Kynren and The Storied Lands due in 2026

[Aardvark]

Team edit: This topic has been split off from the Puy du Fou thread.

Interestingly Kynren still have plans to open a day park like Puy du Fou called 11 arches park. Drove past the site yesterday and it looks like they have begun construction on some aivaires and they have announced that there will be a Viking Village pre-show area at this year's event.

Planning permission has gone in for the first of the park shows at 11 Arches called 'The Lost Feather' - seems to be a birds of prey show, as they are building 6 aviaries alongside a 3600-seat tribune! Attached are the documents from the planning permission and looks like some nic concept art for the entrance way as well.

 

[Burbs]

Just been looking on the Kynren website and noticed that the music for the main evening show is composed by Nathan Stornetta, who also has composed a lot for Puy du Fou, including my personal favourite Le Dernier Panache!

 

[Aardvark]

The day park, Kynren - The Storied Lands is officially coming Summer 2026 with 5 shows with more future expansions already lined up - details in the press release below plus have copied the photos for reference.

Kynren Announces its New Time Travelling Theme Park

www.11arches.com

Whole Park Concept Art:

From: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1026133689542623&set=pcb.1026133739542618

 

[Craig]

So essentially dinky Cinescenie is becoming dinky Puy Du Fou - can't complain about that being only 10 miles away from it . Puy Du Fou has long been on my hit list, so having something similar nearby is excellent news! Very chuffed they're using some local stories like the Lambton Worm as well - proper school memories flooding back hearing about that.

 

[JT01]

The day park, Kynren - The Storied Lands is officially coming Summer 2026 with 5 shows with more future expansions already lined up - details in the press release below plus have copied the photos for reference.

Kynren Announces its New Time Travelling Theme Park

www.11arches.com

Whole Park Concept Art:

From: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1026133689542623&set=pcb.1026133739542618

so is this whole park concept whats being build for 2026? is it going to be similar size to Puy Du Fou ?

 

[Aardvark]

so is this whole park concept whats being build for 2026? is it going to be similar size to Puy Du Fou ?

5 shows for 2026 and then they will build out more shows over the coming years. Quite a lot is already built/in the process of being, and thanks to having the night show, they already have all the site infrastructure such as parking, entrance, etc.

 

[venny]

so is this whole park concept whats being build for 2026? is it going to be similar size to Puy Du Fou ?

It will be nowhere near the scale of Puy du Fou in France, but a lot closer to the far newer Spanish park which is considerably smaller.

 

[MaxPower]

Not having a roof over all of the stands from the get go would be a mistake.

 

[Benjsh]

We spent a long weekend in North East last year visiting some friends and went to see Kynren on a mild August Saturday evening. Didn't know what to expect really and if anything thought it might not be my cup of tea but we thoroughly enjoyed it. The show was fantastic and the event is superbly ran by people who clearly know what they are doing.

If you're thinking of going....book it. You won't be disappointed at all.

 

[Aardvark]

Some additional news on the park and excellent news for Flambards fans! Great to see it saved but shocked that this is the acquisition location!

Kynren acquires Flambards' Victorian Village for new park

Kynren – The Storied Lands, a new theme park opening in the UK in 2026, has acquired Flambards' Victorian Village exhibition.

blooloop.com

 

[James]

That's amazing news. As someone who has always loved the Flambards exhibitions, I'm really glad the Victoria Village has been salvaged. It's a wonderful collection, so seeing it used at a different UK attraction will be nice.

 

[Aardvark]

Seems that planning permission has been granted for a least some of the first phase of the park. Also new detail for the Lost Feather show, confirming that it will include up to 300 birds! That will make it one of the largest bird shows in the world, and smash the current UK record held by Warwick Castle with 60 birds.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c93g10gq0k4o

 

[Aardvark]

Kynren, alongside Durham County Council and Sister Charity The Auckland Project, held a consultation event yesterday about a project called Bishop Gateway. The plans contain huge tourism redevelopment for the town, including a new car park to support the Weardale railway, a new visitors centre and play area at Binchester Roman Fort and most significantly for Kynren, a new road and huge new car park for their Storied Lands attraction.

As part of the event, they shared some details about some of the future shows that are coming beyond 2026, including some first-look concept art - I have attached some photos of the boards. It appears as though the 5 shows that have been announced for next year are still all on track - looking down at the site from Bishop Auckland, it is clear to see the construction taking place.

 

[havaska]

Im really looking forward to this opening. It looks like it should be a fantastic day out!

 

[Aardvark]

Kynren have started the casting process for performers for the new day park. They are looking for the following:
Professional and emerging performers aged 18+ with skills in:

• Acrobatics and parkour
• Stunt and physical theatre
• Acting and movement performance
• Equestrian skills and Trick Riders
• Stage Combat
• Traditional Craftspeople from blacksmiths to woodworkers

More details at the links below:

Kynren Seeks Best Stunt and Performance Talent for UK’s First Historical Theme Park - Kynren

The creators of Kynren – An Epic Tale of England are launching a nationwide search for the UK’s top stunt and performance talent to join the cast of The Storied Lands, a new live-action historical visitor attraction set to open in County Durham in summer 2026. Billed as Britain’s first fully...

kynren.com

Careers - Kynren

As a registered charity, Kynren is committed to establishing Bishop Auckland as an international tourist destination and a new engine for economic growth. At the heart of our vision are the iconic Kynren night show and the forthcoming daytime attraction, both offering unique opportunities to...

kynren.com

 

[Benjsh]

Quite incredible that their 100 people + cast up to this point for their 10 or so annual summer performances has been predominantly ran by volunteers. Amazing what they created.

Will definitely head back for the full day experience.

 

[AstroDan]

Quite incredible that their 100 people + cast up to this point for their 10 or so annual summer performances has been predominantly ran by volunteers. Amazing what they created.

Will definitely head back for the full day experience.

This is exactly the model that Puy du Fou's evening Cinéscénie uses and it is PdF who effectively supported the development of Kynren. This goes back to when the PdF first operated in the show in 1978.

The daytime shows/park is run by paid staff however.

 

[Benjsh]

This is exactly the model that Puy du Fou's evening Cinéscénie uses and it is PdF who effectively supported the development of Kynren. This goes back to when the PdF first operated in the show in 1978.

The daytime shows/park is run by paid staff however.

You can see that the show and history means a lot to those involved. To get such a quality product with mainly volunteeers is no mean feat either.

Be interesting to see if they continue to the night time spectacular now with the full day park experience coming. Would be a pretty strange business model of having a cut off time for whether you're paid or not. Haha!

I suspect they will slightly change their offering going forwards.

 

[AstroDan]

You can see that the show and history means a lot to those involved. To get such a quality product with mainly volunteeers is no mean feat either.

Be interesting to see if they continue to the night time spectacular now with the full day park experience coming. Would be a pretty strange business model of having a cut off time for whether you're paid or not. Haha!

I suspect they will slightly change their offering going forwards.

The way it works at Puy du Fou (France) is that the entrance to the Cinéscénie is off to the left of the main plaza whereas the Grand Parc is straight ahead. The Cinéscénie only runs on weekends during June, July, August and early September. On days where the Cinéscénie is on, typically the park hours are 9am to roughly 8 or 9pm. On days when the Cinéscénie is not on, the park hours are extended to around 10 or 11pm and there is a smaller evening show on the lake (inside the main park).

When I last went, we had a full day in the park, had dinner in the main park around 7pm and then exited around 8.30pm to take our seats ready for the Cinéscénie to start at 10pm.