(Image: Bishop Auckland Family Festival)
Bishop Auckland is welcoming a weekend of fun as its annual Family Festival is back.
The event will be held at Jane Armstrong Park this Saturday (August 15), with over 4,000 attendees expected.
The festival started in 2024 and has steadily grown each year. Each iteration of the festival has seen a different theme - and 2026 is no different, with all things ‘carnival’ on show.
The best part is that it's free to attend for the whole family.
Festivalgoers can also enjoy several music stages, a circus, magic shows, carnival games and even a Birds of Prey Show.
A picture of this weekend's itinerary (Picture: Bishop Auckland Family Festival)
(Image: Bishop Auckland Family Festival)
The event is not ticketed - residents are able can turn up free of charge, although some stalls will require payment.
Thomas Wales, the director of founding company Baccanalia, explained: “We're a non-profit company, and we're constituted to bring cultural and social engagement to communities across County Durham at low cost.”
He continued: “Sometimes things are free, sometimes there's a charge, but we try and work with councils and groups like social housing companies to generate the revenue to put these events on so that people don't always have to pay.”
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While the event is free, Mr Wales has urged festivalgoers to "help where they can" by utilising the vendors to balance out some of the cost.
With the festival targeted at the two adjacent estates, most attendees will be walking over to enjoy a fun-filled day out, but there is limited parking available in surrounding streets.
The park is also relatively flat and while some attractions sit on the grass, the event as a whole is accessible.
Bishop Auckland Family Festival starts at 11am and runs until 4pm, with temperatures set to rise north of 20C, making Bishop Auckland Family Festival the perfect place to enjoy the sun.