Date: 7 May

York Castle Museum steps back into childhood this May Half-Term with school food, toys and games! 

Saturday 23 May – Sunday 31 May 2026 

York Castle Museum will celebrate the spirit of childhood this May Half-Term with school dinner classics, hands-on activities, trails and immersive experiences which transport visitors back in time. 

The Castle Kitchen will be open on Saturday 23, Monday 25, Thursday 28 and Saturday 30 May cooking up some sweet treats including jam roly-poly, chocolate concrete and cornflake tarts with pink custard! Visitors will be able to watch live demonstrations and sample the treats on offer and collect a recipe card to try making them at home.  

Visitors can also head back to school, to Victorian England, and join Kirkgate’s schoolmasters for lessons on physical education. There will be four sessions every day, don’t be late or the teacher may disapprove.  

In the Exercise Yard there will be competitive family games for all. Wet weather will not deter the fun, as games can also be played indoors on the 1960s street, alongside classic toys such as Slinky, cat’s cradle and more iconic 60s items.  

The ‘Last Stop Before Kirkgate’, an immersive experience of a Victorian coaching inn has recently had a makeover. Initially designed with NOVO Theatre to be a short-term exhibition, due to its popularity it has been extended to enable more visitors to enjoy this unique offer. Here visitors can listen to stories from different characters who are all travelling to York in the nineteenth century.  

The community exhibition, Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York’s Confectionery Workers, is also proving a hit with the recent addition of sensory stations, relaying the scents and sounds of York’s iconic sweet factories. Read all about people’s experiences of working at Rowntree’s, Terry’s, and Craven’s, and living in York during its confectionery heyday.  

Self-led crafts will also be available, with sketching and object handling in the Creative Studio, next to the Secrets of Dress exhibition. The Time Travellers Activity Trail is perfect for those wanting to explore the Victorian Street a little more and learn about the shops, modelled after real York businesses operating in the late nineteenth century. Join the museum team for talks on Kirkgate and in the York Castle Prison Cells, revealing more about the history of the building and the people who lived, worked and died there over the last 200 years. 

All daily activities are included in general admission, offering a great value day out for families, and don’t forget, tickets are valid for 12 months. Visitors can enjoy regular holiday, summer and Christmas activities with a one-off ticket purchase that lasts a whole year. For a full list of activities and scheduled entertainment are available on the York Castle Museum’s website.