The Village Green at Durham Miners' Gala
The Village Green
Durham City,
2026
*Producing
The Gala is one of the world’s biggest celebrations of community, international solidarity, and working class culture – attracting over 200,000 attendees each year – it’s an incredible showcase of collective action, hope, resilience and unity.
As the Gala grows, it continues to add breadth and depth to its programme. In 2026, a new dedicated section on the main Gala field will be established. The Village Green will draw together arts, culture, heritage and science in a new future focused arts and cultural space. Sitting in natural conversation with the historic Gala offering, The Village Green is where ‘the past we inherit’ meets ‘the future we build’.”
Audiences are invited to look back at the longstanding traditions and the legacy created here at the Gala, whilst simultaneously looking forward – they are invited to gather, imagine, create, discover and experience.
The Village Green – The Future We Build
The Gala’s industrial and heritage past is well documented. Woven through this is a rich history of creativity – from banners, placards and badges, to music, poetry and the Pitmen Painters. This wealth of ephemera continues to serve as inspiration for creative response and reinterpretation, shaping new traditions moving forward for the future.
At The Village Green you can expect a programme of artworks, showcases, performances and installations that celebrate the creative heritage and amplify future thinking in our region.
Interested?
Attracting 200,000 people each year, this unique gathering allows organisations and initiatives an unparalleled opportunity to engage with an audience, unlike any other.
We invite artists, collectives and organisations to take a stall in The Village Green. You can also talk to us about any programming offers you’d like to bring.
Please email hello@building-culture.org
Inspiration
From a traditional marquee stall setup to is something more adventurous – we encourage everyone to think beyond the expected.
Look at these video from last year to get an idea of how cultural offers can be brought to the field.
