This is everything you need to know ahead of the Jarrow Rebel Town Festival 2026
The annual Jarrow Rebel Town Festival is back for 2026!
The ever-popular Jarrow Rebel Town Festival returns to the borough this weekend.
The festival commemorates the 1832 story of the ‘Seven Men of Jarrow’ who were deported to an Australian penal colony for a crime they almost certainly did not commit.
It also marks Jarrow’s role in the history of Britain’s industrial relations since the 1830s, with this year’s event set to commemorate the centenary of the General Strike, the Durham lock out and 90 years since the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
This is everything you need to know for 2026:
When are where will the Jarrow Rebel Town Festival start?
The event will start by the Pedestrian Tunnel entrance, in Jarrow, at 11am on Saturday, June 20.
The Felling Silver Band will lead the procession through the town and the Follonsby Wardley Miner’s Lodge banner will also be displayed throughout the day.
It will then come to an end the Crown and Anchor pub, on Chapel Road.
Who is speaking?
Among the speakers at this year’s festival will be Steve Wright, the General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow and Gateshead East, and David Douglass, of the Follonsby Miner’s Lodge Association.
Dr Lewis Mates, Associate Professor in Political Theory at Durham University, and Alan Mardghum, of the Durham Miners’ Association, will also be addressing the audience.
Much like in previous years, Vin Wynne, of the National Education Union, will be on hand to compere.
What else is happening?
Following the speeches, members of the public are invited to enjoy refreshments, music and stalls at the Crown and Anchor pub.
For full details, visit: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069808375202.