A much-loved steampunk festival bringing colourful costumes, traders and Victorian-inspired entertainment to a historic Darlington attraction has been cancelled for 2027.
Tees Cottage Pumping Station, on Coniscliffe Road, has announced there will be no Steampunk Weekend next year after organisers made the "sad" decision to call off the event.
The festival had provisionally been pencilled in for May 15 and 16, 2027, but the team behind the Victorian waterworks museum confirmed the dates have now been cancelled.
In a statement posted on Wednesday (October 7), the Tees Cottage team said the decision had been made after "a lot of thought".
Steam Punk festival 2025
They said: "A bit of sad news.
"After giving it a lot of thought, we've decided that there won't be a Steampunk Weekend at Tees Cottage Pumping Station in 2027.
"We had pencilled in for May 15 and 16, 2027 but sadly, we've had to cancel the event.
"A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the event over the years, our Steampunk visitors, traders and, especially, the volunteers who have put in so much time to make the weekends happen."
The festival has become a colourful fixture at Tees Cottage, bringing the steampunk community together against the backdrop of the historic pumping station.
Previous events have featured elaborate costumes, traders, entertainment and demonstrations of the site's historic machinery.
However, organisers said they had reached the point where they could not continue to do everything.
The statement continued: "Sometimes, though, we have to accept that we can't keep doing everything, and we think this is the right decision for Tees Cottage at the moment.
Steam Punk festival 2025
"The good news is that Tees Cottage isn't going anywhere. Our other events will still be going ahead in 2027 and we very much hope you'll come and see us.
"Thank you for your understanding and for all the support you've given us over the years."
Festival-goers reacted with disappointment to the announcement.
One resident said: "As a local steampunker, that is sad news. But it's a fabulous venue with amazing engineering and great people. Good luck with everything you do in the future."
Steam Punk festival 2025
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Another added: "Only came to this year's Steampunk, it was brilliant. What a shame but these things happen."
The historic pumping station dates back to 1849 and helped bring a cleaner piped water supply to Darlington before extending its service to Stockton, Middlesbrough and Yarm.
Before the station's piped supply, Darlington homes and businesses relied on contaminated ground wells, polluted rivers and rainwater tubs.