Who will be appearing as part of our cultural programme in 2025
Take a look at our amazing line up for the weekend. Dancing ‘grannies’, Lollipop Ladies, steel bands, and theatre acts are among the free family acts performed at the festival.
Lollipop Ladies
Appearing Saturday and Sunday
Located throughout the day at Bondgate, Market Place and Newgate Street
With excessive enthusiasm and a slippery grip on reality, the Lollipop Ladies are here to help and hinder. Fluorescent and effervescent, the 64th emergency service, the luminous hand of the law, they are a veritable flurry of fluoro. Experience their traffic-trauma, delight in their neon neuroisis, and cross them at your peril!
Granny Turismo
Appearing Saturday and Sunday
Located throughout the day at Bondgate, Market Place and Newgate Street
Meet the World’s first dancing shopping trolley act! The ladies from The Grannies have been delighting audiences since 2009 are now one of the most talked about acts around. The show has universal appeal and is part walkabout, part circle show and wholly engaging. When these girls come ’round to perform their amazing shopping trolley act, everyone takes notice.
Bell & Bullock
Appearing Saturday and Sunday
Located throughout the day at Bondgate, Market Place and Newgate Street
Meet Capt Bullock riding Polly and Meranda the drop dead gorgeous Mermaid!
Captain Bullock rides Polly, his temperamental giant parrot puppet liable to cause mayhem anywhere within a 2 metre radius, on a quest for treasure, birdseed and romance.
Meranda, the gorgeous Mermaid, is a temptress in all her fishy glory. She rides a beautiful seahorse puppet drawn chariot, spreading beauty tips and amorous looks on her continued quest to find and catch a handsome and largely unsuspecting sailor in her large shrimping net. Will the Captain fall for her ravishing beauty and scaly seductiveness?
North Tyneside Steel Band
Appearing Saturday and Sunday
Located at the Monument
Founded in 1989, North Tyneside Steelband are one of the oldest bands in the North East and perform nationally and internationally at official, corporate and private functions.
The band is a charity with the aim of advancing the abilities of children, young people and adults alike in the art of steel pan. The band would not be able to operate without kind donations for performances and busking, which allow the band to teach and promote carribean music to people across the North East.
Citizen Songwriters
Appearing Saturday
Located at the Monument
Citizen Songwriters’ Sam Slatcher and Alex Summerson will be sharing original songs about County Durham, drawing from their time running community songwriting projects. From stories of seeking sanctuary, to tales from the rails, their songs will inspire you to look again at the rich cultural heritage of the North East.
Citizen Songwriters is a social enterprise that aims to strengthen communities, support people who are socially isolated, break down barriers and enable individuals to discover their story and participate in the cultural life of their community.
Stanley Youngman
Appearing Saturday and Sunday
Located at No 43 on Saturday and the Bath Corner on Sunday
Stanley is a brilliant street circus performer with over 20 years of experience.
He has a diverse show with skills from the circus which he brings to the street. Including diablo, juggling, rola bola and fire juggling.
His show is interactive and engaging and leaves a long-lasting impression on his audience.
BubblePlay
Appearing Saturday and Sunday
Located at the Bath Corner on Saturday and No 43 on Sunday
Bubble specialists BubblePlaY are the bubbliest entertainers around! BubblePlaY magical soap bubble displays will mesmerise children and charm the grown-ups. Bringing fun and joy to the festival!
The Rock Choir
Appearing Saturday
Located in the Palace Grounds
Highly-regarded for its standard of excellence, its educational approach and outstanding well-being results, the unique Rock Choir Experience has attracted a membership, nationwide, of over 30,000 individuals as well as experiencing a high media profile.
Members come from all walks of life and mainly have no music experience at all but build their confidence in each rehearsal as their voice blends with those around them.
Steve Pledger
Appearing Sunday
Located at the Monument
Steve Pledger is an award-winning singer/songwriter and performer. He has been described as “a master of his craft” by folking.com and FATEA Magazine wrote that seeing him perform live is “a privilege to witness.”. Performing at this year’s Food Festival, expect a selection of original songs, together with well-known covers, all presented with Steve’s passionate delivery.
Arts and Crafts Workshops with Daisy Arts
Saturday and Sunday
Throughout the festival Daisy Arts will be offering Tote Bag Lino Printing and crafts for children in the crafts gazebo.
Stefan Gates Gastronaught Extreme Rude Science show
On Monday 3rd March 10 schools from the Bishop Auckland area attended this free event at Bishop Auckland Town Hall as part of our festival outreach work part funded by Bishop Auckland Town Council.
Stefan’s show includes live science experiments and is packed with demos: glowing drinks, food rockets, edible chemical reactions, exploding milk, imploding cola cans and food flamethrowing. He even explores digestion using the world’s loudest f*rt machine.
Latest festival news
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First chefs announced for Bishop Auckland Food Festival
A Sunday Brunch host, social media baker, and a MasterChef champion are among the celebrity chefs who will appear at this year’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival.
Dates announced for Bishop Auckland Food Festival 2025
Food fans are encouraged to save the date for the return of one of the region’s biggest food festivals. Durham County Council has confirmed Bishop Auckland
Enjoy a jam-packed weekend -
why not plan ahead?
The food festival brings together traders and producers from across the region to sell their delicious treats. Soak up the atmosphere with live music and attractions and buy lots of goodies to take home too.
