonlit walks, workshops and other astronomy experiences. 23rd October - 1st November
6. Stephenson Steam Railway Autumn Gala
📍 North Shields
Steam train fans won't want to miss this.
The Autumn Gala takes place on 24–25 October 2026, with steam and diesel locomotives operating throughout the weekend.
7. Halloween at Belsay Hall
📍 Northumberland
Belsay Hall goes spooky for Halloween half-term from 24 October to 1 November 2026.
Perfect if you want Halloween atmosphere without necessarily going for a full-on scare experience.
8. Apple Week at Ampleforth Abbey
📍 North Yorkshire
Celebrate one of autumn's most underrated fruits with apple-themed activities, tastings and countryside scenery. 25th October - 2nd November
9. Moonlight on the Lake
📍 Scarborough
See Scarborough's Peasholm Park transformed with lanterns and illuminations during this atmospheric autumn event. From 23rd October
10. Illuminated Whitby Abbey
📍 Whitby
Whitby Abbey is atmospheric enough during daylight — but seeing it illuminated after dark is something else entirely.
The 2026 event runs from 23–31 October.
11. Whitby Goth Weekend
📍 Whitby
One of the most recognisable events on the Yorkshire autumn calendar.
The autumn edition runs 30 October–1 November 2026, making it an especially atmospheric time to visit Whitby.
12. Tomorrow's Ghosts Festival
📍 Whitby
If alternative music, gothic culture and Halloween are your thing, Whitby's Tomorrow's Ghosts Festival runs 30–31 October 2026.
13. Hocus Pocus Halloween
📍 Mother Shipton's Cave, Knaresborough
A magical Halloween option running 24 October–1 November 2026.
14. Halloween at Scarborough Castle
📍 Scarborough
Head to the castle for Halloween half-term from 24 October–1 November.
Historic ruins + autumn weather + Halloween is a pretty good combination.
🎃 Half-Term
15. Halloween at The Alnwick Garden & Lilidorei
📍 Alnwick
Expect pumpkins, potion making, spooky science and Halloween-themed activities.
This is one to consider if you have children of different ages because there are different levels of spooky fun.
16. Hallowtween at York Maze
📍 York
If your children have outgrown toddler Halloween events but aren't ready for the really scary stuff, look out for Hallowtween.
It's particularly suited to tweens and younger teens.
17. Crowes Wood Halloween Trail
📍 Kiplin Hall
A spooky autumn trail around the grounds of Kiplin Hall.
Ideal for combining with a wander around the estate.
18. Halloween at Whitby Abbey
📍 Whitby
Another excuse for a trip to Whitby during half-term, with Halloween activities running alongside the atmospheric abbey setting.
🍂 November
19. Explore the North East Museums autumn programme
Don't overlook museums once the weather turns.
North East Museums has autumn activities and exhibitions across venues including the Discovery Museum, Great North Museum: Hancock, Laing Art Gallery and South Shields Museum & Art Gallery.
20. Go stargazing
Finish autumn with a night under some of the darkest skies in England.
Northumberland International Dark Sky Park and the North York Moors are both brilliant places to experience autumn's earlier sunsets.
Top tip: always check the individual organiser before travelling. Event dates, booking arrangements and opening times can change.
21. 🚂 Polar Express at Beamish
📍 Beamish, County Durham📅 21 November 2026
This is a brilliant November option because it sits right on that autumn-to-Christmas crossover.
Beamish's recreated 1950s Grand Cinema is showing The Polar Express on Saturday 21 November at 2pm. Tickets are currently listed at £12.50 for adults and £10 for children, with advance booking required.
Perfect for: families who aren't quite ready for Christmas... but don't mind starting early!
22. 🎨 Acrylic Pouring Course
📍 Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead📅 7 November 2026
Fancy doing something creative rather than another outdoor adventure?
This workshop gives you the chance to make decorative homewares using acrylic pouring.
A great girls' day out, mum-and-teen activity or rainy November date.
23. 🧶 Christmas Needle Felting Workshop
📍 Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead📅 6 & 20 November 2026
November is the perfect time to start making those Christmas decorations.
These workshops let you make a needle-felted seasonal decoration, with the current programme listing snowman and gingerbread-man designs.
I'd definitely include this one because it's something a bit different from the usual Christmas markets.
24. ✍️ Digging Deep Creative Writing
📍 Woodhorn Museum, Ashington, Northumberland📅 6 November 2026
A lovely option for older children, teenagers and adults.
This volunteer-led creative writing group explores lives and landscapes, making it a really nice way to connect with Northumberland's heritage.
It's also a good alternative for people who aren't looking for a traditional family event.
25. 🎨 Saturday Art Class for 10–15 Year Olds
📍 Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle📅 7 November 2026
This is particularly useful for your Nefa audience because teen activities can be surprisingly difficult to find.
The Laing's monthly Saturday Art Classes are designed for 10–15-year-olds, with the November session taking place on 7 November.
26. 🖼️ Slow Looking at South Shields Museum
📍 South Shields Museum & Art Gallery📅 7 November 2026
A slightly more chilled-out option.
The Slow Looking session is part of the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour and encourages visitors to spend time really looking at and discussing art.
Good for a quieter family activity or an unusual mum-and-daughter/teen date.
27. 💃 Express Yourself Movement Session
📍 South Shields Museum & Art Gallery📅 7 November 2026
Another event connected with the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour.
This Express Yourself movement session offers something a little different from the usual museum workshop.
28. 👶 Crafty Kids
📍 Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead📅 3, 10, 17 & 24 November 2026
If you're writing for families with preschoolers, this is one to know about.
Crafty Kids is aimed particularly at 2–5-year-olds, with weekly November sessions listed at Shipley.
29. 📝 MotherFolk Writing Circle
📍 Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead📅 4, 11, 18 & 25 November 2026
This is more of a grown-up event, but could be a lovely addition if you want the article to appeal beyond families with young children.
It's a writing circle centred around making mothers the main character.
30. 🎬 Hocus Pocus at Beamish
📍 Beamish, County Durham📅 1 November 2026
If you want to squeeze one last Halloween event into the November section, Beamish is showing Hocus Pocus in its recreated Grand Cinema on 1 November.
It runs immediately after Halloween, so it's a nice bridge between your October and November sections.
31. 👽 Where Are the Aliens?
📍 Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre, Northumberland📅 21 November 2026
A great astronomy option for families with older children and teens.
32. 🌌 North Pennines Stargazing
📍 County Durham / North Pennines
November is one of the best times to make the most of the region's dark skies because it gets dark so early.
33. 🦉 An organised wildlife/night walk
Look for November owl, bat, astronomy and nocturnal wildlife events across Northumberland and Durham.
