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Durham Miners Gala

@ Durham City

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The annual Durham Miners’ Gala is a unique and inspiring spectacle. It is Europe’s biggest celebration of community, international solidarity, and working class culture.

More than 200,000 people pack the streets of Durham to enjoy the sights and sounds of The Big Meeting.

People from across County Durham, the country, and much further afield, assemble in the city centre from early morning.

Beautiful banners celebrating the region’s history are carried through the city to the sound of brass band music, creating a wonderful feel of street theatre and celebration.

The procession passes below the balcony of the County Hotel, along Old Elvet to the Old Racecourse by the River Wear. By afternoon, tens of thousands of people have gathered to listen to speeches, browse stalls, enjoy the fun fair, and soak up the communal atmosphere.

At Durham Cathedral, bands play and banners are blessed during the moving Miners’ Festival Service.

Hosted by the Durham Miners’ Association since 1871, the Big Meeting is a vibrant carnival of hope and unity.

It is a living expression of the Durham Miners’ motto – ‘the past we inherit, the future we build’.

There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

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