North East Blossom
As the days grow longer and the trees burst into beautiful bloom, explore a variety of blossom-inspired events across the North East, at National Trust places and beyond. From hands-on art sessions where you can create your own blossom-themed masterpiece, to wellbeing walks and inspiring garden talks, there’s plenty to enjoy right on your doorstep. Supported by Postcode Lottery players.
Durham
Go blossom spotting in Durham
This year, we’re joining up with partners across Durham City to celebrate the joy of Blossom and have created a Durham City blossom map features blossom hotspots that you can follow throughout the city.
Whether you’re commuting through the city, enjoying lunch in the park, or spending quality time exploring with the family, there’s a wide range of activities for you to join and experience blossom in different locations around the city.
You can use this map to see which places are taking part and find North East blossom hotspots, or download this Blossom in Durham PDF map here. And from early April you can pick up a free map at Crook Hall Gardens, the Oriental Museum and other venues across Durham, showing blossom hotspots, with routes to take you from city streets and visitor attractions to Durham’s green spaces.
Art and Photography student exhibition
As you wander around Crook Hall Gardens, discover creative responses to Blossom in an art and photography exhibition by students from the University of Sunderland. Students from the University of Sunderland’s Art and Photography departments have worked with us to create a creative response to blossom in and around Crook Hall Gardens. Their work captures the sensory delight of blossom and nature through a variety of pieces, from prints to photography, which you'll find dotted through the hall and gardens.
- Dates: Tuesday 12 May - Friday 12 June. Free with admission.
Origami and Calligraphy workshop
Have a go at origami and calligraphy in a drop-in workshop for all ages. Students from Durham's Teikyo University will be joining us, wearing traditional Japanese dress to set the scene. They'll introduce you to the traditional paper craft of origami, and the elegant artform of Japanese calligraphy, Shodo.
- Date and time: Thursday 28 May, 10am – 12 midday
Blossom & Play Creative Activities for Kinship Families in County Durham
Celebrate the season through a joyful programme of FREE creative activities designed especially for kinship families with children aged 5–12. Taking place at Redhills in Durham, this inspiring series invites families to connect through creativity, nature, and shared experiences, all under the theme of blossom and play. Families are invited to book onto one of the three creative morning workshop sessions at Redhills, as well as the special visit to Crook Hall Gardens.
Workshop sessions at Redhills Durham Miners Hall, Flass Street:
Thursday 28 May: Blossom Bathing Experience
Saturday 6 June: Creative Nature Workshop
Saturday 20 June: Creative Nature Workshop
Gateshead
Blooming June at the Tyne Derwent Way
Join us for a month of Blossom-themed activities to inspire you! Please keep yourself posted as to what is on offer: whether you like crafting, planting or walking and wheeling there is something for you!
Gateshead's green getaway - Tyne Derwent Way
Gibside
Verse & views: a spring poetry walk.
Calling all bookworms, canonical literature devotees and poetry connoisseurs… step into a storybook world with the Reading for Wellbeing Team from Gateshead Libraries. Expect a charming mix of classics and lesser‑known contemporary authors, inspired by blossom and spring nature.
- Date: Thursday 14 May. 10.30am-11.30am
Festival of Blossom: Our Story Isn’t Over art exhibition. An exhibition of women, recovery and renewal at Gibside.
- Dates: Until Monday 15 June, 10am – 4.30pm
- Location: Gibside, Free, admission applies.
Newcastle
Celebrate the arrival of spring with free blossom‑themed events across Newcastle, working with Ouseburn Farm. Enjoy blossom walks, crafts and family‑friendly experiences.
Blossom Walk and Sketch, Tuesday 26 May 11am - 12pm
Spend some mindful time outdoors sketching blossom (and whichever animals we pass on the way) before it disappears for the year.
Blossom crowns, Thursday 28 May 11am - 12pm
Come and hear how blossom is traditionally important to farmers and make a paper flower crown to take home.
Make a Paper Blossom Bouquet, Sunday 31 May 11am-12pm
Make a cute paper blossom bouquet in a little vase for your desk or table at home.
Blossom Grafting, Friday 29 May 11am-12pm
Blossom grafting, or grafting in general, is a horticultural technique where tissues of two plants are joined so they grow as one, allowing you to combine desirable traits like disease resistance or, in this case, beautiful blossoms!
Northumberland
Seaton Delaval Hall
Festival of Blossom
Saturday 9 May – Sunday 7 June 2026
Fall in love with blossom at Seaton Delaval Hall and across the North East.
Visitors can pick up a blossom map, take part in drop-in activities, or simply enjoy the uplifting impact of blossom in the landscape. It’s a chance to slow down, notice the changing season, and connect with nature and each other.
Blossom Exhibitions at Seaton Delaval Hall
Discover three inspiring blossom-themed experiences this spring. The Secret Bats of Seaton Delaval Hall (9 May–7 June) is a reflective installation by artist Amy Dover, revealing the vital links between bats, blossom and thriving ecosystems. Explore specially designed bat boxes across the Hall and grounds, featuring illustrated portraits of resident bats created with our bat ecologist. In the first week, visitors can join a gentle interactive erasure activity highlighting the impacts of environmental change.
Also on display, We Are Wildflower Women – Patchworked Care (9 May–7 June) presents a community quilt made by a women’s recovery group, celebrating healing and connection.
Visit the Blossom Hub in the Summer House to learn more or share your reflections.
Further afield in Northumberland
Celebrate cherry blossom season at The Alnwick Garden, home to the world’s largest collection of Tai‑haku cherry trees. From April to May, the Cherry Orchard bursts into bloom, inspired by the Japanese tradition of Hanami. Wander beneath 329 blossom‑filled trees, enjoy haiku poetry, family crafts and gentle moments of reflection, with evening tickets offering a quieter way to experience spring’s beauty.
Sunderland
Bloom Boom!
An open call for knitted, crochet or stitched flowers and bees. Do you love knitting, crochet and crafting? Or are you looking to be inspired to learn new skills?
Join us to celebrate the National Trust’s Festival of Blossom by making beautiful white and pink flowers to decorate community gardens across the city including Mowbray Park Community Garden and Just Let Your Soul Grow Community Garden. The call out for blooms closes on Wednesday 20 May, ready for a yarn bombing garden takeover during May half term.
The project has been inspired by the botanical drawings of Sunderland artist Charles Muir from our Museum collections.
- Date: the deadline for blooms is Wednesday 20 May
- Location: Drop them off at a collection point (or pop them in the post) - Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, SR1 1PP or Just Let your Grow Community Garden, SR5 1PW
For further information visit: Bloom Boom! | Sunderland Culture
Sunderland City Council
The first local Blossom programme, as part of the National Trust’s much‑loved national initiative celebrating spring and encouraging people to get outside and enjoy nature is being launched by Sunderland City Council.
Blossom officially launched in Sunderland on Monday 6 April, offering a programme of family‑friendly activities and opportunities to discover more about the city’s parks and green spaces.
Residents are invited to take part in a Blossom photography competition, opening on 6 April, by sharing photos of their favourite blossom trees. Winning images will be displayed at Washington Old Hall, a National Trust site.
Community groups, schools and residents can also get involved creatively by crocheting, knitting or embroidering wool and felt blossoms, which will be used to yarn‑bomb community gardens across the city. To mark Earth Day on 22 April, free blossom‑making sessions will take place in Mowbray Park Community Garden, where participants can learn new crafting skills.
The programme also includes storytelling and craft sessions for children, outdoor yoga and meditation, and guided walks at locations including Hetton Lyons Country Park and Elemore Country Park — offering something for everyone to enjoy nature at their own pace.
For more information, click here.
Take part in the Big Blooming Break
The Big Blooming Break might be over for another year but you can still enjoy a moment in nature as the last pink and white petals bloom. Whether it’s our blossom meditation, crafts you can do in a lunch break or ideas for neighbourhood nature walks, there are many ways to take a breather in blossom.
Where can you see hope blossoming?
A small moment. A quiet shift. Something you noticed today. Share a voice note on WhatsApp and become part of a growing UK-wide Soundscape of Hope, a collaboration between Wild Rumpus and National Trust. Send a blossom emoji to: 0800 222 9322.
Get walking with Go Jauntly
We've partnered up with Go Jauntly to create Naturehood, a series of guided walks available for free via the Go Jauntly app. With over 25 miles of walks, including three here in the North East, the app is designed to make exploring urban nature simple, fun and accessible for everyone.
