Annual miners’ celebration still going strong
THAT annual staple of North East working class life - the Durham Miners’ Gala - returns today.
The gala is Europe’s biggest annual celebration of trade unionism, a celebration of the one-time mining industry, and a family day out.
The first event was held in 1871 in Wharton Park, Durham. It switched to the racecourse site, which has remained its home ever since, the following year.
At its height, crowds of around 500,000 would gather for the yearly celebration. Today, tens of thousands of people still flock to the gala every year.