If you would like an easy print out to help you on the day, please check out our What to Expect on the Day at Winter Congregation 2026 document.
Congregation ceremonies are held in Durham Cathedral, but are not religious events although Christian iconography is displayed inside the venue. The Cathedral provides a large and beautiful venue for the ceremonies, with other related activities held in the Teaching and Learning Centre.
The addresses for both venues are below:
Teaching and Learning Centre
Palace Green
Durham
DH1 3RN
South Road
DH1 3LS
You must arrive at least 2.5 hours before the time of your ceremony.
On arrival, graduands must collect their robes from the first floor at the Teaching and Learning Centre. They must hire graduation robes by 17 December 2025. You can find more information on robe hire and what to wear on the day here. Please take note of the weather forecast on the day and dress accordingly.
We recommend for Guests to collect their tickets from the Guest Ticket Desk on the first floor of the Teaching and Learning Centre. Graduands must give any small belongings (size A4 or smaller) to their guests before going to the Great Hall at Castle. Any larger luggage must be stored at Left Luggage in the Teaching and Learning Centre.
Bring your campus card (if you have one) to assist with registration on the day. If you don't arrive on time, you may be excluded from the ceremony.
You (graduand) must report to the Great Hall in your robe 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to your ceremony to be put into procession order.
Various checks will be undertaken, and names will be scored off the list if you do not arrive on time.
Access to Castle is for graduands only.
Guests with tickets will be directed into the Cathedral from the Information Point on Palace Green approximately 45 minutes before the ceremony start time, to be seated separately from graduands.
Large luggage (size A4 or bigger) must be stored at Left Luggage at the Teaching and Learning Centre before arriving on Palace Green. Please be aware that searches may take place for bags and you may not be permitted inside of the Cathedral if your bag is over the size limit for Health and Safety.
Graduands will process from the Great Hall to the Cathedral approximately 30 minutes before the ceremony. Graduands will be seated in order. Names will be checked as it is vital that graduands remain in order for the ceremony.
Ceremonies begin with the Staff Procession, followed by a welcome by the Cathedral Representative. The Vice-Chancellor will provide a welcome address.
Graduands names will be called to the stage individually to shake hands with the Presiding Officer. The Presiding Officer will then confer the degrees. Some ceremonies may include the awarding of an Honorary Degree or a Celebrant speech, then the Presiding Officer will give the closing address.
The Staff Procession will leave, followed by the Graduate Procession and then the guests.
The use of cameras and recording devices are not permitted during the ceremonies, and flash photography is not allowed within the Cathedral.
Ceremonies are professionally filmed and photographed with USBs/ photos available to purchase afterwards at the Congregation Fair. They will also be streamed live on the Ceremonies website and to a lecture theatre in the Teaching and Learning Centre, which is open to guests without tickets.
After the ceremony, you and your guests can visit the Congregation Fair in the Teaching and Learning Centre, including Zing Café.
You must return your robes to the Teaching and Learning Centre before 5:30pm on the day of the ceremony.
Flowers are available to pre-order to collect on your graduation day - please see more information on the Congregation Fair page.
Please make sure you include your graduation date and time in the order notes at checkout to ensure they are available for you on the day to collect.
There are two Congregation Information Points at Winter Congregation. One will be located on the ground floor of the Teaching and Learning Centre and the other is on Palace Green outside of the Music Building.
See our Information for Guests page to find out what happens on the day, arrangements for guests with children, live streaming, and Durham City information including celebration events, accommodation, dining and retail options.
Entrance to the Cathedral will only be allowed from 45 minutes before the ceremony start time. Guests arriving before the entrance time are advised to wait in the Teaching and Learning Centre before walking to the Cathedral as there is no shelter outside on Palace Green and it can be extremely cold in winter.
View information for graduands and guests who require special arrangements for the ceremony.
Please allow plenty of time for arrival, remembering that Durham City Centre will be busy on Congregation days. There are various car parks situated around Durham, including Durham's Park and Ride service, and the metered on-street parking which is available all over the city.
Congregation takes place inside Durham Cathedral which is located on a hill in the centre of Durham within the city congestion charge zone.
There will be no vehicle access or public parking at Palace Green during Congregation. Access is only permitted for the shuttle bus to and from the Teaching and Learning Centre.
If you or your guests have mobility issues, you can be dropped off by car or taxi at the bottom of Owengate (the road that leads up to Palace Green).
All attendees (graduands and guests) are advised to keep personal belongings to a minimum. Any small belongings (size A4 or smaller) are permitted inside of the Cathedral. Graduands must leave small belongings with their guests before reporting to the Great Hall.
Please do not bring any large bags/rucksacks or luggage over the size of A4 as they are not permitted inside the Cathedral and cannot be left unattended. Large bags can be stored at Left Luggage in the Teaching and Learning Centre.
You may be subjected to a bag search. Left Luggage is located on the ground floor of the Teaching and Learning Centre. Please note, although this is a supervised area, bags are left at the owner's risk.
Learn more about how to purchase your graduation footage or pre-book your photographs here.
Learn more about what is available at our Congregation Fair for Winter. The fair is located inside the Teaching and Learning Centre.
Lost property will be held at the Information Points located at the Teaching and Learning Centre and on Palace Green.
Find out what celebration events (including Colleges, Departments and Durham Cathedral) are taking place around Congregation here.
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