10 exhibitions and events you must visit in North East England in 2026

1. Monet: In the Presence of Nature at South Shields Museum & Art Gallery
2. Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry at Laing Art Gallery
3. Treasure: Hidden, Lost, Found at Great North Museum: Hancock
4. Northumberland Open Exhibition 2026 at Woodhorn Museum
5. HAPPY! at Hatton Gallery
6. Things That Go at Discovery Museum
7. The Late Shows 2026
8. The Northumberland Miners' Picnic at Woodhorn Museum
9. Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at Laing Art Gallery
10. After the Fire at Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort

But wait. There's more...

When was the last time you saw a Monet painting in South Shields? Well now's your chance, thanks to the National Gallery's Masterpiece Tour.

Claude Monet's 'The Petit Bras of the Seine at Argenteuil' is the star of the show. Did you know this painting has left London's National Gallery just once in the last 20 years? Did you also know that 'petit bras' means 'little arm' in French?

Alongside the Monet painting, this free exhibition includes wonderful landscapes by other artists, borrowed from the Laing and Shipley art galleries. There'll be a display of artwork by local schoolchildren too.

Monet: In the Presence of Nature | South Shields Museum & Art Gallery | 17 January – 25 March 2026 | free entry

This one's for people who appreciate beauty. 

The Laing Art Gallery team has created a major new exhibition about the Pre-Raphaelites. It's the first show (we know of) to explore the link between Pre-Raphaelite art and poetry in depth.

All the big names of the movement are represented: William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Ford Madox Brown, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, Arthur Hughes. 

But they'll sit alongside work by women artists like Elizabeth Siddal, Kate Bunce and Julia Margaret Cameron.

Expect a visually stunning show with art on loan from museums, galleries and collectors right across the UK. We'll be publishing an exhibition catalogue as well - the perfect coffee table book for lovers of art and literature.

Pre-Raphaelites: Art and Poetry | Laing Art Gallery | Newcastle upon Tyne | 17 October 2026 – 13 February 2027 | admission charges apply

What links Roman coins, Viking Age silver, and a buried stash of Tudor coins?

They're all things you can see in this glittering new exhibition which shows why buried history matters.

What is Treasure, exactly? What makes something valuable? Who does the past belong to? The answers to these questions will be revealed to you!

This is a family-friendly exhibition that adults will love too, with loans from the British Museum, the National Museum of Scotland and the Roman Vindolanda.

Treasure: Hidden, Lost, Found | Great North Museum: Hancock | Newcastle upon Tyne | 28 March – 20 September 2026 | free entry

Attracting submissions from artists across the North East, the annual Open Exhibition is the largest of its type in Northumberland. There are over 100 artworks for you to admire.

The Overall Winner and Highly Commended prizes are decided by a panel of professional artists and curators. 

But you can still have your say. Thousands of visitors vote to decide the People's Choice winner. And maybe that's the real first prize...

The Northumberland Open Exhibition | Woodhorn Museum | Ashington | 14 February – 10 May 2026 | included with Annual Pass admission

HAPPY! is a new exhibition created with the young people's group at Hatton Gallery.

What makes it special is that they're working with one of the UK's best private collections of modern and contemporary art - the Jerwood Collection.

So, alongside work by local young artists, you can expect art by Gillian Ayres RA, Yinka Ilori and Eva Rothschild.

Hatton Gallery is tucked away in the Fine Art building at Newcastle University but it's open to everyone so please don't be shy! It is an amazing space to explore and this show is bound to make you feel happy.

HAPPY! | Hatton Gallery | Newcastle upon Tyne | 14 February – 9 May 2026 | free entry

Discovery Museum is getting a new space for special exhibitions (we're saying a fond farewell to the old Working Lives gallery).

The inaugural exhibition is especially for families with kids aged 7 and under. Things That Go will be transport-themed, which is fitting given Tyneside's rich engineering, maritime and rail history.

From boats, buses and bicycles to tractors, trains and planes, get ready to explore the exciting world of transport through hands-on play and truckloads of toys. 

Sounds like fun!

Things That Go | Discovery Museum | Newcastle upon Tyne | summer 2026 (watch this space) | free entry

The Late Shows is NewcastleGateshead's annual culture crawl since 2007.

Across the weekend of Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May, scores of cultural venues open their doors in the evening. Think museums, galleries, libraries, art studios, heritage buildings, visitor attractions and creative hubs.

There are countless opportunities to 'give it a go', from screen printing to dancing.

This is the best way to 'do' The Late Shows: 

• Go somewhere you haven't been before
• Stay for 20 minutes
• Try an activity. Meet lovely people
• Move on to the next venue.

Whether you plan your route in advance or go with the flow, free buses help you get around on a cultural adventure as the sun sets.

Friday night focuses on the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. On Saturday night, the action moves to Newcastle city centre and Gateshead.

The Late Shows | Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May 2026 | venues across Newcastle and Gateshead | free entry

The Northumberland Miners' Picnic is an incredibly important celebration of mining tradition for the communities of Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth, Ellington and beyond.

But it's also a family day out that's tremendously fun, whatever the weather. Expect live music, street theatre, kid's activities, food stalls and special free entry to Woodhorn Museum.

The Northumberland Miners' Picnic | Woodhorn Museum | Ashington | a Saturday in June 2026 (watch this space) | free entry 

The Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award is a very prestigious painting competition organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London. The show includes 46 pictures, including the winning entry, Moira Cameron's self-portrait.

If that wasn't enough, it's two exhibitions for the price of one. The ticket also includes entry to Exploring Identity, a new curation bringing together some of the finest portraits from the Laing, Shipley and Hatton art collections.

Exploring Identity provides historical context to the Portrait Award show, and includes some big names from the world of art: Francis Bacon, Christina Robertson and the North East's own Norman Cornish.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 and Exploring Identity | Laing Art Gallery | Newcastle upon Tyne | 28 March – 5 September 2026 | admission charges apply

Around the year AD 300, a catastrophic fire destroyed many of the buildings at Arbeia Roman Fort, a key garrison and military supply base to other forts along Hadrian's Wall.

This new mini-exhibition explores what was rebuilt over the ruins and examines life at Arbeia during the fourth century, leading up to the end of Roman rule in Britain.

A visit to Arbeia to explore the fort site and reconstructed Roman buildings is always a fascinating trip out.

After the Fire | Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort | 30 March – 27 September 2026 | free entry

We have so much going on in 2026, we couldn't fit it all into a top 10 list. The best of the rest is listed below, and we'll keep adding more!

• See the Following the Eagle exhibition at Segedunum Roman Fort, Wallsend (30 March - 3 October 2026)
• Attend the Northumbrian Gathering and hear bagpipe performances at Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum (10-12 April 2026)
• See Mik Critchlow: The Coal Town Collection at Woodhorn Museum (Wednesday - Sunday)
• Take a Heritage Train Ride at Stephenson Steam Railway (Sundays during the April - October running season)
• See the Sublime Landscapes exhibition at Laing Art Gallery (until 5 December 2026)
• See the Streets Above exhibition at Segedunum Roman Fort (until 28 February 2026)
• See the Miniature Worlds exhibition at Laing Art Gallery (until 28 February 2026)
• See Chris Killip: The Last Ships at Laing Art Gallery (Monday - Saturday)
• See a Planetarium show at the Great North Museum: Hancock (daily)
• See the Collecting the Past exhibition at Segedunum Roman Fort (until 28 February 2026)
• See the Steam to Green exhibiton at Discovery Museum (until 6 September 2026)
• Join a Picture of the Month tour with the Friends of the Laing Art Gallery (every Saturday, 11am)
• See the Our Voice (Apni Aawaaz) display at Discovery Museum (until 31 May 2026)
• Explore the Saltwell Towers collection at Shipley Art Gallery (Tuesday - Saturday).