Dates: Wednesday 14 October 2026–Friday 13 November 2026, 10:30 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Object Encounter: Scarificator 
Daily
10.30am and 4pm

Drop into Saville’s Chemist on Kirkgate to hear about modern Victorian medicine practice and the popular treatment of bloodletting.

Discover how a 19th century scarificator was used to balance the blood of the 4 humours, blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm, in order to treat headaches, fever and many other ailments.

Please note, this talk is suitable for family audiences but covers the topic of bloodletting. Discretion is advised. This activity to subject to staff availability.

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Dates: Wednesday 14 October 2026–Thursday 24 December 2026, 11:00 am-2:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Kirkgate Talks
Daily
11.30am and 2pm
Included in general admission 

Learn about the creation of the Victorian street, Kirkgate, one of the oldest recreated indoor streets of its kind in the world in this insightful talk.

Please note, talks are subject to staff availability.

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Dates: Wednesday 14 October 2026–Thursday 24 December 2026, 11:30 am-2:30 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Cells Talks 
Daily 
11.30am and 2.30pm 
Included in general admission 

Discover the history of York Castle Prison and some of its notorious inmates. 

Please note, talks are subject to staff availability.

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Dates: Saturday 24 October 2026–Saturday 31 October 2026, 1:00 pm
Venue:

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Date: Sunday 25 October 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

Make and Play: Bayeux Tapestry Weaving
Sunday 25 October 2026 | 10am – 4pm
Included in general admission | Book Tickets

Celebrate the display of the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum, one of the Yorkshire Museum’s partners, by having a go at weaving in our craft room.

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Date: Sunday 25 October 2026, 10:30 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Tales of Nut-Crack Night
Daily, Saturday 24 October – Saturday 31 October 2026
Performances throughout the day
Included in general admission | Book Tickets

History Riot return to York Castle Museum this October Half-Term daily from Saturday 24 – Saturday 31 October, with an array of family friendly performances.

Join two eccentric Victorian characters for silliness and autumnal adventures on Kirkgate. Experience and learn about Yorkshire traditions from All Hallow’s Eve, or as the Victorian’s called it, Nut-Crack Night!

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Date: Sunday 25 October 2026, 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

‘A Basket Full of Eggs’: Film screening and Q&A with Professor Hazel Marsh
Sunday 25 October | 2pm – 3.30pm
Free entry to the event, pre-booking not required

In partnership with the University of York and York Travellers Trust, York Museums Trust is thrilled to be hosting a free screening of a compelling film about Romani communities. There will be a presentation, screening of ‘A Basket Full of Eggs’, and Q&A with the project lead, Professor Hazel Marsh.

‘A Basket Full of Eggs’ (19 minutes, 2025) was made by Romani filmmaker Lisa Smith, founder of the UK’s first Romani-led production company, Patrin Films. The film follows the personal journey of Romani journalist Liza Mortimer as she ventures into archival collections in search of her great-grandmother, Minty Smith. What begins as a quest for a single life story becomes a powerful revelation: a rich, interwoven legacy of Romani voices, songs, and cultural influence embedded within England’s traditional folk music.

Through rare recordings and rediscovered stories of Minty Smith and other Romani folk singers, the film illuminates the vital role that Romani communities played in preserving and shaping England’s folk traditions, long overlooked yet deeply influential.

Watch the trailer

Funded by the University of East Anglia’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Award, the film was nominated best activist film at the OffBeat 2026 Folk Film Festival.

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