A County Durham festival marking the 200th anniversary of the modern railway is set to kick off with an open-air live performance and drone show.
September 27, 2025, marks 200 years since the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, when a 26-mile stretch was opened between Shildon and Stockton, via Darlington. Two centuries later, and travel, trade and communications have been completely revolutionised by railways across the world.
The S&DR Festival runs from March to November and will launch with an event named All Change in Bishop Auckland next month. Highlights of the festival include a recreation of the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway with a newly commissioned replica of Locomotion No. 1, and a host of events at museums such as Locomotion and the newly-opened Hopetown in Darlington.
All Change marks the start of the festival at the home of Kynren in Bishop Auckland, where a historical theme park is set to open in 2026, and will speed through 200 years of railway history and major historical moments, from the Industrial Revolution and to world wars to the present – designed to celebrate the transformative power of trains. The show features performers from the local community who will be aided by large-scale set pieces, original music and drones to bring the railway’s history to life.
Niccy Hallifax, festival director, said: “It must have been magical 200 years ago to witness the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. With All Change, we aim to recapture that sense of wonder, bringing people together from all corners of the region and further afield for an awe-inspiring event.
“I hope we can create unforgettable memories for people of all ages, offering them an exciting glimpse of the region’s fascinating heritage while sparking further creativity and ideas over the years that follow.”
The S&DR Festival begins on Saturday, March 29, 2025, with All Change in Bishop Auckland. For more information on the festival across nine months, visit the website.
Join our County Durham WhatsApp community
Join our County Durham WhatsApp community for all the latest news County Durham news sent direct to your phone.
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press ‘join community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/county-durham-railway-festival-kick-30986625
