On 27 September 1825, a 26-mile journey behind the steam locomotive Locomotion No. 1 on the Stockton and Darlingtom Railway, transformed how the world traded, travelled, and communicated.  

This year, a 9-month international festival taking place across County Durham and Tees Valley will  celebrate the 200th anniversary of that epoch-defining first journey. The S&DR200 Festival will present a series of free large-scale outdoor spectacles, events, exhibitions and new art commissions from March to November. You can find more details here, and sign up for a newsletter with all the updates.

(If you can't wait, and need your fix of steam right now, pay a visit to Hopetown in Darlington, where you can visit the Stockton and Darlington Railway's 1833 Goods Shed, a railway station from 1842 and a carriage works from 1853. You'll discover lots of steamy ironmongery, over 30,000 railway heritage items, and your kids will enjoy the cafe and the railway-themed adventure play park.)

If you're thinking of coming to one of North Yorkshire's many world-class festivals, we suggest you book your accommodation as soon as possible! Cottage, B&B, hotel, caravan site, or camping field ... they all fill up fast.

2025 festivals in or near Richmond include:

​2 - 5 May: Richmond MayFest - MayFest takes place over the early May Bank Holiday, with loads of great music (which could include medieval bagpipers, jazz bands, folk singers and more), dancing and storytelling in and around Richmond Castle and Market Place. Many events are totally free. There are workshops and have-a-go opportunities galore, and children are sure to be kept busy and entertained.

24 May - 7 June: the Swaledale Festival - a long-established two-week festival of music (classical, jazz and folk feature strongly), guided walks, and talks, including the famous Reeth Lecture. Already confirmed for this year are Royal Northern Sinfonia, comedian Mark Steel, and twenty or more high-profile performers and entertainers. The walks will range from gentle ambles to more strenuous outings in the lovely Yorkshire Dales. Many visitors come from abroad and book for an entire week's stay - so don't delay!

19 - 28 September: Books and Boots, the Richmond Walking & Book Festival. Another long-established event, this, combining Dales walks at one of the best times of the year with talks and lectures in the evenings. The talks tend to be so interesting and entertaining that even the most exhausted walker will stay awake. Again, many visitors book themselves into Richmond's hotels for up to a week. (Stop Press! We hear that the historian David Olusoga is a confirmed speaker.)

To learn more about these festivals, including their evolving 2025 programmes, click the links above.

​To find somewhere to stay, visit our Accommodation guide. Move fast!

Let's be frank - January can be a pretty quiet month. Yes, there are still some indoor meetings and classes going on: a bookbinding workshop; a repair cafe; a number of quizzes; a wine tasting... And of course there are plenty of good films on at the three-screen Station Cinema. And the Castle is open at weekends - except when it isn't, because of thick ice on the paths. But there's no getting away from it: things are quiet. On the surface, anyway. ***

Below the surface, though... Well, you know what they say about a duck. All our major local attractions - Richmond Castle, the Georgian Theatre Royal, the Richmondshire Museum, the Green Howards Museum, Kiplin Hall and The Station - are gearing up for their 2025 re-opening, with new special exhibitions and displays and events and improved facilities and more. No details yet, but their websites will keep you posted. Their 2025 leaflets are in preparation, and we'll have those leaflets in the Information Centre just as soon as they come out. Watch this space.

*** Meanwhile, would you like to know about those quizzes, or the bookbinding, or the films? Pick up a copy of Richmond What's On from most Richmond shops, or visit richmondinfo.net/whatson. 
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There are warnings of severe weather this weekend and early next week: sub-zero temperatures and snow. Not ideal conditions for a sight-seeing visit to Richmond - but if that's what you've got planned, then please come prepared.

​Were you thinking of joining one of our free, guided town walks? Please call ahead to check: 01748 826468.

To a visitor from Canada or Siberia, this weather warning may sound like a joke - but you probably haven't met the cobbles in our Market Place. And freezing rain is horrible, particularly on steep streets. Take care!