What To Do This Weekend
New local openings, Living North Christmas Fair and must-watch TV - here's what to do this weekend
What’s New
There’s a great range of new openings to try out this weekend. It’s all go at Fenwick where the stylish play café Hopscotch has opened on the top floor, offering a place to relax and let off steam with the family. They have also just unveiled this year’s Christmas window and you can get a sneak peek of it here. Roker Records now has a permanent new home on Sunderland’s Fulwell Road where you can buy and sell records, both new and secondhand. This is also the opening weekend of Flight Club in Newcastle where you can get stuck into a modern take on darts and pub culture. Wet in York is a moody new bar offering contemporary small plates and Sunday roasts, and in Leeds you can now stock up on stoneware and ceramics by weight at Mondego’s new location on Wellington Road.
Light Up
We’re into Christmas light switch-on season, and Dalton Park is the place to head for a fabulous festive evening with a dazzling line-up of celebrations on Saturday 8th November. Expect a VIP Christmas light switch-on, firework display, and the grand opening of Santa’s Grotto. Hosted by comedian Alfie Joey (with special guest Steph Houghton), from 4.30pm guests can enjoy Christmas clowns and elves roaming around alongside a Toy Soldier brass band before the big switch-on. Dalton Park’s stores and restaurants will be open late for guests and on Sunday (9th), return for their fabulous Winter Artisan Market. Further south, Bradford is LIT will be lighting up the streets of the city on Friday and Saturday from projections onto the City Hall to towering light sculptures and an immersive experience in Norfolk Gardens. At Swinton Park Hotel, be dazzled by Luminescence, a new magical light trail snaking through 17 acres of woodland now open to visitors.
Out and About
Get out into the fresh air this weekend. Although most of the blackberries will be gone by now, November is still a good time for lots of other things like sloe berries and rosehips so head into the countryside and keep your eyes on the hedgerows for hidden treasures. Traditionally, you should wait until after the first frost for rosehips as it’s meant to turn them sweeter, but we love using sloe berries in everything from wine to syrup and jam. Want to know more? The Cramlington Forager, The Forager With, and Wild Food Foraging all offer fantastic foraging walks for beginners.
Fun at the Fair
Brand new for 2025, we’re bringing our fabulous four-day Christmas Fair to the North West this weekend (6th–9th) for the very first time! Join us for a jam-packed long weekend as the North’s most sought after Christmas shopping event opens its doors at Haydock Park Racecourse. Expect more than 150 carefully-selected stands, from artisan designer-makers, local food producers and fashion retailers to homewares, gifts and accessories, and of course special Christmas decorations. Tickets are available to buy on the door, and early bird discounted tickets are still available to buy for our York Christmas Fair, 20th–23rd November at York Racecourse.
Staying In
If you’re mourning the end of The Celebrity Traitors, there’s plenty of other great TV to keep you entertained. Series 10 of crime drama Shetland has returned to BBC One this week and Ryan Murphy fans will love the new All’s Fair that’s just landed on Disney+, following a group of cut-throat female divorce attorneys. If you really can’t make it through without your Traitors fix, catch up on all your favourite moments with The Celebrity Traitors: Uncloaked, a podcast helmed by Ed Gamble with unseen content from the castle. Here's our complete culture guide for what you need to see and listen to this November.
Book Ahead
Looking ahead to next week, don’t miss Rick Stein at Waterstones in Morpeth next Thursday (13th) where the beloved chef and author will be signing copies of his latest cookbook Rick Stein’s Christmas. This is the perfect winter kitchen companion filled with nostalgic flavours and festive staples, and makes a great gift for foodies. The event begins at 12pm and isn’t ticketed so arrive early to avoid disappointment.
