Events

Uncomfortable York Tour: Hidden Histories from Eboracum to the Present – Sat 16 May 2026

Date: Saturday 16 May 2026, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Venue:

Uncomfortable York Tour: Hidden Histories from Eboracum to the Present
Saturday 30 May 2026
11am – 12.30pm
Meet outside Bennett’s Cafe & Bistro, 30-32 High Petergate, York, YO1 7EH
Adults £16, Students and Seniors (65+) £12, Young Person (12-17 years) £10, Under 12s FREE | Book Tickets *
Suitable for all ages

Uncomfortable York Tour takes you beyond the usual guided tours of York, revealing the city through untold perspectives, highlighting the lives and impact of women, people of colour and LGBTQIA+ individuals across its history.

As you explore the city centre, you’ll trace York’s evolution from early settlement to medieval powerhouse and industrial hub, uncovering the hidden narratives behind its familiar streets. Researched and delivered by academic historians, this tour invites you to see York not just as a historic English city, but as a dynamic and globally connected urban centre.

*Discount code UNYORK-FEST2026 gives 50% off individual tickets for tour dates during the Roman Festival.

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An Introduction to Japanese Woodblock Printing – Sun 17 May 2026

Date: Sunday 17 May 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

An Introduction to Japanese Woodblock Printing

Sunday 17 May 2026 | 10am – 4pm

£60 pp | Sold Out

Suitable for ages 16+

Create a small edition of A5 woodblock prints to take home with you in this taster course with tutor Kathryn Desforges.

Made famous by artists such as Hokusai who created The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Japanese woodblock printing, or ‘Mokuhanga’ technique, dates back hundreds of years and is still used by contemporary artists all over the world today.

You’ll be guided through designing an image and transferring it to a wood block, carving the design using specialist tools, and printing your image by hand with watercolour paints. There will also be the opportunity to experiment with using creative inking techniques such as ‘bokashi’ to achieve gradients and multi-coloured prints.

Please note this method of printing requires a degree of arm, wrist and finger dexterity and strength.

All materials and light refreshments are provided. Suitable for beginners or those looking for a refresher.

Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

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York Health and Arts Mela: Multi-Cultural South Asian Health Festival – Sun 17 May 2026

Date: Sunday 17 May 2026, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

York Health and Arts Mela: Multi-Cultural South Asian Health Festival
Sunday 17 May 2026 | 10.00am-5.00pm
York Museum Gardens
Free Entry

The Award Winning York Health & Arts Mela is a free event open to anyone who wants to learn more about NHS services, Voluntary sector services, the Arts and Performing sector, meet new people, enjoy diverse music, arts, crafts and food from a range of different cultures and backgrounds in the heart of York.

The programme includes traditional displays of music/dance performances, with a range of stalls selling traditional food and other stands offering information and advice on services. York Health & Arts Mela is a family event appealing to all ages and ethnicities, with everyone welcome to come and enjoy the event in a relaxed atmosphere.

This event is run by Eimaan Culture and Community Services in partnership with York Museum Trust, Humber and North Yorkshire Care Partnership (ICB), Public Health England (CYC), Nimbuscare.

For more information please see the York Health and Arts Mela website here.

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Community Birdwatch – Wed 20 May 2026

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.

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Sketchbook Circle at York Art Gallery – Wed 20 May 2026

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.

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Egypt in Roman York: Symposium with the University of York – Wed 20 May 2026

Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

Egypt in Roman York
Wednesday 20 May 2026
2pm – 4pm
Free | Book Tickets
Yorkshire Museum, Tempest Anderson Hall

As part of the York Roman Festival, the Yorkshire Museum presents Egypt in Roman York, an afternoon symposium with the University of York exploring the presence of Egypt in York, Yorkshire, and the wider North during the Roman period.

This engaging event brings together archaeology and Egyptology to explore how the Roman world moved people, objects, beliefs and ideas across vast distances, reaching even the northern frontier of Roman Britain. From the remarkable evidence for a temple dedicated to the Egyptian deity Serapis in Roman York, the only known temple to Serapis in Roman Britain, to the overlooked significance of northern museum collections in shaping the study of Egyptology, this symposium offers a fresh perspective on the connections between Egypt and Eboracum.

Speakers include Joann Fletcher, Egyptologist and Honorary Visiting Professor in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, Eva Mol is a Roman archaeologist in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York and Ian Trumble is Curator of the Egyptian Collection at Bolton Museum and a PhD researcher in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York.

A number of tickets may be available at the Yorkshire Museum’s admissions desk on the day if capacity allows.

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Gallery Babies – Thu 21 May 2026

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

Gallery Babies

Thursday 21 May 2026, 10am – 12pm

Free | Pre-booking required | Sold Out

Burton Gallery

Drop-in sensory play sessions every Thursday during term-time, for pre-walking babies and their grown-ups, set in the atmospheric surroundings of York Art Gallery.

Using our beautiful sensory toolkit, a collection of colourful squishy sculptural objects, sessions will be gently facilitated, exploring shape, colour and texture.

Gallery Babies is a welcoming and supportive space to relax, bond with your baby and meet other parents and carers, providing a bit of calm and care to your daily routine.

The session starts at 10am and finishes at 12pm, but you can drop in and out at any time. Even after the session has finished, our sensory toolkit will be out in the Burton Gallery for you to continue to explore with your baby.

These sessions are designed for pre-walking babies; however, we understand that you may have your hands full with more than one child. The session takes place in the Studio, a space with plenty of room to play, read and eat much needed snacks outside of the galleries if needed. Buggy parking and baby changing facilities available.

We are also offering a special offer in Sketch café for anybody attending a session: Hot drink and cake £7.00 and lunch and drink £15.00.

Please note: Participants must have a pre-booked ticket to attend the session. Gallery Babies admission includes free access to the permanent gallery spaces, tickets for temporary exhibitions require a separate admissions ticket.

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Schools Roman History Livestream – Thu 21 May 2026

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.

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Shakespeare and Rome – Fri 22 May 2026

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.

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Make and Play – Sat 23 May 2026

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.

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