Events

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

Date: Thursday 9 July 2026, 5:00 pm-10:30 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

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

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-10:30 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Futuresound’s Live in York Museum Gardens

Friday 10 July 2026 | 5pm | 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.

Please note: This is not a York Museums Trust event. To purchase tickets and for more information please visit Futuresound’s 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 | 10am – 4pm
£60 pp | Sold Out
Suitable for ages 16+

Experience the art of Japanese water-based woodblock printing with artist Lucy May Schofield.

This workshop will introduce you to the unique carving technique of mokuhnaga. You’ll practice printing using colour-separation woodblocks on Japanese mulberry paper (kozo washi) and using a hand-held press (baren).

Each stage of the process encourages a mindful approach, carving the woodblocks, 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’ll be sure to gain an appreciation of the variety of skills required to create prints like the ones on display in Making Waves.

Please note this method of printing requires a degree of arm, wrist and finger dexterity and strength. All materials and light refreshments are provided.

Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

View event >

Castle Kitchen – Sat 11 Jul 2026

Date: Saturday 11 July 2026, 10:30 am-4:00 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Castle Kitchen

Saturday 11 July 2026

Drop in between 10.30am – 4pm

Suitable for all ages | Included in general admission

Come watch our cookery demonstrations throughout the day of Mrs Beeton’s picnic recipes including Balmoral tarts, Sponge Cake, Tea Cream and Apple Cheesecake. There’s a sweet treat to satisfy everyone’s palate and there’ll be samples to treat your taste buds!

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 >

Futuresound’s Live in York Museum Gardens: Super Furry Animals – Sat 11 Jul 2026

Date: Saturday 11 July 2026, 3:30 pm-10:00 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

Futuresound’s Live in York Museum Gardens

Saturday 11 July 2026 | 3:30pm | York Museum Gardens
Book here

Welsh art-rock icons Super Furry Animals are set to headline York Museum Gardens on Saturday 11 July with special guests, Baxter Dury, Los Campesinos!, Divorce & Pys Melyn.

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

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
£60 pp | Sold Out
Suitable for ages 16+

Learn the techniques of the Japanese style accordion book (Ori-hon) and a simple stab sewn book (Toji-hon) with artist Lucy May Schofield.

You’ll be guided through the process, learning how to score, fold, glue and sew two of the most elegant traditional Japanese book forms, made from Japanese kozo washi (mulberry paper).

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.

All materials and light refreshments are provided.

Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

View event >

York Comedy Festival 2026 – Sun 12 Jul 2026

Date: Sunday 12 July 2026, 3:00 pm-10:15 pm
Venue: York Museum Gardens

York Comedy Festival 2026
Sunday 12 July 2026 | Gates open 3pm | York Museum Gardens
Strictly 16+ (performances may contain adult language and subject matter) | Buy Tickets

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 >

Gallery Babies – Thu 16 Jul 2026

Date: Thursday 16 July 2026, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Gallery Babies

Thursday 16 July 2026, 10am – 12pm

Free | Pre-booking required |Book Tickets

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.

View event >

Aesthetica Art Prize 2026: Meet the Artists – Fri 17 Jul 2026

Date: Friday 17 July 2026, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Aesthetica Art Prize 2026: Meet the Artists
Friday 17 July 2026
12 noon – 1pm
Included in general admission

Join a selection of shortlisted artists from the 2026 Aesthetica Art Prize to hear insightful short talks on their contributions to this year’s exhibition at York Art Gallery.

Artists include Yasuaki Matsuura, Alexis Pichot, Neil Armstrong, DIVA, Katharine Downson and Liza Dracup.

View event >

Dinosaur Backpacks – Sat 18 Jul 2026

Dates: Saturday 18 July 2026–Sunday 6 September 2026, 10:00 am-4:30 pm
Venue: York Castle Museum

Dinosaur Backpacks
Daily | 10am – 4.30pm
Recommended for 2 – 9 year olds
Included in general admission

Gain your spikes with our Dinosaur Backpacks! These adorable backpacks contain a selection of activities and prompts, including a dinosaur-themed book, a soft toy, a magnifying glass and other items to keep little explorers occupied.

Collect a backpack from the admissions desk and please return after use.

View event >