The rigours of academic life at Durham are well underway again after the customary two weeks of introductory lectures and awkward seminars. As is the nature of a 10-week term, things start to ramp up around here in Week 3, as returners will be all too familiar with. Whether it’s your first Michaelmas at Trevs, your last, or somewhere in between, I thought it would be good to look ahead to a few of the highlights that this term has to offer to make a welcome respite from studying.
Bonfire night
If you’re looking for fireworks in the City Centre, the Durham Amateur Rowing Club’s annual fireworks evening is the only display that takes place in the confines of the city. Taking place on Sunday, 2nd November and priced at £4.50, you can enjoy fireworks above the river, with the venue located just past the Racecourse. Or, if you’re a massive firework enthusiast and willing to travel a little further, there is the Fireworks Extravaganza in Coxhoe the same night, and the Festival of Fireworks at Durham Cricket in Chester-le-Street on Saturday 1st November. For any history enthusiasts, there are also fireworks at Beamish Museum between the 2nd and 5th.
Lumiere
Lumiere is Durham’s bi-annual light festival that is spread out across the city, in essence, a walking tour of fantastic light displays. If you are a first or second year, this will be your first Lumiere and, sadly, it will also be your last. It has been announced that 2025 will be the last edition of Lumiere after a sixteen-year run dating back to 2009. If you needed any more of an incentive to experience the illuminations on show, this year’s display is now a true rite of passage. Tickets are available via the Lumiere website for the 13th, 14th, and 15th November, and are priced at free, albeit with a £1.50 booking fee.
Lumiere in Durham Market Square
Image: Luke Taylor
Live on the Hill
A highlight of the entire academic year, let alone Michaelmas Term, Live on the Hill is the biggest party night Trevs has to offer and arguably the best event put on by the Hill Colleges. Think live music in the dining hall, black tie, a culmination of the best musicians Trevs has to offer in the form of one big band and hit after hit for three hours of dancing that will go by in what feels like three minutes. Be warned, though, tickets sell out notoriously fast, often within two minutes of release. So, if you want to get your groove on, you’ll have to move fast. This year’s shows will be on 21st and 22nd November, with ticket information to be released closer to the time.
Edinburgh Christmas Markets Trip
Each year, the JCR hosts a trip to the Edinburgh Christmas Markets towards the end of term. You pay for your coach fee, which departs Trevs early in the morning and arrives back late at night, usually giving you around 6-7 hours of Christmas shopping, sightseeing, and food-tasting in the Christmas market in Edinburgh City Centre. For anyone who has never been to Edinburgh or simply never seen it at Christmas, this is a festive highlight of the Michaelmas calendar. However, if you don’t fancy the long day or want a more affordable option, Durham has its own Christmas markets running from the 5th to the 7th of December, featuring a vast array of festive-themed stalls. This makes a fantastic festive day out for those who prefer to stay close to home.
Edinburgh Christmas Markets
Image: Luke Taylor
Christmas Formal
The highlight of festive celebrations in college, the Christmas Formal is a great chance to socialise and get into the Christmas spirit before Michaelmas ends. Immersed in tradition, the formal includes carols, festive food and mince pies, the signature rendition of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas,’ and then a pantomime in the JKH afterwards. Surplus to the festivities, the Christmas Formal is an event which best captures the spirit of Trevs and brings together the College community across all years, and certainly not one to be missed.
The events above represent only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things to do this Michaelmas term, and there is a plethora of other exciting activities to be found in Durham. I recommend keeping an eye on communications from College for activities such as those within the Explore Programme, and from your departments, which often host fascinating supercurricular activities such as guest lectures, Q and As, and workshops with established guests and speakers. The Palace Green Library is also a hotspot for exhibitions, having had ones centred around the Magna Carta and Shakespeare this year alone. That is also without mentioning Durham’s vast array of quirky cafes and independent businesses that host events of their own. Keep an eye on social media, and who knows what might be found!
Overall, whether it is your first experience of Durham’s autumnal brilliance, which slips into winter festivities, or your nostalgia-tinted last, make sure to get out this Michaelmas and enjoy the vibrant culture the city and surrounding areas have to offer. There will always be another chance to study, but some of the activities above, like Lumiere, are very much finite.
Image: Luke Taylor
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