As part of this year’s S&DR200 celebrations, Hopetown Darlington will be front and centre of the festival as the home of the modern railway plays host to a free-to-visit thunderous reunion of six iconic steam legends. Standing proudly side by side, each locomotive is a roaring monument to Britain’s engineering might. Join in with a footplate tour of some of the locomotives and see the mighty Tornado and Sir Nigel Gresley in light steam.

Dates 

Saturday 20 September – Sunday 5 October, daily 10am-5pm (closed Mondays).

Book through Hopetown Darlington here.

Gareth returns to Hopetown Darlington to tell us how the railways fit into the future of mobility and civilization as a whole. He will talk about trains today, what we get right, what we don’t, and what lessons we can learn from two hundred years of modern railways. He’ll tell us which countries have the best railway systems and why. And he’ll tell us what role railways will have in shaping and sustaining our future, as we face down climate change, population and demographic changes and the threats of the rising power of the tech industry.

Date

Wednesday 10 September, 2pm-4pm

Book through Hopetown Darlington here. 

The talk will describe William Bouch’s contribution to railway development in the north east and give some of the background to how the profit-sharing management incentive scheme worked.

Neil Mackay chairs the North Eastern Railway Association and has made a special study of the Shildon Works Company using primary source material at the National Archives.

Dates 

Saturday 6  September, 2pm-4pm

Book through Hopetown Darlington here.

This family friendly exhibition, following Railway Pioneers: Celebrating the Railway Rockstars of the Past, is transporting us into the present and beyond. STEAM to the Future takes a playful look at the near and BlueSky thinking using commissioned art pieces showcasing the design and science behind the rail industry.

S&DR200 has commissioned an immersive installation by A.A.Murakami (AKA Studio Swine) inspired by steam as a source of power, and the chance to create a 22nd century inspired locomotive using virtual reality software.

All of our railway contributors are looking to the future and this is a glimpse into just some of the work that is underway to ensure the railways continue for another 200 years and how the rail industry is gearing up for a second revolution driven by the growing green technologies sector in the Tees Valley and County Durham.

Presented by S&DR200, ‘STEAM to the Future’ is the second of two exciting exhibitions being held in the Exhibition Hall* at Hopetown Darlington.

Dates

Friday 11 July – Sunday 5 October

Book through Hopetown Darlington here.

Darlington Pride is back this summer and there are plenty of activities lined up across the whole weekend! Pride is all about inclusivity and celebration, and for 2025 Pride in the Park (now Pride Picnic) is coming to Hopetown Darlington! Come and join the fun, celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, and create a party atmosphere!

Date

Sunday 10 August, 10am-5pm

Book through Hopetown Darlington here.

Join writer and broadcaster Christian Wolmar for an evening of history and discovery. This fascinating talk will cover 200 years of railway history. Based on his book ‘Fire and Steam’, Christian will delve into the dramatic stories of people and events that shaped the world’s first railway network.

Dates 

Thursday 10 July, 7pm-9pm

Book through Hopetown Darlington here. 

Dear passengers. It is time to board Experiment! Join Georgie and Stephen on a railway-themed time travel immersive experience ride – the only one of its kind in the North East!

Take an extraordinarily vivid journey into passenger rail travel! Starting right here in Darlington in 1825 with Locomotion No. 1’s first steam-powered passenger railway journey, take an exciting ride into the past to discover more about the history of the railways, and imagine where they will take us in the future!

Dates

Open daily (during opening hours)

Book through Hopetown Darlington here.

Comic Con returns to Hopetown Darlington for the whole weekend this summer! Summer con promises to be a great value day out for all the family offering photo opportunities, walkabout characters, traders and lots more – including celebrity guest appearances.

Dates

Saturday 5 July (11am-5pm) Sunday 6 July (10am-5pm)

Book through Hopetown Darlington Here.

Come and join the crew in our new Pirate Play, held in the theatre space at The Hullabaloo! We’ve got a giant deconstructed pirate ship with endless opportunities

for play. Pirate Play is free, and there’s no need to book – but there might be a wait in busiest periods.

Dates

4 August – 17 September

Book through the Hullabaloo here.

Come and join us on 2 August at The Hullabaloo for the Curious Takeover day! You can expect storytelling, workshops, arts and crafts and so much more! A day filled

with fun, free activities for all the family. Explore The Hullabaloo in all the colours of the rainbow this August!

Dates

2 August – all day

Book through the Hullabaloo here.