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 | 10am – 4pm

£60 pp | Tickets coming soon

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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Ikebana Floral Design – Sun 21 Jun 2026

Date: Sunday 21 June 2026, 10:00 am-12:30 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Ikebana Floral Design
Sunday 21 June 2026 | 10am – 12.30pm
£50 pp | Tickets coming soon
Suitable for ages 16+

Celebrate the summer solstice with this Japanese inspired floral design workshop, equipping you with the practical skills needed to create stunning displays at home.

Learn the main principals of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, with floral design studio Terra Flora. Create a beautiful bowl display whilst learning about how to work seasonally to make naturalistic florals and botanical installation spaces for occasions and events. You’ll take home your creation and a basic kit to get you started on your floral journey which includes a kenzan (flower pin frog) and a simple display bowl.

A modern approach to using fresh cut flowers, this technique emphasises finding inspiration in the natural world, and, in part demonstrates a modern interpretation of this ancient tradition.

Tools and materials are provided. You’ll take 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.

All materials and light refreshments are provided.

Participants aged under 18 must be accompanied by an adult

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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 | 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.

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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

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 the Futuresound’s website

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Futuresounds Live in Museum Gardens: Super Furry Animals – Sat 11 Jul 2026

Date: Saturday 11 July 2026, 12:00 am
Venue: York Musuem Gardens

Super Furry Animals

Saturday 11 July 2026 | 4pm | York Museum Gardens

Buy tickets here

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

For more information please see the Futuresounds Website here.

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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 | Tickets coming soon
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.

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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 | Tickets available soon
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.

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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 | 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.

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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 | York Museum Gardens

Book tickets here

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

Tickets are available to buy on the York Proms website.

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Making Waves: A Closing Celebration – Sat 29 Aug 2026

Date: Saturday 29 August 2026, 10:00 am-5:00 pm
Venue: York Art Gallery

Making Waves: A Closing Celebration

Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026 | 10am – 5pm

Included in general admission

Suitable for all ages

Join us to celebrate the closing of the Making Waves exhibition with a weekend of music, workshops, creative activities, food, drink and festivities for all the family in the gallery and Museum Gardens. More details about the programme coming soon.

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