Northern Kin Festival Event Info

Northern Kin is located at the picturesque USHAW HISTORIC HOUSE, CHAPELS & GARDENS, WOODLAND ROAD, DURHAM, DH7 7DW

(WHAT 3 WORDS FOR LOCATION: earplugs:ideal:episodes)

Food & Drink

Our beautiful new site has huge food and drink improvements. We're further expanding our range of food traders and can guarantee that a new, larger range of all kinds of food (including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options) will be available right through the festival in our new Food Court area, at competitive prices. We're using festival bar specialists to run multiple bars at the site, including a new, bigger, real ale bar, with more choice, premium bar with specialist options, and can bar, all with the same competitive drink prices and more bar staff to make sure you’re not queuing. We want you to have a great time without making a hole in your wallet!

Northern Kin's Beautiful New Site

Our operations team have been working incredibly hard in the background over the last 18 months, engaging with government and industry bodies to plan for all eventualities. One of the things that has become very clear during that time is that space will be a key requirement for all events in the summer of 2021 and beyond. Those familiar with Northern Kin Festival will be aware that while the previous site was incredibly friendly and atmospheric, it was cosy to say the least. To ensure that Northern Kin could take place in the immediate post-restrictions period, our team worked tirelessly through a lengthy process to secure a new site, within Stanhope, which afforded a much more usable space. Since then, however, it became clear for various reasons that the new site location would not be workable with the number of people wishing to camp on the remote sites and use shuttle bus services.

We had to take the decision this year to relocate the site at a venue we had been looking at the possibility of using in the future and due to the logistics restraints that would clearly have otherwise hampered this year's festival, the difficult decision to leave Stanhope was taken in August. We appreciate that is not a popular decision for the residents of the local villages, but to secure the future of the festival there were many improvements we needed to make, so the move to our new home at the Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens will prove to be the best decision for the whole festival and improvements will include:

A much bigger site with lots more camping room for everyone
TWO stages of music and DJs, giving lots more bands the chance to play Northern Kin (more artists to be announced for this year, from next week).
Much closer and easier access by road, for over 95% of all our festival-goers
Quicker, easier access into the camp site, when you arrive
Much better and closer disabled camping access and day car parking
Thursday night camping available from this year - arrive Thursday evening and get settled in early with no rushing over on Friday morning
Huge single field - everyone in one place
No shuttle buses, so everyone can walk to the music within 5 minutes
Much easier access with public transport links for non-campers and taxi drop off/pick up
Campsite village from 9am to 1am with bar and food
Double the number of bars to save queueing and lots more tables and chairs and seating room outside
Room for more catering options and lots more variety
Large trader and activities show area - lots more to do and see, in addition to the music
A picturesque and much more secure, enclosed site, in a stunning location
Glamping options coming in 2022

Parking & Free Shuttle Bus service

There is free vehicle parking for non-campers, in the main site, next to Camp Site C, which will be clearly signposted on the weekend.

A free return shuttle bus service will run throughout the event weekend, to take Weardale residents to and from the music arena for those people coming from Stanhope, Frosterley and Wolsingham. For full details please click on the poster opposite.

You can reserve your shuttle bus tickets, if preferred, by simply emailing us via our Contact Page.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE BUSES ARE RUNNING APPROXIMATELY EVERY HOUR AND THE FINAL BUS FROM STANHOPE TO THE FESTIVAL EACH NIGHT WILL BE AT 7PM BUT THE BUSES BACK FROM THE FESTIVAL TO STANHOPE WILL RUN UNTIL ALL PEOPLE HAVE LEFT THE SITE BY MIDNIGHT.

What Can You Bring Into The Music Arena?

Folding chairs and picnic blankets can be brought into the festival but there will be a standing area close to the front of the stage where they can't be located.
Campers - you may bring food and drink on the camp site when you arrive, for personal consumption in the camp site only.
When entering the music entertainment area, a small food picnic in a bag or holdall is allowed (no rucksacks or large cool boxes, for safety and security reasons), plus one 500ml plastic, sealed and previously unopened bottle of soft drink or water per person is permitted. However, your own alcohol may not be consumed in the designated entertainment area due to licensing restrictions.
Free drinking water will be provided so you can bring in an empty reusable plastic or aluminium bottle for refills.
NO GLASS or metal utensils are allowed on the site due to Health & Safety restrictions.

Information for our disabled guests

If ordering camping tickets, if you are a Blue Badge Holder you can also order a free Disabled Camping Area Permit (in addition to your camping tickets) which permits you to camp in the Disabled Camping Area, located closest to the music entertainment area.
If you need accompanying by a carer, a free carers ticket is available. Please email us via our Contact Page to confirm your details and ticket(s) order number and we will email you back a link to download one free carers ticket.
Disabled toilet facilities are available throughout the festival site.

Dogs

Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead at all times, with any fouling picked up and disposed of in the appropriate area. If your dog shows any signs of distress when near the music area please remove them for their welfare.

Security & Medical

There will be full 24 hour security and a medics team on site throughout the weekend.

Site Access Times

Day Visitors
Friday Access: 2pm – Midnight
Saturday Access: 11.00am – Midnight
Sunday Access: 11.00am – Midnight

Campers*
Thursday Early Arrival Access: 5pm -11pm
Friday Access: 12noon - 8pm
Saturday Access: 8am - 5pm
Sunday Access: 8am - 5pm

* The above times are for vehicle access in order to enter the site and set up your camping pitch. If you cannot access camping between these times just email us and we will make special arrangements for you to come in at a time convenient to you.

Directions from the North

FESTIVAL MUSIC SITE, ALL CAMP SITES & DAY VISITOR PARKING

From the North A1(M):
Exit the A1(M) at junction 53. At the roundabout take the 3rd exit "A167" through Chester-le-Street. Continue on A167 south for 8.4 miles, past the roundabout for the park and ride, and past the roundabout which crosses the A691.

Continue southwards on A167 past Durham Johnston school on the left, prepare to turn right at the next set of traffic lights.

After turning right at the traffic lights, continue for 2.6 miles through and past Bearpark. The festival site is on your right.

Directions from the South

FESTIVAL MUSIC SITE, ALL CAMP SITES & DAY VISITOR PARKING

From the South A1(M):
Exit the A1(M) at junction 60. At the roundabout, take the first exit onto A689. In 2.5 miles at the roundabout take the 4th exit onto A167 north. Continue on A167 north for 8.7 miles to Neville's Cross traffic lights, past Chilton, Ferryhill, Thinford and Croxdale.

At Neville's Cross traffic lights continue northwards on A167, under a footbridge, and passing a veterinary practice on the left. When you see a small Sainsbury's store on the left, indicate to turn left at the next traffic lights.

After turning left at the traffic lights, continue for 2.6 miles through and past Bearpark. The festival site is on your right.

Items Prohibited From The Event

Items Prohibited from all Areas of the Event:

Aerosols over 500ml, Air horns, Fireworks, Flares, Glass of any sort, Illegal Substances, Drugs, "Legal Highs" (as covered by PS16 Legislation or as otherwise determined by Security, including, for clarification, Nitrous Oxide), Unidentified Substances, Any Other Illegal Item, Laser Equipment, Laser Pens, Megaphones or any other item designed specifically to amplify sound, Chinese Lanterns or similar items, Petrol Burners, Sound Systems or Other Speakers, Tabards or other items of high visibility.

Items Prohibited from the Arena but Permitted within the Campsite:

Bags larger than an A4 size, Bags or other Carriage Items which cannot be fully searched or split to allow searching, Alcohol of any kind, Camping Equipment including any type of cooking equipment, Any drink in a container capable of holding more than 500ml or any drink where the seal applied by the manufacturer has been broken.

Right to Refuse Possession:

The organisers of Northern Kin Festival, in line with their belief that safety of the overall event and it's attendees should be prioritised above the convenience or wishes of any one person, reserve the right for any representative, including but not limited to any authorised security personnel, to refuse permission to any person access to the event or any area within that event while in possession of any item which they or their representative deem to be unsafe, undesirable or unwelcome in any way. The decision of Management in this respect is final and there is no recourse, other than the consumers' statutory rights, which are respected throughout.

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