Summer at York Castle Museum 2025

Inspired by the spectacle of Victorian summer galas,
visit the museum to celebrate the season in style!  

19 July – 31 August 2025 

Experience a Victorian extravaganza at York Castle Museum this summer! Inspired by the vibrant and colourful Victorian galas of years gone by, enjoy live music, exciting street performances, seasonal crafts and interactive trails in a bustling and varied summer programme for 2025. 

The museum’s famous Victorian Street, Kirkgate, will transform into a traditional summer scene from nineteenth century York, bursting with colourful bunting and floral displays inspired by the Victorian ‘language of flowers’. Also new for 2025, fresh summer scents will fill the air as visitors explore the historic cobbled street, and a grand floral garland will provide the perfect photo backdrop for those holiday snaps! 

On Sundays, enjoy live musical entertainment in the yard, with performances of historical tunes throughout the day. History Riot will perform regularly throughout the school summer holidays, as Phinneas Fickletickle returns for more new adventures with his Totally Tremendous Time-Travel Tincture! Every Tuesday throughout the school holidays incredible circus skill performances from The Silly History Boys also promises entertainment for the whole family, with each show reminiscent of Victorian summer galas. 

Dress-up and gala themed games also contribute to the summer programme, alongside poster printing and other daily crafts. Drop-in to the outdoor marquee any time to take part. The flower theme continues with edible flower demonstrations in the Castle Kitchen on select days and crafty flower-making sessions every Sunday throughout the holidays, led by artist Lendita. Hoglets Theatre Company will also be visiting the museum each Friday to make some bird of prey puppets and put on a celebratory bird parade. All activities are free and are included within museum entry. There is something every day to get everyone involved at York Castle Museum. 

For adults, explore the Victorian ‘language of flowers’ through guided workshops in flower arranging and pressing as well as floral inspired lino printing. Tickets for these workshops can be purchased via the York Castle Museum website. 

Just in time for the summer holidays, our new exhibition Art of Motion: Clockwork Toys and other Wonders, opening at the end of June 2025, takes visitors on a journey through the history of popular clockwork toys to some wonderfully whacky automata machines. With interactive machines and the chance to get hands-on with Brio building sets and other activities, it’s an immersive experience for all ages and for everyone to enjoy. 

Please note that the automata machines carry an additional charge to operate. Cash machines will be on site and many of the machines are card operated.  

Carla Starkey, Immersive Interpretation Producer at York Museums Trust said, “The Victorian period experienced a huge growth in new types of leisure activities. So, this year we will be bringing Kirkgate and our outdoor spaces to life, capturing the bustle of a summer in Victorian York, through music, decorations, performances and smells.  

“We are also delighted that our new display, Art of Motion, will provide visitors with the opportunity to get up close to the huge variety of mechanical machines, which were enjoyed by many from the Victorian period onwards and which can still be enjoyed today.” 

Summer activities at York Castle Museum will run from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 31 August 2025. All tickets last for 12 months, allowing visitors to return throughout the summer and beyond. Visit the website to see a full the full programme of events and activities. 

ENDS  

Notes for editors  

Press Preview
Thursday 17 July 2025, 9am – 10am 

York Castle Museum is holding a ‘Summer at York Castle Museum’ preview morning for press, media and influencers. There will be opportunity to photograph the floral displays on Kirkgate, interact with some of the entertainers and interview YMT staff about the programme. Come along and have a go at some of the craft activities on offer and experience the space ahead of it launching to the public the following weekend. 

If you would like to attend or require any further information about the press preview, please contact:   

 Amy Cope  

Public Relations Officer   

Email: amy.cope@ymt.org.uk  

Phone: 07761634646  

High-res images of York Castle Museum and interviews with Carla Starkey are available upon request. 

About York Castle Museum 

Website: www.yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk   

York Castle Museum is open Mondays 11am-5pm and Tuesdays-Sundays 10am-5pm. Seasonal opening hours apply, please visit the website for details.  

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Supported by Arts Council England  

York Castle Museum is a social history museum with a collection spanning from the fifteenth century to present day. The buildings York Castle Museum inhabits are eighteenth century prison buildings, the Debtors Prison built 1705 and the Female Prison built in the 1780s. What started as a collection of Victorian bygones by Dr John Kirk in the early 1900s, the museum opened in 1938 and now houses a vast array of exhibits. From Kirkgate, the recreated Victorian Street, to the prison cells that held notorious highwayman Dick Turpin. York Castle Museum and its collections are cared for by the charity York Museums Trust established in 2002. For more information visit yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk.