Durham’s newest cultural venue, The Light, will open its doors at Aykley Heads on Saturday 22 August 2026, bringing a weekend of free family activities, live performances and exhibitions to the city.

The Durham County Council venue has been created in the former home of the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery. Its opening programme is designed to introduce visitors to the building’s new role as a centre for art, innovation and history, while offering activities throughout the rest of the summer holidays.

What is happening on opening weekend?

The opening celebrations will begin on Saturday 22 August. Visitors will be able to view The Light’s inaugural exhibitions, relax with picnic blankets or deckchairs in the grounds, and watch live outdoor performances.

Pittington Brass Band will perform a series of sets on the Saturday. The Cequin Circus will also appear, with stilt walkers, disco-ball-headed dancers and a choreographed fire-spinning performance.

Sunday’s programme will include live music from North East singer-songwriters Steve Pledger, Ani Sandwith, Sam Slatcher and Hels Pattison, as well as further performances by The Cequin Circus. Children and families can also take part in science-inspired lawn games and activities.

Inside the venue, free drop-in creative experiences will include making lanterns for a growing illuminated sculpture. Visitors can also experiment with fluorescent materials in a glowing creative playground, where drawings and messages will become part of an evolving light installation.

Summer holiday workshops at The Light

The opening programme will continue into the final weeks of the school holidays with artist-led workshops inspired by light, colour, perception and imagination. The sessions are aimed at children aged eight and over and will run daily from 11am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 3.30pm. Tickets cost £8 per child, with an accompanying adult admitted free.

  • Monday 24 August: Geli printing with Nick Christie, using gelli plates, stencils and natural materials.
  • Tuesday 25 August: Watercolours with Suzanne Williams, exploring abstract painting, colour and light.
  • Wednesday 26 August: Sunlight Guardians mixed media workshop with Stephanie Archer, followed by a torch-lit art, storytelling and science activity.
  • Thursday 27 August: Marvellous mosaics with Susan Warlock, using tumbled glass.
  • Friday 28 August: Cyanotype Printing with Botanicals, using plants and natural materials from The Light’s grounds.

Free lawn games for children will run from 10am to 5pm each day. Additional free drop-in workshops, running from 11am to 3pm, include Galaxy Pinwheels with Jenny McNamara on Saturday 29 August and Drawing Sculptures with Zara Worth on Monday 31 August.

Exhibitions, tickets and parking

The Light’s inaugural exhibition, Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light, brings together works by artists including Tracey Emin, Dan Flavin, Olafur Eliasson and Chila Burman. It explores light as both a subject and a material, with themes including perception, nature and the cosmos. The exhibition will run until Sunday 17 January 2027.

A permanent exhibition, We Are The Durhams: The Durham Light Infantry Exhibition, will use images, sounds, hands-on activities and sensory experiences to explore identity, belonging and community through the venue’s military heritage.

Entry to The Light and We Are The Durhams is free. Tickets for Victory Over the Sun can be booked online for £10 for adults and £2.50 for under-18s, with two-hour timed entry slots. An exhibition season pass costs £25. Tickets bought at the door will cost £12.50 for adults and £2.50 for children.

Parking at The Light on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August will be limited to Blue Badge holders. Other visitors should follow the temporary yellow event signs to County Hall car park, where free event parking will be available. A signposted pedestrian route will connect County Hall with The Light. Visitors with very limited mobility can use a designated accessible drop-off point in the turning circle beside the Blue Badge parking area.

The venue will also include spaces for talks, workshops and live events, a café with an outdoor terrace overlooking the grounds, and flexible rooms for meetings and private hire. Durham County Council said details of The Light’s autumn and winter programme would be announced next month.

Councillor Karen Allison, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for leisure, tourism, regeneration and high street, said: “It’s not every day you get to launch a venue as special as The Light, which is why we are pulling out all the stops to deliver an unforgettable opening weekend.”

She added: “The Light represents a significant investment in culture. Not only will it entertain and inspire our communities, it will help to raise aspirations among young people and attract more visitors into the county, boosting our £1.5 billion tourism economy.”

For workshop and exhibition bookings, visit thelightdurham.org.uk. Updates are also available from @thelightdurham on Facebook and Instagram.