Designer Makers Market, The Witham, Barnard Castle on Saturday/Sunday, 10-4pm

Designer Makers Market showcases the very best regional designers and craftspeople, with original work and a strong up-cycled theme. Meet the designer makers and buy handcrafted goods of gallery quality.

Some will be demonstrating their skills and others will be running 'have-a-go' sessions.

  • Tel: 01833-631107. 

The Northern Echo:

New Light Prize Exhibition, The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle,  runs until February 18.

Hotly tipped as one of the most exciting contemporary shows in the North, this selling exhibition offers a range of prizes for work by Northern artists, with the overall winner awarded the prestigious Valeria Sykes Award of £10,000.

  • Tel: 01833-690606.

Christmas Food & Craft Market, Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, on Saturday/Sunday, 10-5pm

Set in the beautiful grounds of Auckland Castle, you will find over 40 stalls brimming with Christmas decorations, unique gifts and artisan food and drink. 

Enjoy Christmas music and the beauty of the Market Place in the heart of Bishop Auckland during the festive period.

  • Tel: 01388-743 797. 

BIG Little Gigs featuring The Beatles Unplugged, St Augustines Parish Centre, Darlington, 1-2pm

A fantastic opportunity to introduce your little ones to the music of The Beatles. The Beatles Unplugged, a tribute to the music of The Beatles, stripped down to the bare bones of vocals, acoustic guitar and basic drums.

Plenty of time to start teaching your children Yellow Submarine before the gig in time for a mass singalong.

  • Tel. 07786-065722.

Alessandro Taverna, Helmsley Arts Centre, on Saturday, 7.30pm

Alessandro Taverna is an Italian pianist, born in Venice in 1983. Alessandro has studied with Sergio Perticaroli at the Santa Cecilia National Music Academy in Rome and with Arie Vardi at the Hochschule fur Musik in Hannover.

He was selected for the prestigious Lake Como Piano Academy, where he had the opportunity to work with distinguished artists including Malcolm Bilson, Andreas Staier and Fou Ts’ong. 

Considering his incredible acclaims, it is a fantastic opportunity for us to be able to see his live piano recital. The day after the recital (Sunday), Alessandro Taverna, will again be at Helmsley Arts Centre for a ‘Masterclass’ for six lucky piano students, who have prepared a piece of music to play and with Taverna’s help, will develop their technical and musical awareness.

  • Tel: 01439-771700. 

Martyn Joseph, Hutton Rudby village hall, on Saturday, 7.30pm

Some have labelled him the 'Welsh Springsteen' and Q magazine calls him “One of acoustic music’s most original voices, and most forward looking of his generation of singer/songwriters”.

He is an incredible live performer and few who have seen him have left a gig unchanged.

  • Tel: 07981-260861. 

Scrooge! Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, on Saturday, 7.30pm

This festive musical, based on Dickens' much-loved A Christmas Carol, started life as the memorable 1970 film starring Albert Finney before transferring to the stage. 

Christmas Eve, 1843: the cruel money-lender Ebenezer Scrooge is confronted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley, who warns Scrooge that he faces damnation unless he mends his ways. Can Scrooge be redeemed? 

  • Tickets from £7.50 on 01748-825252. 

The Northern Echo:

Illuminated trail, York Museum Gardens, runs until January 1, 4.45-9.30pm

For the first time ever, the historic York Museum Gardens will be transformed into a magical after-dark experience filled with colour, music and the biggest display of lighting and special effects York has ever seen. 

The journey begins in a Christmas courtyard where visitors can enjoy festive treats such as mulled wine, hot chocolate and tasty local food, a vintage fairground ride and games stall, or even special UV face-painting. Wander beneath canopies of trees drenched with seasonal colour, and discover the 12 Frames of Christmas, the rainbow forest of musical trees, and a spectacular projection onto York’s iconic ruins of St Mary’s Abbey. 

Along the way children can find hidden Christmas messages in a unique game of UV hide and seek.