Date: Saturday 24 October 2026, 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Venue: Tempest Anderson Hall, The Yorkshire Museum

Bear and the Band

Saturday 24 October 2026 | 7pm 
Tempest Anderson Hall at the Yorkshire Museum, York 
Adults: £8 | Children: £4 | Book Tickets

A remarkable piece of York history is being brought back to life in Bear and the Band, an exciting new performance combining storytelling, animation and live brass music at the Yorkshire Museum in the York Museum Gardens.

There really was a bear in the York Museum Gardens. In 1831, she was sent to London – travelling there on top of a stagecoach!

Now, returning to the very gardens where the real bear once roamed, Martin Watt’s story will be brought vividly to life through live storytelling, animated film by award-winning creative designer and filmmaker Andy Burns, and live music from Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band.

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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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Date: Monday 26 October 2026, 10:30 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Monday 26 October 2026
10:30am – 4pm | Demonstrations throughout the day
Included in general admission | Book Tickets

Call into the Castle Kitchen during your visit, located off the Secrets of Dress gallery, to watch live seasonal cooking demonstrations throughout the day.

This October Half-Term, we’re making Soul Cakes, a small cake with sweet spices traditionally made for Halloween. These treats are a symbol of community and remembrance in Christian traditions, used as offerings to commemorate the dead.

Try a tasty samples and scan the QR code on display for the recipe, so you can try it yourself at home!

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Date: Monday 26 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: Monday 26 October 2026, 5:00 pm-8:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Inspired by Flaxman Exclusive Tour and Evening Performance of The Penelopiad at York Theatre Royal
Monday 26 October 2026
5pm – 8pm
£57 per person (includes tour of York Art Gallery and ticket to theatre) | Book Tickets via York Theatre Royal

Join York Art Gallery’s Senior Curator, Dr Beatrice Bertram, for an exclusive tour of the Gallery’s new exhibition, Turner, Wedgwood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman before heading to York Theatre Royal for an evening performance of The Penelopiad.

Celebrating the life and legacy of York-born designer and artist, John Flaxman, the exhibition explores his influence over fellow artists and design movements since the eighteenth century.

Flaxman’s illustrations of Homer’s Odyssey will be on display alongside works with strong classical themes by Flaxman, J.M.W. Turner, William Blake, Angelica Kauffman, Josiah Wedgwood and other acclaimed artists.

The tour starts at 5pm and will take approximately one hour, finishing at 6pm at York Art Gallery.

A top price ticket to see the 6.30pm performance of The Penelopiad at York Theatre Royal is included. Please email boxoffice@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk if you have any access requirements for your seat(s).

The play is written by Margaret Atwood, author of the modern feminist classic The Handmaid’s Tale and revisits Homer’s The Odyssey in a powerful, irreverent and darkly humorous retelling that unpicks one of the oldest of myths.

Tickets are £57 – which includes both the tour at York Art Gallery and the performance of The Penelopiad and can be purchased through York Theatre Royal’s website.

Please email boxoffice@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk for questions about your tickets.

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Date: Tuesday 27 October 2026, 10:00 am-4:00 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

Make and Play: Bayeux Tapestry Weaving
Tuesday 27 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: Tuesday 27 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!

View event >

Date: Tuesday 27 October 2026, 11:00 am-2:30 pm
Venue: Yorkshire Museum

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