Houghton Feast: Houghton-le-Spring's October Festival

Every October, Houghton-le-Spring holds a festival that is older than almost anything else in the Sunderland calendar. Houghton Feast runs for around ten days, with a fairground, a parade, fireworks, church services and a long list of community events. It has its roots in the 12th century and owes much of its character to a 16th-century rector who fed the poor of his parish. This guide covers where the Feast came from, how it runs today and how to get there.

A dedication festival

Houghton-le-Spring's parish church is St Michael and All Angels, and the Feast began in the 12th century as the church's dedication festival. Michaelmas, the feast of St Michael, falls on 29 September, close to the Feast's October dates.

The church itself is the heart of the old town. It is Grade I listed and dates from Norman times, though the site is far older. When the church was refurbished in 2008 and 2009, excavations found Roman remains and a circle of whinstone boulders that may point to worship on the site in Neolithic times. A Saxon doorway was also uncovered, that can now be seen through a glass panel in the floor. About half of the present building dates from the 1300s, including the central tower, and the north wall and roof are Victorian. It stands in a conservation area alongside Kepier Hall and the old almshouses.

Bernard Gilpin, the Apostle of the North

The figure most closely tied to the Feast is Bernard Gilpin, rector of Houghton-le-Spring from 1557 until his death in 1583. At the time Houghton was one of the largest parishes in England, and Gilpin travelled widely through the remote north preaching, which earned him the name "the Apostle of the North".

Late in the reign of Mary I he set out for London but broke his leg on the journey, and by the time he arrived Mary was dead and her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth was on the throne.

Gilpin's hospitality became legendary. His household got through forty bushels of corn, twenty bushels of malt and a whole ox every fortnight. Every Sunday from Michaelmas to Easter he kept open house, with three tables laid: one for gentlemen, one for farmers and one for day labourers. He also built and endowed a grammar school, which continues today as Kepier School. He died on 4 March 1583, several weeks after being badly injured by an ox that ran at him in Durham Market Place, and his tomb is in St Michael's.

Gilpin expanded the Feast in the 16th century, and the ox roast that became one of its traditions commemorates his feeding of the poor. The Feast grew again in the late 18th century, when it became connected with horse racing.

What happens at the Feast

The exact programme changes from year to year, but the 2026 Feast, which ran from Friday 2 to Sunday 11 October, gives a good idea of what to expect.

The fair. Murphy's Funfairs set up on Houghton Rectory Playing Field for most of the Feast, from 2 to 10 October in 2026. The fair has a long family connection with the event: the John Murphy fairground model show at Kepier Hall, in its ninth year in 2026, honours John Murphy, who supported Houghton Feast for 70 years.

Parade day. In 2026 most of the celebrations fell on the first Saturday, Saturday 3 October. The day included the Houghton primary dash, a road race along Newbottle Street in which local primary schools compete for a trophy and medals, followed by the Feast parade at 2pm and a rugby match at 3pm. An exhibition of old photographs from the Houghton Heritage Society archives was hung along the Rectory Park railings for the day.

Sunday. The civic service is held at St Michael and All Angels on the first Sunday morning, followed by community hymn singing in the evening.

Through the week. The fireworks display came on the Monday evening in 2026. A variety show at the Zazz Theatre, a ceilidh in St Michael's with the Seaham Music Academy Ceilidh Band, art exhibitions, a car show and a pet service filled the rest of the week.

Best for: Dates and times are set afresh each year. In 2026 the Sunderland Echo published the full programme in late September, so start looking then, and check St Michael's own website for church events such as the civic service and ceilidh.

The ox roast

The ox roast is the tradition most associated with the Feast, because it links the modern event directly to Gilpin. We could not confirm from the 2026 programme whether an ox roast took place that year, so if it is the reason for your visit, check the year's programme first.

Getting there

Houghton-le-Spring is in the south-west of the city of Sunderland, about seven miles from Durham. Newbottle Street is the main shopping street and the route of the primary dash. St Michael's church is at postcode DH4 4DN, with parking behind the church by Kepier Hall, though spaces are likely to be in demand during the Feast.

Several bus routes serve the town, including the 20 and X20, 71, 203, M1, X1 and X1A, X35, and X36 and X37. Taking the bus avoids the parking problem on parade day.

Houghton makes a good base for a day out. Penshaw Monument is a short drive away, and Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve is also in the Houghton-le-Spring area. For more on the area's history, see our history of Sunderland, and for a legend from this corner of the city, read about the Lambton Worm.

Know an event we have missed? Get in touch.