I was first to see UK's biggest live action show with 1,000 time-travelling performers – it's as incredible as Disney

The Irish Sun

08-07-2025

THERE' S a little corner of England that's bringing the epic tale of Britain to life every Saturday over the summer - and I was one of the first to watch their new show.
If you've never heard of Kynren in Bishop Auckland, Co
Durham
, you're not alone.
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I went to the brand new live action show in the UK
Credit: NNP
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My kids were obsessed with every minute of it
Credit: catherine lofthouse
But this
summer
spectacle, featuring more than 1,000 performers, animals, historic vehicles, music, special effects and pyrotechnics, has been so successful over its first decade that it's expanding to include daytime shows and interactive experiences
next
year.
Over an hour and a half, scenes that tell the tale of our homeland,
history
and heritage come to life across the 7.5-acre outdoor stage.
The 1,000 professionally trained volunteers might be amateurs, but this incredible cast put on one of the best shows I've seen, one that really has to be seen to be believed.
It's the sort of performance that you could watch time and again and still spot something new every time.
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The very high standards of everything at Kynren, from the food and interactive Viking village pre-show to the powerful performance itself with historic Auckland Castle as its backdrop, means I can't wait to see its next chapter -
The Victorian village from the much-loved
Cornwall
, which closed last year, will find a new home here.
We even had a sneak peek of what's to come when the site's most recent residents, the feathery flock from its bird show, made an appearance before the main performance.
As well as
birds
of prey, parrots flew overhead and grey crowned cranes flapped in to forage for food on the grass.
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The Lost Feather will be one of the first five daytime shows on offer next summer.
My boys aged 12 and 10 were absolutely enthralled by the evening's entertainment from start to finish.
The UK attraction reopening this summer without any rides or rollercoasters – but parents say their kids love it
I think you know you've found a real winner when every family member struggles to pick just one scene or moment as their favourite.
The whole event is epic - from
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Battle scenes, stunts, celebrations, historic moments, lines from Shakespeare - it's sometimes difficult to know where to look at there's so much to take in from one moment to the next.
It was such a high-quality perfromance, I'd say it rivaled a live Disney show too.
I really enjoyed seeing the
steam
engine chugging along complete with passengers, to mark 200 years of train travel after the launch of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in this very part of the world two centuries ago.
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I can't wait for the new theme park next year
Credit: catherine lofthouse
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Drawing on the local community is a key part of
If you're looking for somewhere to stay to make a weekend of it, you can't beat the Park Head Hotel, part of the Auckland Project, a regeneration scheme that's breathing new life back into the tourist spots of this historic town.
Our two-bedroom suite was perfect for larger families and there were lots of little nods to Kynren at this recently refurbished 18th-century coaching inn, including quirky Quentin Blake parrot wallpaper in the toilets and a chapel stone from Auckland Castle that put my boys in mind of the story of
Arthur
and the sword in the stone.
There won't be any rides at the new Storied Lands, but I've no doubt it will have all the wow factor it needs to keep visitors entranced, entertained and immersed in history.
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suits
this awe-inspiring spectacular, rooted in the past, perfect in the present and looking forward to its
future
.
Tickets cost from £30 per adult and £20 per child - use code July10 to get 10 per cent off if you book before the end of July.
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Tickets start from £30
Credit: North News and Pictures