Durham Cricket Events Ltd
A large-scale cricket stadium and events venue in County Durham with panoramic pitch views, flexible indoor suites, and outdoor event capacity for up to 20,000 guests.
About Durham Cricket Events Ltd
Banks Homes Riverside is the home of Durham Cricket and operates year-round as a multi-purpose events venue for conferences, exhibitions, weddings, celebrations, hospitality events, and large outdoor productions. The venue combines contemporary indoor event suites with stadium-scale outdoor capability, including a 4-acre pitch and surrounding concourse suitable for concerts, festivals, and public events.
Its setting on the riverbank at Chester-le-Street, with views towards Lumley Castle and surrounding countryside, gives it a more open and scenic feel than a typical city conference venue. The stadium has a cricket-day capacity of around 15,000, while outdoor event and concert capacity on the pitch ranges from 1,000 to 20,000 or more depending on format.
Positioned between Durham and Newcastle close to the A1(M), the venue is supported by an events team with more than 30 years of event management experience and has previously hosted performers including Elton John, Rod Stewart, and Little Mix.
Why bookers choose Durham Cricket Events Ltd
Panoramic views across the pitch and countryside
The Geoff Cook Suite runs the length of the pavilion with a 160-foot glass frontage overlooking the cricket ground and riverbank. The Castle View Suite adds direct sightlines towards the 18th-century Lumley Castle, creating a setting that feels more distinctive than a standard hotel ballroom.
Stadium-scale flexibility in one venue
The venue can accommodate everything from a small executive meeting through to a 20,000-capacity outdoor concert. Indoor and outdoor spaces can also operate alongside each other, which suits multi-format events with exhibitions, hospitality, and entertainment running side by side. Confirm simultaneous indoor and outdoor operation for your specific event with the venue.
Strong North East transport positioning
Banks Homes Riverside sits between Durham and Newcastle, close to the A1(M), with rail connections via Chester-le-Street station. For organisations drawing attendees from across the North East corridor, including Sunderland, Gateshead, and Newcastle, it is easier to access than many rural country house venues.
Self-contained breakout and hospitality spaces
The four Meeting Lounges each have their own private bar and operate as completely separate spaces, making them particularly useful for breakout sessions, VIP hosting, workshops, intimate dinners, or parallel meetings during larger conferences.
Transparent published event pricing
The venue publishes clear Day Delegate Rates online, which makes early-stage budgeting easier for organisers comparing venues. Published DDR packages currently start from £29.95 per person.
Spaces
Geoff Cook Suite
The venue's flagship conference and gala suite with panoramic stadium views
The Geoff Cook Suite stretches along the pavilion with a continuous 160-foot glass frontage overlooking the cricket pitch and riverbank. Its long-format layout naturally directs attention towards the view, making it especially effective for conferences, awards evenings, sporting dinners, and formal banqueting. The room also has a private bar. The combination of scale, natural light, and stadium backdrop gives the room a stronger sense of occasion than many traditional conference suites in the region.
Projector and screen included in published Day Delegate Rate packages, flip chart, pad and pen. WiFi available throughout the venue. Additional AV capability should be confirmed with the venue.
Castle View Suite
A contemporary event suite overlooking Lumley Castle
The Castle View Suite has a more boutique feel than the Geoff Cook Suite, recently refurbished with new carpeting, fresh paint, statement wallpaper, a greenery installation above the bar, and a living wall featuring a Durham Cricket neon sign. The direct view towards Lumley Castle makes it one of the venue's most visually distinctive spaces. It balances scenic views with a more intimate atmosphere, suiting events that benefit from a polished but less corporate setting.
Projector and screen included in published Day Delegate Rate packages. WiFi available throughout the venue. Additional AV capability should be confirmed with the venue.
Meeting Lounges (x4)
Self-contained pitch-facing lounges with private bars
The venue includes four separate Meeting Lounges, each operating as its own private event space with a private bar, completely separate from other areas. They can be hired individually or alongside a larger conference setup. Having a private bar within each lounge gives these rooms a more relaxed and self-contained feel than standard breakout rooms. Capacities listed are per lounge.
WiFi available throughout the venue. AV capability should be confirmed with the venue.
Executive Boxes (x15)
Private pitch-facing boxes for VIP meetings and hospitality
The venue has 15 Executive Boxes overlooking the cricket pitch, each with access to an outdoor balcony. They are serviced to the same operational standard as the venue's larger event suites and sit adjacent to the Meeting Lounges. The boxes offer privacy and direct pitch views in a setting that feels more personal than a standard meeting room. Capacity is up to 12 guests per box.
WiFi available throughout the venue. AV capability should be confirmed with the venue.
4-Acre Cricket Pitch
Stadium-scale outdoor space for concerts and public events
The cricket pitch and surrounding stadium infrastructure support major outdoor productions including concerts, festivals, fireworks displays, and large-scale corporate events. The venue has previously hosted performances by Elton John, Rod Stewart, and Little Mix, and runs its own public events such as the Chester-le-EATS food festival and a Festival of Fireworks. Few venues in the North East can combine established stadium infrastructure with this level of outdoor event capacity.
Portable mains power on the pitch (240V). Accessible routes available. Direct access from concourse. Detailed production and power specifications should be requested from the events team.
Concourse and Car Parks
Flexible hard-standing space for exhibitions and operational support
The venue's concourse and parking areas can support exhibitions, vehicle showcases, catering villages, production compounds, and filming activity. The combination of vehicle access, parking, power supply, and stadium backdrop makes the space highly adaptable.
Power access including 3-phase, 240V, and 110V (confirm full distribution for your event). EV charging available. WiFi available. Accessible routes available.
All spaces at a glance
| Space | theatre | banquet | cabaret | boardroom | u-shape | dinner-dance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geoff Cook Suite | 300 | 220 | 200 | – | – | 200 |
| Castle View Suite | 100 | 120 | 80 | 40 | 40 | 100 |
| Meeting Lounges (x4) | 60 | 50 | 40 | 24 | 15 | 40 |
| Executive Boxes (x15) | – | – | – | 12 | – | – |
| 4-Acre Cricket Pitch | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Concourse and Car Parks | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Guest numbers for the layout shown. A dash means that layout isn't offered in that space.
Facilities & amenities
Catering
Approach
Catering is provided by Thomas Franks, appointed as the venue's catering partner from 1 January 2026, taking over food, beverage, and hospitality services previously managed in-house. Thomas Franks is a UK family-owned contract caterer with a sport and leisure division. Styles include Day Delegate packages, finger buffets, fork buffets, hot buffet lunches, three-course wedding breakfasts, celebration catering, and matchday hospitality catering.
External caterers
Not published online. Confirm external catering policy with venue.
Bars
Card-only bar service is referenced within party packages, and major matchdays operate cashless across the venue. Each Meeting Lounge and the larger suites include a private bar.
Dietary
Dietary and allergen policies are not published online and should be confirmed directly with the venue.
Is it right for your event?
Great for
- Large conferences and awards events
- Corporate away days
- Exhibitions and product showcases
- Outdoor festivals and concerts
- Weddings with scenic views
- Proms and graduation celebrations
- Sports hospitality
- Large Christmas parties
- Public-facing community events
Less suited to
- Small luxury residential retreats requiring on-site accommodation
- Ultra-private countryside exclusives away from public infrastructure
- Events requiring highly detailed in-house production specifications published upfront
- Micro-events seeking boutique townhouse or heritage interiors
Accessibility
Most accessibility provision is described in a matchday context, so organisers booking private events should confirm which provisions apply to their event. The Changing Places room, sensory room, and accessible parking are limited in capacity and should be arranged in advance. Hearing loop provision in event spaces, lift access between floors, and the number of dedicated wheelchair bays were not confirmed in venue material. Accessibility contact: box.office@durhamcricket.co.uk or 0191 387 1717.
Weddings
Ceremonies
Whether the venue holds a civil ceremony licence, and whether outdoor ceremonies on the pitch or concourse are licensed, should be confirmed directly with the venue.
Scale
The Castle View Suite is particularly well suited to weddings, with a banquet capacity of 120 and views towards Lumley Castle.
Notes
Banks Homes Riverside markets weddings and wedding receptions with all-inclusive packages and reception options. The Castle View Suite is particularly well suited due to its views towards Lumley Castle and softer interior styling. Packages typically include event coordination, catering, and styling options depending on tier.
Location & getting there
Banks Homes Riverside is located in Chester-le-Street between Durham and Newcastle, close to the A1(M).
Sustainability
The venue references EV charging on site and has run reusable cup schemes at public events. Thomas Franks, the catering partner, is a certified B Corp. A formal venue sustainability policy or accreditation framework is not currently published online and should be requested directly if required for CSR reporting or procurement documentation.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The venue is particularly strong for medium to large conferences, awards evenings, and corporate events. The Geoff Cook Suite accommodates up to 300 theatre-style delegates, while additional lounges and executive boxes support breakout sessions and smaller meetings.
The Geoff Cook Suite has panoramic views across the cricket pitch and countryside through its full-length 160-foot glass frontage. The Castle View Suite is known for direct views towards Lumley Castle.
The venue supports large-scale takeovers across indoor and outdoor areas, including concerts and festivals. Confirm exact exclusive-use arrangements and minimum spends directly with the venue.
Yes. The 4-acre cricket pitch and surrounding concourse can accommodate concerts, festivals, family fun days, food events, and public gatherings for between 1,000 and 20,000 or more attendees.
Free WiFi is available throughout the venue. Projector, screen, flip chart, and pad and pen are included within published Day Delegate Rate packages. Additional AV capability should be confirmed with the venue.
The venue offers step-free access to key areas, wheelchair-accessible routes throughout, dedicated accessible seating with companion seating, accessible toilets, a Changing Places facility, a sensory room, a multi-faith room, a visually impaired commentary service, and accessible parking for Blue Badge holders. Most of this provision is described in a matchday context, so confirm what applies to private event hire.