York Museums Trust

Events

Gallery Babies – Thu 14 May 2026

Gallery Babies

Date: Thursday 14 May 2026, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Gallery Babies
Thursday 14 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 remain on 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! If that’s the case the Studio will be open and can be used as a space 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: Gallery Babies admission includes free access to the permanent gallery spaces, tickets for temporary exhibitions require a separate admissions ticket. 

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An Introduction to Japanese Woodblock Printing – Sun 17 May 2026

An Introduction to Japanese Woodblock Printing

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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Community Birdwatching – Wed 20 May 2026

Community Birdwatching

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

Community Birdwatching  

Wednesday 20 May 2026 | 10:30-11:30  | Free 

Join our Gardens Duty Manager Isabelle for a community bird watch, and spot some of the various bird species in the gardens

Suitable for all ages, no pre booking required.

Please meet at the bird feeding station next to the rock garden.

 

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Sketchbook Circle at York Art Gallery – Wed 20 May 2026

Sketchbook Circle at York Art Gallery

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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Gallery Babies – Thu 21 May 2026

Gallery Babies

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 | Book Tickets Here  
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 remain on 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! If that’s the case the Studio will be open and can be used as a space 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: Gallery Babies admission includes free access to the permanent gallery spaces, tickets for temporary exhibitions require a separate admissions ticket. 

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Shakespeare and Rome – Fri 22 May 2026

Shakespeare and Rome

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.

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Greg Jenner: Totally Chaotic History Roman Britain Gets Rowdy!  – Sat 23 May 2026

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

Greg Jenner: Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy! 
Saturday 23 May | 10:30 and 2:30
£7.50pp | Book Tickets Here 

Think history’s just a boring list of facts and dates? Think again! Join public historian, podcaster, and author Greg Jenner for a whirlwind romp through the chaotic conquest of Britain by the Romans, based on his children’s book Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy! Peppering his fast-paced talk with jokes and funny images, Greg will reveal how Julius Caesar failed, why Emperor Claudius surprised everyone by succeeding, how Caratacus and Boudica fought back, and what happened next to change Britain forever!

Greg Jenner is the host of the chart-topping BBC podcast You’re Dead to Me, and recently presented its family-friendly spin-off Dead Funny History. He was the historical consultant on the multi-award-winning BBC TV comedy show Horrible Histories, and is the author of 4 books for children, and 3 for adults.

 

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Kids Barbaric Battle – Sat 23 May 2026

Kids Barbaric Battle

Date: Saturday 23 May 2026, 11:00 am-1:15 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Kids Barbaric Battle 
Saturday 23 May |York Museum Gardens | 11.00am, 1.15pm and 3.00pm
£10 per child* | Book Tickets  

Every Roman soldier remembers their first battle, and now it’s your little warrior’s turn! In the Kids Battle, up to 100 young fighters will step into the Museum Gardens to prove themselves worthy of the gods (and we’re pretty sure they all are!). This is a practice battle, so safety comes first: foam weapons, shields, and equipment are all provided. Little legionaries under 5 will need an adult by their side on the battlefield.

*Includes one Adult supervising a child.

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Kids Barbaric Battle – Sun 24 May 2026

Kids Barbaric Battle

Date: Sunday 24 May 2026, 11:00 am-1:15 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Kids Barbaric Battle 
Sunday 24 May |York Museum Gardens | 11.00am and 1.15pm
£10 per child* | Book Tickets 

Every Roman soldier remembers their first battle, and now it’s your little warrior’s turn! In the Kids Battle, up to 100 young fighters will step into the Museum Gardens to prove themselves worthy of the gods (and we’re pretty sure they all are!). This is a practice battle, so safety comes first: foam weapons, shields, and equipment are all provided. Little legionaries under 5 will need an adult by their side on the battlefield.

*Includes one Adult supervising a child.

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Terry Deary: ‘Revolting – a riotous history of rebellions and revolutions’ – Sun 24 May 2026

Terry Deary: 'Revolting - a riotous history of rebellions and revolutions'

Date: Sunday 24 May 2026, 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

Terry Deary: ‘Revolting – a riotous history of rebellions and revolutions’

Sunday 24 May  | 2:00pm

Suitable for ages 16+  | £7.50pp  | Book Tickets Here 

Writer Terry Deary will be talking about his best-selling adult non-fiction titles, ‘Revolting’ and ‘A history of Britain in Ten enemies’. He’ll be focusing especially on entertaining tales from the Roman Republic and the struggles of the victims of Roman oppression. For ages 16+.

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