Events

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 | 10.00am-4.00pm

Suitable for ages 16+ | £60 per person | Tickets coming soon

Made famous by artists such as Hokusai and ‘The Great Wave’, the Japanese woodblock printing, or ‘Mokuhanga’ technique dates back hundreds of years, and is still used by contemporary artists all over the world today. Mokuhanga differs from Western methods of woodblock printing which use oil-based inks and heavy equipment such as presses. Instead it uses water-based inks and there is no need for a press, which make it a versatile, accessible and non-toxic method of printmaking.

On this taster course you will be guided through designing an image and transferring it to a wood block, carving using specialist tools, and printing your image by hand with watercolour paints, to create a small edition of A5 prints to take home. There will also be the opportunity to experiment with using creative inking techniques such as ‘bokashi’ to achieve gradients and multi-coloured prints.

The aim of this course is to give learners an idea of the possibilities of Mokuhanga as a medium to create images, and to have fun and get inky. (Carving and printing can also be very relaxing once you get into that ‘flow state!’). It would suit anyone with an interest in printmaking – both beginners or those who are looking for a refresher, but please be aware that carving does require a reasonable amount of dexterity.

The tutor, Kathryn Desforges, is an artist and printmaker based in West Yorkshire. She makes, exhibits and sells limited edition, handmade original contemporary prints and artist books. In 2018 she undertook a 5 week residency in Japan studying Japanese woodblock printing, and has been teaching the technique ever since. www.kathryndesforges.co.uk

All materials provided

Suitable for those aged 16+ (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)

Refreshments provided by Sketch Cafe.

View event >

Home and Gardens Fair – Sat 20 Jun 2026

Dates: Saturday 20 June 2026–Sunday 21 June 2026, 10:00 am-4:30 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Home & Gardens Fair
Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 June 2026 | 10am – 4:30pm
York Museum Gardens | Tickets available soon

York Museums Trust is thrilled to announce its very first Home & Gardens Fair in the beautiful York Museums Gardens – a celebration of style, creativity and inspiration for every corner of your home and garden.

Wander through colourful displays of plants and flowers, discover unique garden furniture and outdoor living ideas, and browse a wide selection of beautiful homeware, from soft furnishings and kitchen treasures to elegant decorations.

The show will also feature natural body and skincare products, stylish clothing and accessories, and a mouth-watering choice of artisan food and drink from local makers.

Alongside the stalls, enjoy a lively programme of talks from experts including Nikki Barker, Horticultural Sustainability Manager at RHS, demonstrations and live music, making this a day out to remember for all ages.

We are now welcoming applications from businesses who would like to showcase their products at this exciting new event in the heart of York City Centre. Applications are open until 31 March 2026. To register your interest, please complete the trader booking form. Our Events Team will endeavour to acknowledge to your application within 5 working days. You can view the T&Cs here.

Admission tickets will be on sale soon – keep an eye out for updates and join us for a wonderful day out with family and friends, celebrating homes, gardens and good living.

Featuring ‘Peat Free and beyond – sustainable growing’ talk by Nikki Barker, Horticultural Sustainability Manager at RHS.

View event >

Ikebana Floral Design – Sun 21 Jun 2026

Date: Sunday 21 June 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Ikebana Floral Design

Sunday 21 June 2026 | 10.00am – 4.00pm

Suitable for ages 16+ | £60 per person | Tickets coming soon

A modern approach to using fresh cut flowers led by floral design studio Terra Flora.

Celebrate the summer soltice with this Japanese inspired floral design workshop. The workshop in part teaches the main principals of Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arranging) with its emphasis on finding inspiration in the natural world, and, in part demonstrates a modern interpretation of this ancient tradition.

Whether you’re familiar with Ikebana or not, you most likely have encountered its stylistic signatures; the embrace of negative space, a dramatic asymmetry and a focus on the engagement of the natural world. In this workshop we will guide you in creating beautiful bowl displays, offer up our knowledge of working seasonally and give you the tools and practical skills needed to create stunning displays at home.

The workshop is for everyone and gives all participants plenty of time to learn, explore and be creative. You don’t need to bring anything with you, as all tools and materials needed for the session will be provided. At the end of the workshop, you will go home with your creations that will include a basic kit to get you started on your floral journey. The kit includes a kenzan (flower pin frog) and a simple display bowl.

Terra Flora is a floral design atelier based in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. We work with the seasons to make naturalistic florals and botanical installation spaces for occasions and events. We take our inspiration directly from nature echoing how plants and flowers grow together, but with a modern twist. We have established a cutting garden at our studio home that allows us to design with fresh flowers that we grow through the seasons. We love to share our learned knowledge and experience and our floral workshops are designed to give participants a balance between gaining practical knowledge and getting creative.

All materials provided

Suitable for those aged 16+ (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)

Refreshments provided by Sketch Cafe.

View event >

Futuresound’s Live in York Museum Gardens: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Thu 9 Jul 2026

Date: Thursday 9 July 2026, 5:00 pm-9:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Futuresound’s Live in York Museum Gardens: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Thursday 9 July 2026 | 5pm
Sold out | Join the waitlist
York Museum Gardens

New wave trailblazers, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, will play York Museum Gardens on Thursday 9th July alongside fellow new wave luminaries Heaven 17 and China Crisis, as well as rising star singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin, fresh from supporting the likes of Louis Tomlinson and Noel Gallagher.

Please note: This is not a York Museums Trust event. To purchase tickets and for more information please visit Futuresound’s website.

View event >

Futuresound’s Live in York Museum Gardens: Self Esteem – Fri 10 Jul 2026

Date: Friday 10 July 2026, 5:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Friday 10 July 2026 | 5pm | General sale tickets available from 5 December 2025
York Museum Gardens
Book here

Released in April this year, Self Esteem’s third album, A Complicated Woman, follows her critically acclaimed and Mercury Award-nominated sophomore full-length, Prioritise Pleasure. Boundary-breaking, experimental and as awkward as it is awesome; A Complicated Woman finds the artist, a.k.a musician, songwriter and actress Rebecca Lucy Taylor pairing stadium-worthy singalongs with her signature sardonic delivery.

Joining Self Esteem on the night will be South African ‘future ghetto funk’ pioneer Moonchild Sanelly, Nigeria-born now Sweden-based spoken word artist and musician Joshua Idehen and more acts still to be announced.

To purchase tickets and for more information please visit the Futuresounds website

View event >

An Introduction to Mokuhanga – Sat 11 Jul 2026

Date: Saturday 11 July 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

An Introduction to Mokuhanga

Saturday 11 July 2026 | 10.00am – 4.00pm

Suitable for ages 16+| £60 per person | Tickets coming soon

n opportunity to experience the art of Japanese water-based woodblock printing with artist Lucy May Schofield. In this one-day workshop you will be introduced to the unique carving technique of mokuhnaga and have to the chance to print an image from colour-separation woodblocks on Japanese mulberry paper (kozo washi) with a hand-held press (baren) . Each stage encourages a mindful approach, from carving the woodblocks to applying the watercolour ink and rice starch glue to the blocks with brushes and using pressure from the arm and hand to make a print. You will be sure to gain an appreciation of the variety of skills required in this craft to create the prints on show in the Making Waves exhibition.

Lucy lives in the Northumberland National Park where she works from her studio and is inspired daily by the vast land and sky scape. She has studied mokuhanga for ten years, through intensive training and residency programmes in Japan, regularly returning to expand her knowledge of this ever-inspiring, intricate and beautiful craft. Lucy teaches mokuhanga all around the UK and Europe, as well as leading one-to-one tuition from her studio. She is a member of the Mokuhanga Sisters, a collective of nine international artists working with water-based woodblock printmaking who collaborate and exhibit together.

All materials provided

Suitable for those aged 16+ (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)

Refreshments provided by Sketch Cafe.

View event >

An Introduction to Japanese Bookbinding (Ori-hon & Toji-hon) – Sun 12 Jul 2026

Date: Sunday 12 July 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

An Introduction to Japanese Bookbinding (Ori-hon & Toji-hon)

Sunday 12 July 2026 | 10am – 4pm

Suitable for ages 16+ | £60 per person | Tickets available soon

An opportunity to learn the techniques of the Japanese style accordion book (Ori hon) and a simple stab sewn book (Toji hon) with artist Lucy May Schofield. Using Japanese kozo washi (mulberry paper) you will be guided through the process of learning how to score, fold, glue and sew two of the most elegant traditional Japanese book forms. The four hole Toji-hon has a decorative stitched spine and a soft cover and the folded Ori-hon has multiple pages attached together seamlessly with a hard back cover. Both books will be made with blank pages allowing them to be used as note or sketch books in the future.

Lucy lives in the Northumberland National Park where she works from her studio and is inspired daily by the vast land and sky scape. She studied Book Arts and Printmaking in London and Japan and has twenty years experience in teaching these skills around the UK and Europe, as well as leading one-to-one tuition from her studio. She is a member of the Mokuhanga Sisters, a collective of nine international artists working with water-based woodblock printmaking who collaborate and exhibit together.

All materials provided

Suitable for those aged 16+ (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)

Refreshments provided by Sketch Cafe.

View event >

York Comedy Festival 2026 – Sun 12 Jul 2026

Date: Sunday 12 July 2026, 2:30 pm-8:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

York Comedy Festival 2026
Sunday 12 July 2026 | Gates open 2.30pm
Strictly 16+ (performances may contain adult language and subject matter) | Buy Tickets
York Museum Gardens

One of the UK’s largest outdoor comedy events, York Comedy Festival, part of Live at York Museum Gardens by Futuresound Group returns in 2026 following a sell-out debut in July 2025.

The 2026 line-up for the open-air comedy event has been announced, featuring headliner and stand-up comedy legends Russell Howard (Russell Howard’s Good News, Mock The Week) and surrealist stand up legend Ross Noble (Have I Got News For You, BBC Radio 4’s Just A Minute) Joining them is Edinburgh Comedy Award winning stand-up and presenter Russell Kane, Irish stand-up and podcast sensation Joanne McNally (Taskmaster, My Therapist Ghosted Me), ‘Big Kick Energy’ podcaster and comedian Suzi Ruffell, cult-stand up hero turned viral-sensation Jeff Innocent, ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ finalist and ‘Live at The Apollo’ star Nabil Abdulrashid and Barry From Watford, the 82 year-old comic creation of Alex Lowe (Clinton Baptiste).

The event will be hosted and MC’d by Jarred Christmas, a UK based New Zealand comic and winner of Chortle’s ‘Best compere’ award, Christmas has appeared on shows including Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and many more.

York exclusive postcode* presale tickets go live 10am, 21 January (* YO1, YO10, YO19, YO23, YO24, YO26, YO30, YO31, YO32). Buy here.

General sale live from 10am, 23 January. Buy here.

Please note, this is not a York Museums Trust event. For more information, visit York Comedy Festival’s website, or contact Futuresound Group for enquiries.

View event >

York Proms – Sun 26 Jul 2026

Date: Sunday 26 July 2026, 5:30 pm-10:30 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Sunday 26 July 2026 | 5:30pm-10:30pm | Book tickets here

The York Proms returns to the Museum Gardens on Sunday 26th July 2026, with a great night of live entertainment featuring live orchestra, soloists, a stunning fireworks finale and local talent on our warm up stage.

Tickets are available to buy on the York Proms website.

View event >

The Art of Kokedama – Sat 29 Aug 2026

Date: Saturday 29 August 2026, 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

The Art of Kokedama

Saturday 29 August | 11.00am-12.00pm

Suitable for ages 10+ | £25 per person | Tickets available soon

Kokedama, roughly translates into English as “moss ball’. This is a Japanese method of binding the root ball of a plant in a clay soil mix and moss so that it no longer needs a pot to grow in. Your mossy plant ball can then be hung up or displayed sitting on a decorative plate or piece of wood.

In this session, Alice from The Outside In will take you step-by-step through the traditional style of creating Kokedama: using leafy plants and moss. It’s a great opportunity to learn about handling plants, roots and soil, making the most of time well spent connecting to nature. When you finish, you’ll have a Kokedama plant ball to take home and love. All of the materials and guidance will be provided, along with aftercare instructions on how to help your Kokedama to thrive and a bag to safely transport your plant home.

All materials provided

Suitable for those aged 10+ (under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult)

View event >