Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026, 10:30 am-11:30 am
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Community Birdwatch
Wednesday 20 May 2026
10:30-11:30am
Free, donations encouraged
Suitable for all ages
York Museum Gardens

Join Isabelle, a member of the Gardens Team for a community bird watch to spot some of the various bird species in the Museum Gardens.

Please meet at the bird feeding station next to the Rock Garden.

As a charity, York Museums Trust relies on donations to keep York Museum Gardens open and maintained, and provide free community activities like the Community Birdwatch. Although the activity is free, please consider donating if you are able to.

View event >

Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026, 1:30 pm-3:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Sketchbook Circle
Wednesday 20 May  2026 | 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Suitable for ages 16+ | £5 per person* | Book Tickets Here 
*General admission to York Art Gallery is included.

Pick up a pencil – draw and discover!

Give yourself time to sharpen and share your drawing skills in this 2-hour sketching workshop with artist Griselda Goldsbrough.

Enjoy working in sketchbooks in a relaxed and friendly group, taking inspiration from the collections at York Art Gallery.

These informal practical art sessions run one Wednesday each month for beginners or those who create regularly. Suitable for ages 16+. Materials are provided. Please book separately for each session.

View event >

Date: Thursday 21 May 2026, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

View event >

Date: Thursday 21 May 2026, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue:

Schools Roman History Livestream
Thursday 21 May 2026 | 10am – 12 noon
Online (Zoom)
Free, booking essential

New for 2026, join us online for a morning of live, interactive learning sessions all about Roman York. Featuring a range of exciting content from the Yorkshire Museum, York Minster and York Archaeology, your pupils will engage with stories from across York’s Roman past, view unique artefacts and take part in fun activities with your hosts.  

During the livestream, pupils will:

• Hear from historian, Greg Jenner, in a special introduction to the session.
• Go behind-the-scenes at the Yorkshire Museum to find out what life was like in Iron Age Britain and how things changed after the arrival of the Romans in the north of England.
• Join the team from York Archaeology to discover what archaeological evidence was left behind by Roman soldiers in York and what this can tell us about life in the Roman Army.
• Journey beneath York Minster to explore the headquarters of York’s Roman fortress and to examine an amazing Roman wall painting.

Register your interest for our livestream event using the form below. We will send further information at the start of the summer term, including a full schedule, resources pack and an invitation to a test connection session with your hosts in advance.

Secure your place at our Roman History Livestream using our online form.

View event >

Date: Friday 22 May 2026, 1:30 pm-3:30 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

Shakespeare and Rome
Friday 22 May 2026
1:30pm – 1.55pm | 3pm – 3.25pm
Included in general admission to the Yorkshire Museum | Book Tickets
Suitable for all ages

Celebrating York’s Roman history, inspired by Roman objects in the Yorkshire Museum, and performed on the historic mosaic floor, this short play ‘Friends, Romans, Yorkshiremen, Shakespeare, York and Rome’ explores questions of history and memory, and the importance of the seemingly insignificant – through the words of Shakespeare.

Shakespeare wrote four Roman plays and a long poem, all set in and around Rome, and the Roman empire. He also leant liberally on Roman writers such as Ovid and Plautus for context and comedy. During his education, he learnt about the recorded history of Roman rulers and leaders, and their battles, exploring questions of personal dilemma and individual responsibility.

‘Shakespeare and Rome’ is a collaborative project between York Museums Trust and York International Shakespeare Festival.

More performances of Shakespeare and Rome take place on Thursday 28 May at 1.30pm and 3pm.

View event >

Dates: Saturday 23 May 2026–Sunday 24 May 2026, All Day
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Living History Camp in York Museum Gardens
23 and 24 May 2026 | 10am – 5pm | Free 

Romans will once again take over York Museum Gardens with a living history encampment demonstrating the Roman way of life. This is a family friendly and free event for everyone to enjoy.

Explore the day-to-day lives of citizens and centurions through living-history demonstrations, expert talks, hands-on activities and storytelling for all ages.

Image credit Gareth Buddo

View event >

Date: Saturday 23 May 2026, All Day
Venue: York Art Gallery

Make and Play 
Saturday 23 May 2026
Included in general admission 
Suitable for all ages 

Drop into The Studio during your visit and discover fun, self-led creative activities inspired by the Making Waves exhibition. Experiment with inks and stamps whilst listening to Japanese inspired music and add your design to a large-scale collaborative, colourful stamped wall art piece. 

View event >

Date: Saturday 23 May 2026, 10:30 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Castle Kitchen: Retro School Puddings 
Saturday 23 May  | Drop in between 10.30am – 4.00pm 
Included in general admission 
Suitable for all ages 

 Come watch our cookery demonstrations throughout the day of retro school pudding recipes including Jam Roly Poly, Chocolate Concrete and Cornflake Tart with Pink Custard. Tasters may be available if you’re lucky! 

 Pick up a recipe card or scan the QR code available to get the recipes straight to your phone to try recreate yourself at home. 

View event >

Date: Saturday 23 May 2026, 10:30 am-2:30 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

View event >

Dates: Saturday 23 May 2026–Saturday 30 May 2026, 10:30 am-4:30 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Pop Up Play
Saturday 23 May – Saturday 30 May 2026
Drop in between 10.30am – 4.30pm
Included in general admission
Suitable for all ages 

This Half-Term, Playful Anywhere are joining us with games glore! Head outside to our Mill Yard to enjoy some playground games from the past. We’ll also have some games on our 1960’s street including Cat’s Cradle and Slinkys. 

A member of the Playful Anywhere Team will be on hand to facilitate play sessions on Saturday 23 May and Saturday 30 May if you’d like some guidance. Games will be self-led on all other dates, please be considerate when playing around others. 

View event >