Tag: Jorvik Viking Festival

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Festival of the week: 40th anniversary Jorvik Viking Festival, York, Feb 17 to 23

Stag burning at Jorvik Viking Festival. More fun and games this week. Picture: Charlotte Graham

A NEW Viking longship, a sword that never misses its target and recreations of the world’s largest fossilised poo take centre stage at Europe’s largest Viking Festival over half-term.

Five days of Norse fun, living history, hands-on combat and lectures culminate in a parade through the historic streets and two dramatic evening son-et-lumière shows. 

“This is our 40th anniversary year of Jorvik Viking Festival, and we’re determined that those who follow in the footsteps of our Norse ancestors will not be disappointed when they get here,” says programmer Gareth Henry, of York Archaeology, the charity that organises and funds the festival. 

“As usual, we are celebrating the end of winter in true Nordic style – so whether you want to learn to fight like a Berserker, make your own authentic pair of Viking socks, or just stand back and watch an army of warriors take to the streets, we’ve got something for you.”

A free living history encampment will form the heart of the festival, taking over Parliament Street with an array of tents featuring craftsmen and traders and the opportunity to handle replica armour and weapons. 

“In the medieval period, the Vikings were known as fierce warriors; in our living history encampment, they are brilliant explainers and interpreters who love to talk about their specialist areas of expertise,” says Gareth. 

“We encourage all of our visitors not to simply walk through and observe, but to stop and talk to the re-enactors. It is easy to spend an hour or more just chatting about what life would have been like in 10th century York.”

Festival highlights include the March to Coppergate on February 22, when more than 200 Vikings muster in Dean’s Park, next to York Minster, before making their way through the city streets to Coppergate in an event free to watch from many vantage points along the route. 

The parading Vikings then join the Viking Games at the Eye of York, next to Clifford’s Tower, when tempers are likely to fray, leading to an epic battle between rival factions!

On February 21 and 22, the Eye of York hosts the Evening Spectacular, a dramatic retelling of a Norse legend featuring a sword that can never miss its target – the ultimate warrior’s weapon. Actors and re-enactors perform this piece of open-air theatre with a thrilling soundtrack, culminating in a fiery finale.

DIG, the sister attraction to the Jorvik Viking Centre, will play host to Poo Week, inspired by one of Jorvik’s most infamous exhibits, the Lloyds Bank Coprolite, the world’s largest fossilised Viking poo. Children can re-create poo, discovering how the composition of human excrement reveals so much about the person who passed it!  Undigested seeds, bits of bone and revolting worms all feature in the re-creations.

The festival will be the first opportunity to play the newest addition to the Top Trumps portfolio of card games.  Jorvik Viking Centre’s Top Trumps will be highlighted in a fun, free city-wide trail with packs of the new game available to purchase throughout the event. Budding teen artists can meet the card designer, Katie Smith, at an illustration workshop.

Jorvik Viking Festival week is the last chance to experience A Winter Adventure at Jorvik Viking Centre.  A ride through Viking-age York is the centrepiece of this Norse winter wonderland, where the centre’s interactive Vikings tell stories of how their ancestors would have fared against a harsh winter. Be aware, tickets are likely to sell out in advance.

For more information on the 2025 festival and to book tickets, go to: jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk.  Early booking is recommended as a number of events have sold out already.

The 2025 Jorvik Viking Festival programme

Monday, February 17
Adult Crafting, Barley Hall Cafe, 10am to 1pm
ENJOY a taste of Viking life with this hands-on leather-working workshop. Using traditional Viking tools, you will craft your very own leather bracers and perhaps discover a new hobby along the way. Suited for adults, these beginner-friendly sessions offer a glimpse into Viking life. With limited spots available, advance booking is recommended. Tickets: £40 per person Age restrictions: 16+ only. Workshop is aimed at beginners.

   
Encampment, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
THE Vikings have taken over York city centre. Snap some selfies as you watch them in action, from woodworking to making stunning jewellery. Try your hand at Viking games through lively demonstrations, and even have your face painted to look like a true Norse warrior. Visit Parliament Street or St Sampson’s Square to experience the excitement up close and catch a glimpse of Viking life right in the heart of the city. Tickets: Free of charge. Age restrictions: None.    

Kids Crafting, Barley Hall, 10am to 4pm
LET your little Vikings unleash their creativity with these crafting activities! They can make Buzz Bones — just like Viking children did — to create a fun buzzing sound (some things never change). From crafting their own shields and weaving braids to painting pottery, there is plenty to keep them busy. They can even create their own Viking beard! Why not enter their masterpiece in our Best Beard Competition for a chance to win? Tickets: Free with Barley Hall admission. Age restrictions: No, but most suited to children aged four to 12.    

Berserker Boot Camp, Midgard Marquee, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
PREPARE your little Vikings ready for battle at the Berserker Bootcamp! Led by Jorvik’s seasoned warriors, children will learn the art of combat with wooden swords, by axe-throwing, and will finish by training in the fearsome shield wall. Don’t worry, Norse health and safety keeps it all safe and fun. This activity is a great way to let young warriors experience the thrill of Viking battle training. This is a drop-in activity, so no need to pre-book for this ideal preparation for the Kids Barbaric Battle event on Saturday. Tickets: £10 per person. Age restrictions: Suitable for ages five to 12 only.    

Tryggvi Treehammer’s Top Trumps Trail Across the city centre, 10.30am to 4.30pm
TRYGGVI Treehammer has set up a Viking Trail, across the city of York. Follow in his footsteps by visiting the Jorvik Viking Centre, Barley Hall, DIG, the Midgard Marquee and festival information point on St Sampson’s Square. Collect special stamps along the wayto earn an exclusive Top Trumps card that’s a perfect addition to the new Jorvk Top Trumps set, making its debut at the festival. And the best part? Gathering stamps and completing the trail is completely free! Tickets: Free. Age restrictions: None.    

Poo Week DIG Lunch Room, 11am to 4pm
IT’S smelly, it’s squelchy, and it’s a highlight of the festival calendar! Believe it or not, poo can reveal plenty about our past! Bring the children to DIG to discover why archaeologists are fascinated by this unexpected treasure. Children will have the chance to create their own replica fossilized poo, inspired by the famous Lloyds Bank Turd at Jorvik Viking Centre. Tickets: Free with a DIG tour ticket. Age restrictions: No, but most suited to children aged four.

Adult Crafting Barley Hall Cafe, 2pm to 5pm
SEE details above. Tickets: £40 per person. Age restrictions: 16+ only. Workshop is aimed at beginners.

Jorvik, Immersive Theatre, Old York Theatre, Barley Hall Great Hall, 6pm to 7pm and 7:30pm to 8:30pm
“Eoforwic has fallen. Today is the day that will impact this city for the rest of time. We may not be here for long, but our legacy will stand.” Jorvik is an immersive play set directly in the aftermath of the fall of Eoforwic to the Great Viking Army and its rebirth as Jorvik.
Old York Theatre lean heavily on the Viking mythos, rejoicing in the fantastical, delivered with the spirit of larger-than-life storytelling as Ubbe, soaked in the blood of battle, finds himself at a great banquet in his honour. However, in this mysterious throne room,not all is as it seems.
Jorvik is a play about loss, glory, family and celebrating life while we are still around to enjoy it. Expect big characters, song, fights and plenty of table banging. Tickets: £20 per person. Age restrictions: 16+

Tuesday, February 18
Adult Crafting Barley Hall Cafe 10am to 1pm
Step into the world of Viking craftsmanship with these hands-on Nalebinding sessions. Make your own Viking hats and socks with this historical technique, one that uses the Norse method of knitting with one needle. Suitable for adults, these beginner-friendly sessions offer a glimpse into Viking life. With limited spots available, booking in advance is advised to secure your place. Tickets: £40 per person. Age restrictions: 16+ only. Workshop is aimed at beginners.

Poo Week DIG Lunch Room 11am to 4pm
SEE details on February 17.

Encampment Parliament Street 10.30am to 4.30pm.- 16:30pm
SEE details on February 17.

Kids Crafting Barley Hall, 10am to 4pm
SEE details on February 17.

Berserker Boot Camp Midgard Marquee, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE details on February 17.

Tryggvi Treehammer’s Top Trumps Trail Across the city centre 10:30am -16:30pm
SEE details on February 17.

Adult Crafting Barley Hall Cafe, 2pm to 5pm
SEE details above.

Rum Tasting with Villains Rum at Barley Hall Barley Hall Great Hall, 7.30pm to 8.30pm/9pm
JOIN Villains Rum of York for an unforgettable evening in the historic setting of Barley Hall, for the launch of the new seasonal Queen Gunnhildr Honey Rum. This exclusive tasting event features five signature villain-inspired rums, alongside an introduction to the legend of Queen Gunnhildr with expert Alex Ibbott on hand to answer questions to those intrigued to know more.
Adding to the atmosphere, a Villains Rum tour guide will deliver captivating stories of the infamous figures behind each rum from Erik Bloodaxe to Guy Fawkes. The evening includes: a welcome drink to start your villainous journey; tasting experience of five Villains Rums, including the new Queen Gunnhildr Honey Rum; a 50ml miniature of Queen Gunnhildr Honey Rum — Limited Edition miniature, not available for general sale. Tickets: £35 per person. Age restrictions: 18+.

   
Jorvik Viking Festival Feast Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, 7pm to 11pm
CELEBRATE the end of a long winter with an unforgettable candlelit dining experience at the historic Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. Gather for a three-course feast inspired by traditional Viking fare, with live entertainment and epic tales from the past that will transport you to another era. For the first time, the Festival Feast will feature both the Best Dressed Viking and Best Beard Contest. All are welcome to enter: attire can be authentic or a new twist and beards can be natural or proudly homemade. Prizes for both competitions will be awarded on the night. Tickets: £95 per person Age restrictions: 18+.

Wednesday, February 19
Adult Crafting Barley Hall Cafe, 10am to 1pm
DIVE into the past at hands-on Viking pottery workshops. This beginner-friendly workshop uses hand-building techniques (not the wheel-thrown pottery you may have tried before) to create your own unique piece to take home – a treasure worthy of any Viking hoard. With limited spots available, booking in advance s advised.Tickets: £40 per person. Age restrictions: 16+ only. Workshop is aimed at beginners    

Poo Week DIG Lunch Room, 11am to 4pm.
SEE February 17 for details.

:The Haunting Of Fortune Farm with Sophie Kirtley York Explore Library (Mariott Room), Library Square, York, 1.30pm to 3pm
AFTER releasing her new Viking-themed novel, Sophie Kirtley, best-selling children’s author of The Wild Way Home and The Way To Impossible Island, discusses the inspiration for Edie’s mysterious adventure and what it’s like to write stories for a living. You can ask Sophie your questions, buy her new book and have it signed,Tickets: £5 for children (with a free accompanying adult), £5 extra adults,  under-fives free.  Pre-booking is essential. Age restrictions: Recommended for ages seven to 11.  

 Encampment Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Kids Crafting Barley Hall, 10am to 4pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Berserker Boot Camp Midgard Marquee, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Tryggvi Treehammer’s Top Trumps Trail Across the city centre, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Adult Crafting Barley Hall Cafe, 2pm to 5pm
SEE above for details.

Mead Tasting Barley Hall Great Hall, 7pm to 9pm
DISCOVER Discover your new favourite drink! Join the award-winning Lancashire Mead Company as they introduce you to the Vikings’ drink of choice: mead. Learn about the cultural and historical significance of this honey-based beverage, cherished not only by the Vikings but throughout the Middle Ages and into the 21st century! Sample a variety of delicious meads, paired with tasty nibbles, and soak up the atmosphere in the Great Hall. Skål! Tickets: £35 per person. Age restrictions: 18+.

Thursday, February 20

Poo Week DIG Lunch Room, 11am to 4pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Encampment Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Kids Crafting Barley Hall, 10am to 4pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Berserker Boot Camp Midgard Marquee, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

The Art of Illustration Workshop Barley Hall cafe, 11am and 2pm
JOIN illustrator Katie Smith for an exclusive event where she will share insights into her creative process, discussing how she designed the artwork for the new Vikings Top Trumps cards. The event will begin with an introductory talk, followed by a 45-minute drawing workshop, where Katie will guide participants in creating their own Top Trumps character using simple drawing techniques. Whether you are an aspiring illustrator or a Top Trumps fan, Katie’s expert tips will help you draw a character to take home with you. Additionally, attendees will be gifted a limited-edition Viking Top Trumps card, designed by Katie for the workshop, which the artist will sign. This event is designed for teenagers interested in illustration, drawing or pursuing a career in the creative arts. Tickets: £10 per person, £5 concession. Age restrictions: Suitable for age 15 to 19.

Tryggvi Treehammer’s Top Trumps Trail
SEE February 17 for details.

Helen Thirza Addyman Lecture: JORVIK Viking Centre At 40 National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate, York, 8pm to 9.45pm
JORVIK first opened its doors to the public on Saturday, April 14 1984. Join Chris Tuckley, head of interpretation & learning at York Archaeology, for an entertaining look back at how this museum and tourist attraction came to be. The lecture incorporates a screening of Jorvik Viking Centre At 40, a new documentary film that combines interviews with the original Jorvik project team and archival footage to explore the extraordinary circumstances of Jorvik’s creation. Tickets: £12, £10 concession/Friends of YAT. Age restrictions: None.

Unfeasibly Large DnD with Johnny Chiodini Barley Hall, 7pm to 9pm
STEP into an epic adventure with Dungeon Master Johnny Chiodini for a Viking-inspired game of Dungeons & Dragons like no other! With 34 players, six characters and one wild, unpredictable story, anything can happen. What’s in store? Who knows – so why not roll the dice and find out! This new addition to the festival promises chaotic fun, whether you are a seasoned D&D player or starting out. Is D&D designed for this many players? Probably not, but that will be all part of the excitement! Ready to roll a Nat 20? Book your place today! Tickets: £25 per person. Age restrictions: 18+.

Friday, February 21
Poo Week DIG Lunch Room, 11am to 4pm
SEE February 17 for details.

10th Century Traders Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, 10am to 4.30pm
STEP into 10th century York as it takes over the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. Meet traders from across the Viking world and explore a vibrant market filled with treasures. Discover hand-crafted weaponry, authentic jewellery, drinking horns and much more. Tickets: adults £5.50; concessions £4.50; family of four £15; re-enactors £3 (with valid reenactment group card). Age restrictions:  None.

Encampment Parliament Street. 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Kids Crafting Barley Hall, 10am to 4pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Berserker Boot Camp Midgard Marquee, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Tryggvi Treehammer’s Top Trumps Trail Across the city centre, 10:30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Go on an adventure with Johnny Chiodini Travelling Man, 11am to 12 noon; 12.12pm to 1.15pm; 2pm to 3pm; 3.15pm to 4.15pm
JOHNNY Chiodini, Dungeon Master of the Oxventure Dungeons & Dragons series on YouTube, guides you through the mysterious Mythic North. In this thrilling one-shot, you will face strange beings and twisted creatures that dwell in the shadows. Inspired by Nordic folklore, Vaesen is an award-winning tabletop RPG that brings dark legends to life. Tickets: £10 per person. Age restrictions: None.

Mead Cocktails and Sagas Barley Hall Great Hall, 7pm to 9pm
RAISE a horn with Nidhogger Mead Company for an evening of cocktails and Viking sagas. You may know a Mojito or an Old Fashioned, but have you ever tasted a mead cocktail? Each drink is inspired by a Viking saga, brought to life by the festival’s talented Skald. Be warned: if the mead makes you too merry, you might just become part of the story! Skål! Tickets: £35 per person. Age restrictions: 18+.

Evening Spectacular: Tyrfing. The Cursed Sword, Eye Of York, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
BE guided into a world with a chance encounter between a king and two dwarves that leads to the forging of a magical sword – but not all is at it seems. The sword is named Tyrfing and it possesses formidable powers. It can cut through rock and iron as easily as cloth or flesh. The bearer of the sword will always defeat his opponent. However, this mighty blade also carries a terrible curse. Each time it is drawn, it must taste blood. Someone must die, and it will cause three evil deeds to be done. It will destroy those who wield it and cause great suffering! Join Time Will Tell Theatre to journey into the heart of a Viking myth with trickery, beauty, death and curses. This event sells out every year, so second performance is being added to enable more people to experience this show- stopping spectacular to finish their festival week. Tickets:  adults £20; concessions (senior 60+/child aged three to 16) £15; under threes free. Age restrictions: None.    

Saturday, February 22
Archaeology On Prescription Pop-up Exhibition DIG Classroom, 10am to 5pm
CELEBRATE the achievements of the Archaeology On Prescription programme in a showcase of fascinating discoveries from the winter programme. Be hands-on with artefacts and finds unearthed during the excavation at Willow House and delve into the secrets of the post-excavation process. Hear captivating stories from project participants and uncover the rich history of the people who once called this area home. Tickets: N/A. Age restrictions: None.

10th Century Traders Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, 10am to 4.30pm
SEE February 21 for details.

Encampment Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Kids Crafting Barley Hall, 10am to 4pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Berserker Boot Camp Midgard Marquee, Parliament Street, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Tryggvi Treehammer’s Top Trumps Trail Across the city centre, 10.30am to 4.30pm
SEE February 17 for details.

Kids Barbaric Battle Eye of York, 10.30am to 11am and 11.30am to 12 noon
EVERY Viking remembers their first battle. Now comes the turn of your little warrior in the new Kids Barbaric Battle. Up to 100 young fighters will step into the Eye of York to prove themselves worthy of Valhalla . This is a practice battle, so safety comes first: foam weapons, shields and equipment are all provided. Little Vikings aged under five will need an adult by their side on the battlefield. If you want to prepare children for combat, check out the Berserker Bootcamp workshops for the ultimate Viking training. Tickets: £5 per child (accompanying adults free). Age restrictions: Accompanying adult required for under fives; optional for under sevens.

Viking Games Eye of York, 1.3pm to 2.30pm
BACK by popular demand for 2025, two teams face off in the family-friendly Viking Games. Contestants battle it out in a test of strength, skill, cunning and wisdom with Odin as the referee. Expect combat, feats of endurance and laughs aplenty along the way. Please note, if you wish to participate in the March To Coppergate, you will not be able to join the Viking Games as it will already be under way. Tickets:  adults £10 adults; concessions (Senior 60+/ children aged three to 16) £5; under threes free. Low income tickets: adults £5; concessions £2.50; under threes free. Age restrictions: None.    

March To Coppergate York Minster to  Coppergate, 1.30pm to 2pm
THE Viking March is a festival tradition like no other as Viking warriors parade through the city. Don’t miss your chance to experience their thunderous war cries echoing through the streets of York. Tickets: Free. Age restrictions:  None.    

Evening Spectacular: Tyrfing. The Cursed Sword, Eye Of York, 7.30pm to 8.30pm
SEE February 21 for details.
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More Things To Do in York and beyond when Viking beards roam the streets. Hutch’s List No. 7, from The York Press

Stag burning at the Jorvik Viking Festival. More fun and games next week. Picture: Charlotte Graham

THE boat-burning Vikings are back as Charles Hutchinson looks forward to an action-packed February half-term.

Festival of the week: 40th anniversary Jorvik Viking Festival, York, February 17 to 23

A NEW Viking longship, a sword that never misses its target and recreations of the world’s largest fossilised poo take centre stage at Europe’s largest Viking Festival over half-term. Five days of Norse fun, living history, hands-on combat and lectures culminate in a parade of more than 200 Vikings through the historic streets on February 22 and two dramatic evening son-et-lumière shows. 

A free living history encampment takes over Parliament Street with an array of tents featuring craftsmen and traders, with the opportunity to handle replica armour and weapons. For the full programme and to book tickets, go to jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk.

Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods, seated, with Bruiser, the Chihuahua (played by Lily), in York Light Opera Company’s Legally Blonde The Musical. Picture: Matthew Kitchen Photography

The power of pink musical of the week: York Light Opera Company in Legally Blonde The Musical, York Theatre Royal, until February 22, 7.30pm nightly (except February 16) plus 2.30pm matinees today, February 20 and 22

JOIN Elle Woods, a seemingly ditzy sorority girl with a heart of gold, as she tackles Harvard Law School to win back her man. Along the way, Elle discovers her own strength and intelligence, “proving that you can be both blonde and brilliant”.

Emma Swainston’s Elle Woods leads Martyn Knight’s 35-strong cast in this feel-good, sassy and stylish show with its powerful message of staying true to yourself, booted with music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

David O’Doherty: Irish humour and song at Grand Opera House, York

Comedy show of the week: David O’Doherty, Tiny Piano Man, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 8pm

THE dishevelled prince of €10 eBay keyboards tries to make you feel alive with a pageant of Irish humour, song and occasionally getting up from a chair. “It’s gonna be a big one,” says Dublin comedian, author, musician, actor and playwright David O’Doherty, star of The Great Celebrity Bake Off 2024 and Along For The Ride With David O’Doherty. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Chloe Petts: Getting personal in How You See Me, How You Don’t at Theatre@41, Monkgate

Alternative comedy gig of the week: Chloe Petts, How You See Me, How You Don’t, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tonight, 8pm

CHLOE Petts returns with a new show and this time she’s getting personal. Between her newly found trolls, ‘oldly’ found school bullies and an excellent relationship with her food tech teacher, she brings her trademark ‘laddishness’ to tell you who she really is, all while her Head Girl badge glistens on her chest. Box office for returns only: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Gareth Gates: Turning romantic crooner in a Valentine mood at York Barbican

Romantic concert of the week: Gareth Gates Sings Love Songs From The Movies – A Valentine Special, York Barbican, Sunday, 7.30pm

EXTENDING the St Valentine’s Day vibes to the weekend, Bradford singer Gareth Gates combines beloved ballads from classic films with the electrifying energy of up-tempo hits, from Unchained Melody to Dirty Dancing, in a celebration of love stories that have graced the silver screen.

Joining the 2002 Pop Idol alumnus and musical star will be Wicked actress Maggie Lynne, Dutch singer Britt Lenting, Performers College graduate Dan Herrington and a four-piece band. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Abbie Budden’s Annette Hargrove in Bill Kenwright Ltd’s production of Cruel Intentions: The’90s Musical, on tour at Grand Opera House, York, from Tuesday. Picture: Pamela Raith

Dangerous liaison of the week: Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical, Grand Opera House, York, February 18 to 22, Tuesday to Thursday, 7.30pm; Wednesday, 2.30pm; Friday, 5pm and 8.30pm; Saturday, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

CREATED by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble from Kumble’s 1999 film spin on Les Liaisons Dangereuses, this American musical is powered by the 1990s’ pop gold dust of Britney Spears, Boyz II Men, Christina Aguilera, TLC, R.E.M., Ace Of Base, Natalie Imbruglia and The Verve.

Step siblings Sebastian Valmont (Will Callan) and Kathryn Merteuil (Nic Myers) engage in a cruel bet, where Kathryn goads Sebastian into attempting to seduce Annette Hargrove (Abbie Budden), the headmaster’s virtuous daughter. Weaving a web of secrets and temptation, their crusade wreaks havoc on the students at their exclusive Manhattan high school. Soon the dastardly plotters become entangled in their own web of deception and unexpected romance, with explosive results. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

Stuart Green’s police inspector, Truscott, left, and Miles John’s thief, Dennis, in rehearsal for York Settlement Community Players’ production of Loot

Scandalous play of the week: York Settlement Community Players in Loot, York Theatre Royal Studio, February 18 to 27, 7.45pm except February 23; 2pm, February 22

KATIE Leckey directs the Settlement Players in agent provocateur Joe Orton’s scabrous 1965 farce, the one with two thieves, dodgy police officers, adult themes, offensive language, sexism and xenophobia, references to sexual assault, including rape and necrophilia, a live actor playing a dead body in a coffin and digs at the Roman Catholic Church.

Don’t let that put you off! Yes, it still carries a content warning and age recommendation of 16 upwards, but it remains outrageously funny. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Wharfemede Productions director Helen Spencer, centre, rehearsing her role as Marmee in Little Women with Connie Howcroft’s Jo, left, Catherine Foster’s Meg, Rachel Higgs’s Beth and Tess Ellis’s Amy. Picture: Matthew Warry

Marching on together: Wharfemede Productions: Little Women – The Broadway Musical, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, February 18 to 22, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee

HELEN Spencer directs York company Wharfemede Productions in their first solo show, playing Marmee too in Allan Knee, Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein’s musical account of Louisa May Alcott’s story of the March sister – traditional Meg, wild, aspiring writer Jo, timid Beth and romantic Amy – growing up in Concord, Massachusetts, while their chaplain father is away serving during the American Civil War. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Ugg’n’Ogg tell the story of The World’s First Dogg at Milton Rooms, Malton

Children’s play of the week: Rural Arts presents Fideri Fidera in Ugg’n’Ogg & The World’s First Dogg, Milton Rooms, Malton, February 20, 2pm

IN the fresh sparkling world just after the last Ice Age, there were no dogs. How, then, did we attain our best friend and the world’s number one pet? Luckily for us, along came young hunter gatherers Ugg‘n’Ogg to pal up with the wolves, Tooth’n’Claw, to defy flying meat bones, raging forest infernos and even a time-travelling stick to invent the dog.

This original play for pooch lovers aged three upwards highlights the evolutionary transition from lupine to canine in a show full of physical comedy, puppets, music and song. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.

In Focus: Exhibition refresh: Secrets Of Dress, Yorkshire Castle Museum, Fashion Gallery, Eye of York, York, from February 15

Fashion exhibits in the Secrets Of Dress exhibition at York Castle Museum. Picture: Duncan Lomax, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust

YORK Castle Museum’s Fashion Gallery has been refreshed, remodelled and enhanced for 2025 with new items and fresh interpretations to show Secrets Of Dress from the Middle Ages to the opening decades of the 21st century.

Not merely a fashion exhibition,  this re-boot is an opportunity to look at dress and textiles from the perspective of social history, exploring what clothes and accessories can reveal about our lives and experiences.

Every object has a secret to tell, hence Secrets Of Dress provides insights into ways of life that are very different to today and yet relatable. From 400-year-old sequins to Second World War utility shoes, from the cottage industry of old Yorkshire to the factory-produced fashions of the industrial age, this is social history brought alive by the story of dress.

Dr Faye M Prior, Curator of Social History, with a 1970s’ outfit designed by Angela Holmes for her York-based fashion brand Droopy & Browns. The outfit was kindly donated by Angela’s sister, Leone Cockburn, and her niece, Clare Cockburn. Picture:  Duncan Lomax, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust

This bespoke exhibition has been updated for the 21st century with a new section focusing on the City of York: York Makers. Thanks to the diligent research of York Castle Museum volunteers, York Makers presents York-made clothing, textiles and textile-working tools from the Middle Ages to the present day, alongside the stories of the people who made and used them.

York Makers celebrates creative people who lived and worked in York, some of whom contributed nationally as well as regionally to fashion.

On display are outfits by York-based designers Angela Holmes, founder of Droopy & Browns, and Vivien Smith, founder of Vivien Smith Simply Clothes. These two entrepreneurs created iconic fashion brands that offered distinctive styles on the high street from the 1960s to the early 2000s.

Gloves made of straw from the Secrets Of Dress exhibition at York Castle Museum. Picture: Duncan Lomax, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust

Other York Makers include Victorian shirtmaker Herbert Morris Crouch, who ran his own shop on Coney Street, and Mrs Maria Cook, the dressmaker whose ‘Made In York’ label sparked the volunteer research project.

Secrets Of Dress showcases 500 years of clothing, accessories and textiles, including items never displayed until now. Every object has something to tell, and many show repairs and adaptations, revealing how practices thought to be modern, such as ‘upcycling’ and ‘remaking’, have a long tradition.

Displayed in an accessible and fun way, iconic items and textiles from the 1960s and 1970s will be recognisable immediately. Visitors can touch, feel and try on costumes re-created by costume designer Naomi Pugh – aka ‘Nomes’ – of Textiles by Gnomes, and enjoy family trails with Little Spotters Trails, including a colouring page for creative little ones.

York Castle Museum is open Monday, 11am to 5pm; Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Tickets: adult £17; child £10.20; concessions available. Tickets are valid for 12 months. Children of York residents enter for free.

Visitors taking a close look at clothing and shoes in the Secrets Of Dress exhibition at York Castle Museum. Picture: Duncan Lomax, Ravage Productions, for York Museums Trust

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New company Old York Theatre to stage Charlie Blanshard’s debut play at Jorvik Viking Festival and on northern mini-tour

Charlie Blanshard: Actor, Old York Theatre co-producer and writer of Jorvik. Picture: YellowBelly, London

EAST Yorkshire writer and actor Charlie Blanshard will present his debut full-length play, Jorvik, at Barley Hall, Coffee Yard, York, on February 17 as part of the 2025 Jorvik Viking Festival.

How pleasing to see a  theatre show in  a festival noted for its living history encampments, workshops, tours, traditional crafts, feasts, family events, boat burning, evening entertainment and dramatic combat performances.

“That’s why I’ve made the show,” says Old York Theatre co-producer Charlie, whose imposing 6ft 2 frame and long hair would have befitted Viking times.

“When I was studying at Rose Bruford College, I made a short Viking film called Snake-In-The-Eye, which we shot in the Allfather Hall in Valhalla, as my final work on my MA in Actor Performer Training course.

“Dr Chris Tuckley [Jorvik’s head of interpretation and learning] gave me historical advice for that project, and I reached out to him again with this play. He put me in touch with Abi at Jorvik; I presented the script and asked if there was any way I could do it at Barley Hall.”

The answer was yes, and now February 17’s 6pm and 7.30pm performances will lead off a northern tour that will take in The Brain Jar cocktail bar in Hull on February 19 and the Monks Walk Inn, where Charlie once   worked, in Beverley on February 20, as well as crossing the Pennines to play a Manchester cabaret bar on February 18.

Jorvik, an immersive play set directly in the aftermath of the fall of Eoforwic to the Great Viking Army and its rebirth as Jorvik, will be staged in the Tudor Throne Room, the great hall at Barley Hall.

The company logo for Old York Theatre

What will “immersive” involve, Charlie? “Every audience member will be cast as a member of the Viking Army with plenty of opportunities to get involved if you want to,” he says. “Everyone is part of the moment. It’s not a play to be sat at the back with popcorn!”

Directed by co-producer Jack Chamberlain, Charlie takes the role of Ubbe, son of Ragnar and leader of the Viking army, playing opposite Oliver Strong’s Odin in the two-hander.

 “The play leans heavily on the Viking mythos, rejoices in the fantastical and is delivered with the spirit of larger-than-life storytelling. We follow our protagonist, Ubbe, soaked in the blood of battle as he finds himself at a great banquet in his honour,” says Charlie.

“But in this mysterious throne room, not all is as it seems! Jorvik is a play about loss, faith, glory, family, love and celebrating life while we are still around to enjoy it. Expect big characters, song, fights and plenty of table banging.”

Defining Old York Theatre’s theatre style, Charlie says: “It’s theatre of myths and legends, legacy and mortality. We’re not focused on history; it’s storytelling about larger-than-life heroes and gods and focusing on their stories. Ultimately, we want people to come and have a good time and leave with a smile on their face.

“We tell the story in a mixture of styles, with moments of mythological verse and also modern language. It’s a mash-up to match the clash of two worlds, and every show will be different because each audience will add a unique element with their own story.

Oliver Strong: Welsh-born actor/co-producer and fight choreographer. Picture: YellowBelly, London

“It’s a performance that’s rooted in history and myth but lives and breathes today – and York is the perfect place for its debut because this is a city where history does live and breathe and you  can experience the legends of times before.”

Born in Londesborough, in the Yorkshire Wolds, and raised in Hull, Charlie has been drawn to York since regular weekend family trips in his childhood. “It really does feel like home every time I come to the city,” he says.

“Even as a young child, it captured my imagination. From the city walls to historic pubs, you think, ‘who has walked these streets before me?’. ‘Who has sat before in these pubs?’ ‘If the walls had ears, what would they have heard? What victories were toasted here? What losses were mourned?” It’s a city that cannot deny its history.”

Old York Theatre’s motto is “Theatre company rooted in Yorkshire, for the world. Anywhere, anytime, any place”. Hence this month’s mini-tour heading to a great hall, a cabaret bar, a cocktail bar and a pub. “We hope to expand on that,” says Charlie.

“We also want to appeal both to people who’ve been to a theatre a thousand times and those who’ve never been. So we want to break down barriers for people to go to a theatre show, as well as those who go to see Chekhov and Shakespeare, which is why we’re doing the play in cocktail and cabaret bars.”

Living in Hull on his return from London, Charlie has worked with Middle Child theatre company, based in Hull Old Town,  and now with Old York Theatre. “I want to make work for the North,” he says. “The northern theatre scene called me back to make new theatre, bringing northern stories to northern audiences and breaking down that barrier of theatre being London-centric.”

Old York Theatre in Jorvik, Barley Hall, Coffee Yard, York, Jorvik Viking Festival, February 17, 6pm and 7.30pm. Box office: https://jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk/events/jorvik-immersive-theatre/

Charlie Blanshard: the back story

Charlie Blanshard in his film Snake-In-The-Eye, shot in the Allfather Hall in Valhalla. Picture: Oli Towse

EAST Riding-born actor and writer, loud and proud of his Yorkshire roots. His passion for performance is lit by his desire to tell northern stories on screen and stage and shine a light on the many talented artists that call the North home.

Graduated from Rose Bruford College with MA in Actor Performer Training. Has since toured Europe with English Theatre Company, performed Shakespeare in Dubai on the QE2 and worked with many companies and individuals on his door step in Hull, including Middle Child.

His childhood visits to York awoke his love of history, with a particular fondness for the Vikings, Romans and Greeks, fuelling his drive to one day tell those stories. 

“I could see the influence – the legacy – that these histories have left on this city. From street names to days of the week – undeniable heritage that has stood the test of time,” he says.

The myths and legends that still survive today captured his imagination. “The stories of epic quests and heroes spoke to the storyteller in me,” he says. “Over many years, I realised there was something deeper, beyond the stories. Really, at the root of it all is human connection and human struggle.

“We aren’t as different as we think to our ancestors. For example, our desires, while modern at a glance, are deeply rooted in that same human condition: The need to be remembered.

The tour itinerary for Old York Theatre’s Jorvik

” Instead of pursuing fame, success or social media status, the Vikings wanted infamy, songs, sagas and poems. A totally different era, but a comparable obsession with legacy. Jorvik is an exploration of this idea, a celebration of life, of family and the love we leave behind.” 

He relishes the challenge presents for him as a writer, producer and actor by this project. Pushing himself into multiple different disciplines. Expanding his tool box to allow him to champion working in the arts in a northern city.

Training at a London drama school opened his eyes to the “disparity between the theatre industry in the North and the South”. “It is my firmly held belief that new, exciting and dynamic theatre should have a greater representation and be produced in the North,” he says. “Why must people have to travel far to see new, innovative and great theatre? Why don’t we bring it to them?” 

Especially excited to be exploring the use of non-traditional theatre spaces. From Tudor halls to pubs. Anywhere, anytime. “I believe bringing live performance and theatre to these venues is really important,” he says.

“It opens up the world of performance to people not from a theatre background. It breaks boundaries and perceptions of what people think theatre is and removes barriers that prevent them seeing it.”

Did you know?

CHARLIE Blanshard is the narrator for Channel 5’s four-part documentary Bomb Squad: Trigger Point.

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York Archaeology illustrator Katie Smith designs pack of cards for Jorvik Viking Centre version of Top Trumps game

Illustrator Katie Smith with one of her giant Top Trumps cards to be hidden around the city during the Jorvik Viking Festival 2025. All pictures: George Slater

ILLUSTRATOR Katie Smith has come up Top Trumps for Jorvik Viking Centre.

Thousands of examples of her work will be handled by children and games fans around the world after the launch of a new set of the card game by the York visitor attraction.

Katie, who has worked for 18 months for York Archaeology, the charity behind Jorvik, has designed the newest addition to the Top Trumps game, newly on sale this week.

When Jorvik was approached to create its own set of Top Trumps, a game collected and played by enthusiasts globally, Katie leapt at the chance of designing a set of illustrations for the 30-strong pack.

Lisa Wood, head of communications and marketing for York Archaeology, says: “Top Trumps is an iconic game, and we wanted to create a set of cards that reflected Norse heritage, myths and legends,  but unlike versions featuring cars or athletes, we couldn’t really photograph mythical creatures or Norse Gods, so this was an amazing opportunity to use Katie’s illustration skills.”

“Designing a set of Top Trumps and actually holding the completed game in my hand feels amazing,” says Katie Smith

York Archaeology Viking lore expert Lucas Norton created a list of characters to feature, whereupon Katie set to work creating the array of illustrations to be used on the cards.  “It was a lot of fun, but also hard work making sure that the illustrations captured not only the look, but also the spirit of the character – and with their core strengths highlighted in the statistics below each image, that had to be right!” says Katie, 25.

Jorvik Viking Centre’s Top Trumps are on sale in the gift shop and online at jorvikshop.com, priced at £12.50. 

The new game will feature in the Jorvik Viking Festival 2025, running from February 17 to 23. Giant Top Trump cards will be hidden in locations across the city, creating a new Viking-themed trail, and Katie will host an illustration workshop, aimed primarily at young artists aged 15 and over.

“There are so few opportunities for young people to explore opportunities in illustration, and I would have found it incredibly useful to have someone to talk to before I made my college and university choices about how you can turn a passion for art into a career,” says Katie. 

“Breaking into the industry when you don’t know anyone within it can be tough, and it took me a couple of years of building a portfolio while working full-time in a very different role before I found my feet.  Designing a set of Top Trumps and actually holding the completed game in my hand feels amazing.”

York Archaeology illustrator Katie Smith will hold Art of Illustration workshop at Barley Hall on February 20

The Art of Illustration workshop will take place at Barley Hall on February 20 and will feature an introductory talk followed by a drawing workshop, where participants will be supported by Katie. 

Each participant will receive a limited-edition Top Trumps card that Katie will sign. The workshop costs  £10 per participant, with discounted tickets available for anyone on a low income.  To book, visit jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk.

Top Trumps are made by Winning Moves. Yasmin East, custom games executive at Winning Moves UK, says: “We’re so happy we could include Katie’s illustrations and it’s now one of our favourite custom packs in-house with our designers and office nerds! We’re also really pleased we can be part of Jorvik Viking Festival. We love activities here and think it’s a smashing way to launch the game.”

Katie Smith: the back story

Illustrator and graphic designer, aged 25, from Armley, Leeds, with a degree in illustration from the University of Huddersfield.  Worked in York Archaeology communications and marketing team for 18 months, creating eye-catching illustrations for posters, events and guidebooks used in York Archaeology’s attractions, Jorvik Viking Centre, DIG: An Archaeological Adventure and Barley Hall.

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More Things To Do in York and beyond as the Vikings take over. Hutch’s List No. 7 for February 10 onwards, from The Press

In with a shout: Jorvik Viking Festival returns to York

INVASION? Installation? Theatre innovation? Half-term challenges? Giants and dinosaurs? Yes, yes, yes. Charles Hutchinson signposts what to catch in the days and weeks ahead.

Festival of the week: Jorvik Viking Festival 2024, invading York from February 12 to 18

NOW in its 39th year, Europe’s largest annual Viking festival will be attracting up to 45,000 visitors of all ages over the week ahead. “We’d always advise booking in for some of the activities – including a visit to Jorvik Viking Centre and the Festival Finale – but many have booking slots available on the day too,” advises event manager Abigail Judge.

Family activities include Monday’s smelly, squelchy Poo Day! at DIG, St Saviourgate, from 11am to 3pm; daily Berserker Camp, family crafting and saga story-telling Arena! shows, and a new event, the Best Dressed Viking, Best Beast and Best Beard competitions, on February 18 at 12.30pm in St Sampson’s Square. For tickets and the full programme, visit: jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk

Georgia-Mae Myers and Nedum Okonyia in rehearsal for the Imitating The Dog and Leeds Playhouse co-production of Frankenstein. Picture: Ed Waring

Yorkshire theatre premiere of the week: Frankenstein, Leeds Playhouse Courtyard Theatre, February 15 to 24

PIONEERING Leeds company Imitating The Dog teams up with Leeds Playhouse for a “visually captivating and psychologically thrilling” multi-media exploration of Mary Shelley’s Gothic tale of fear and anxiety, posing the question “what is it to be human?”.

Georgia-Mae Myers and Nedum Okonyia play all the roles across parallel narratives, threading together the late-18th century’ story of Frankenstein with a contemporary conversation between a pregnant young couple, fearful of what it means to bring life into the world. Box office: 0113 213 7700 or  leedsplayhouse.org.uk.

Ironing 1924 style at Nunnington Hall over half-term. Picture: Arnhel de Serra

Half-term family activity of the week: Nunnington Hall, Nunnington, near Helmsley, February 10 to 18, 10.30am to 4pm, last entry at 3.15pm.

TRAVEL back to 1924 this half-term when families can enjoy being tasked with carrying out activities performed by household servants 100 years ago, from ironing to dusting bannisters, cross stitch to flower arranging.  

The National Trust property has created a fun, interactive trail around the manor house in the form of a CV that guides visitors through the various servant skills. Children can find out if they meet the requirements necessary to fulfil the responsibilities of the desired positions, and then decide which roles, if any, they would choose to accept. Tickets: nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington-hall.

Going Wilde in the country: Tiny & Tall Productions and Soap Soup Theatre’s touring production of The Selfish Giant visits Helmsley

Children’s show of the week: Tiny & Tall Productions and Soap Soup Theatre in The Selfish Giant, Helmsley Arts Centre, February 11, 2.30pm

BRISTOL family theatre companies Tiny & Tall Productions and Soap Soup Theatre head north with their collaborative exploration of Oscar Wilde’s children’s story of an unusual friendship, The Selfish Giant.

In this version, the giant Grinter lives happily alone in her huge icy house, shutting out the world that long ago shut her out. Outside, very little greenery is left. One spring day, the children, tired of playing on hard roads and grey rooftops, climb through a chink in her garden walls, changing the course of their lives forever and Grinter’s too. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyartscentre.co.uk.

Jonathan Pie: Hero or villain? Time for a rant at York Barbican

York comedy gig(s) of the week: Jonathan Pie: Hero Or Villain?, York Barbican, February 14 and 15, 7.30pm

FOR the record, ranting political correspondent Jonathan Pie is a fictional character portrayed by British comedian Tom Walker, scripted by Walker and Irish comedian Andrew Doyle. In his latest slice of Pie, he hopes to answer the question: hero or villain?

Join him, on a St Valentine’s Day date or the night after, as he “celebrates the UK’s greatest heroes (nurses/Gary Lineker/24-hour off licence proprietors), takes a verbal blowtorch to its villains (the Tories/cyclists), kicks in the Establishment’s back doors and rifles through its kitchen cupboards”. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Jurassic Live: Dinosaur adventures on a musical journey at York Barbican

Swimming dinosaur alert: Jurassic Live, York Barbican, February 16, 5pm; February 17, 11am, 3pm; February 18, 1pm

NEW for 2024 in this interactive theatrical dinosaur show is the Tylosaurus, a genus of Mosasaur: the largest predatory marine reptile to ever grace our oceans and now the largest marine puppet ever made as it swims in its gigantic purpose-built Jurassic tank on stage. Be warned: if you sit near the front, you will get wet!

Family show Jurassic Live undertakes a musical journey as little Amber, Ranger Joe and Ranger Nora strive to save the day from an evil man determined to close the Jurassic facility. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Barrie and the Bard: Barrie Rutter discusses Shakespeare’s Royals at the SJT, Scarborough, Salts Mill, York Theatre Royal and Ripon Theatre Festival

Regal tour of the north: Barrie Rutter: Shakespeare’s Royals, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, March 1, 7.30pm; Arrival Of Spring Gallery, Salts Mill, Saltaire, April 13, 7.30pm; York Theatre Royal Studio, April 26, 7.45pm; Ripon Theatre Festival, Ripon Cathedral, July 4, 7.30pm

BARRIE Rutter, founder and former director of Northern Broadsides, celebrates the Bard’s kings and queens – their achievements, conquests and foibles – with tales, anecdotes and memories from a career of playing and directing Shakespeare’s Royals.

After being told he could never play a king on account of his Yorkshire accent, Hull-born Rutter, now 77, took the revolutionary step of creating his own theatre company in 1992 in Halifax to use the northern voice for Shakespeare’s kings, queens and emperors, not only the usual drunken porters, jesters or fools. As he says on X: “Lover of language. Awobopaloobopalopbamboom – everything else is Shakespeare”. Box office: Scarborough, 01723 370541 or sjt.uk.com; Salt’s Mill, https://bit.ly/RutterAtSalts;  York, 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk; Ripon, ripontheatrefestival.org.

In Focus: Art installation Colour & Light, York Art Gallery, going full frontal until February 25

Colour & Light: Art from the York Art Gallery collection spreads over the gallery facade in Double Take Projections’ installation. Picture: York BID/Double Take Projections

YORK BID links up with York Museums Trust for the return of Colour & Light: an innovative project designed to warm up York Art Gallery’s facade in the cold winter with an art-filled light installation by David McConnachie’s Edinburgh company Double Take Projections.

This “high impact and large-scale visual arts project” uses 3D projection mapping to bring York’s iconic buildings to life, first York Minster last year, now York Art Gallery, where the projection will play every ten minutes from 6pm to 9pm daily in a non-ticketed free event. 

Highlighting York’s UNESCO Media Arts status, this outdoor projection is the work of Double Take Projections, who architecturally scanned the gallery facade to generate a 3D model.

This model served as the template for content application. From there, they used multiple projections to create one seamless image by projecting from different angles and wrapping content on the irregularly shaped frontage.

Viewers can notice something new at each viewing, such as York’s skyline being hidden in different mediums or artistic elements of the gallery’s façade that they may not have spotted previously.

The William Etty statue in front of the gallery, in Exhibition Square, has been brought to life too. Born in Feasegate and buried just around the corner from the gallery in Marygate, Etty is York’s most iconic artist.

Considered the first significant British painter of nudes and still lifes, Etty’s 19th century paintings were somewhat controversial at the time, but he also played a role in the conservation of the city walls.  His work Preparing For AFancy Dress Ball features in the Colour & Light display.

Not only York Art Gallery’s paintings are highlighted. Spot the reference to the extensive Centre of Ceramic Arts (CoCA) and the two tiled panels on the side of the building, Leonardo Expiring In The Arms Of Francis I and Michelangelo Showing His Moses

Viewers can pick up exclusive Colour & Light merchandise from the Sketch Box for £2 or less while watching the show, as well as churros, soft serve and hot drinks.

Carl Alsop, York BID’s operations manager, says: “This event is all about making world-class culture more accessible, and it’s been brilliant watching the show from Exhibition Square, traditionally a quiet and reserved space, with children playing, dancing and laughing, and people from all backgrounds enjoying the show together.

“It’s also been great to see people discovering some of the less obvious aspects of the projection on a second viewing. Audiences have enjoyed various buildings from York’s skyline reimagined in different mediums, as well as seeing elements of York Art Gallery, like the mosaics on each side of the building, brought to life.”

Richard Saward, York Museums Trust’s head of visitor experience and commercial, says: “We are thrilled to be involved with York BID’s Colour & Light show. This event kicks off a fantastic season at York Art Gallery, including The Aesthetica Art Prize 2024 exhibition and Claude Monet’s painting The Waterlily-Pond, which will be on display in York from May 10 to celebrate the 200th birthday of the National Gallery.” 

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More Things To Do in York and beyond when Vikings and young rebels rise up. Hutch’s List No.7 for 2023, from The Press

A fierce-faced warrior at Jorvik Viking Festival, back in York from today

THOSE pesky Vikings are invading again, promising battles and big beards, as Charles Hutchinson wrestles with what to do in half-term week.

Festival of the week: Jorvik Viking Festival 2023, today until February 19

SWORDS and seaxes are being sharpened, shields reinforced, beards groomed and tents prepared as York braces itself for the annual invasion of 9th century raiders, Norse warriors, craftspeople and traders in half-term week.

Welcoming 40,000 visitors each year, Europe’s largest Viking festival takes over the city centre with living history encampments, a combat-and-display arena and a Battle Spectacular on February 18, inspired by Arab writer Ibn Fadlan’s accounts of Viking traders.  

Among further highlights will be the Best Beard Competition, today, 11am; Strongest Viking Competition, February 18, 11.15am; March To Coppergate, February 18, 1.30pm, from Dean’s Park; talks and lectures; crafting workshops and a traders’ market. Full details at: jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk 

Melanie Watson in Mythos: Ragnarok: Making its York Barbican debut on the Jorvik Viking Festival Fringe

Festival Fringe event of the week: Mythos: Ragnarok, Jorvik Viking Festival, York Barbican, Friday, 7.30pm

MYTHOS: Ragnarok retells mythical tales of the apocalypse through wrestling, yes, wrestling, in a Fringe event new to the 2023 Viking festival programme, presented by Mythological Theatre and Phil McIntyre Live.

Half-brothers Odin and Loki must overcome primordial giants, rivals gods and goddesses and their own ambitions in their quest to seize power over the Nine Worlds through the grappling sport in Mythos’s York Barbican debut. Warning:  Contains strobe lighting, scenes of violence, references to death, indirect sexual references, occasional bad language and actors specialising in professional wrestling skills. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

A chance to dress up as rebel: One of the activities at the Marvellous And Mischievous, Literature’s Young Rebels exhibition at York Art Gallery. Picture: Charlotte Graham

Exhibition of the week: Marvellous And Mischievous, Literature’s Young Rebels, York Art Gallery, until June 4

OPENING just in time for half-term week, York Art Gallery presents the British Library’s touring exhibition of memorable characters from children’s literature.

Favourites such as Pippi Longstocking, Jane Eyre, Matilda, Dirty Bertie, Zog, Tracey Beaker, Peter Pan and Dennis the Menace feature in this exploration of characters who break the rules and defy conventions. Around 40 books, manuscripts and original artwork from 300 years of literary rebels, outsiders and spirited survivors will be complemented by an activity room with a busy programme of workshops and events.

Anastasia Bevan: Soprano soloist at York Guildhall Orchestra’s all-Beethoven concert tonight

Classical concert of the week: York Guildhall Orchestra, York Barbican, tonight, 7.30pm

YORK Guildhall Orchestra will be joined by Leeds Festival Chorus for the Angels’ Hallelujah Chorus, from the oratorio Christ On The Mount Of Olives in a wholly Beethoven night.

The Egmont Overture and Fidelio Overture and the Meeresstille und Glückliche Fahrt setting of two Goethe poems feature too before the climactic, gloriously melodious Symphony No. 9, “The Choral”, billed as “a real work out for orchestra, choir, and soloists” Anastasia Bevan, Sarah Winn, Sam Knock and Matthew Kellett. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Dnipro Opera take to the York Barbican stage in Carmen

Ukrainians in York: Dnipro Opera in Carmen, York Barbican, Sunday, 7pm

DNIPRO Opera, from Ukraine, perform Georges Bizet’s opera of fiery passion, jealousy and violence in 19th century Seville in French with English surtitles (CORRECT), to the accompaniment of a 30-strong orchestra.

Carmen charts the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who falls head over heels in love with Carmen, a seductive, free-spirited femme fatale, abandoning his childhood sweetheart and neglecting his military duties, only to lose the fickle firebrand to the glamorous toreador Escamillo. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The double act that nearly was…and now is: Danielle Reid’s Charlie Chaplin and Jerone Marsh-Reid’s Stan Laurel in Told By An Idiot’s Charlie & Stan

Double act of the week: Told By An Idiot in Charlie & Stan, York Theatre Royal, Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30pm, plus 2pm, Thursday and 2,30pm, Saturday

IN 1910 the unknown Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel set sail for New York on a voyage of discovery as part of Fred Karno’s music hall troupe, sharing a cabin and then spending two years together touring North America, with Stan as Charlie’s understudy.

In a fantastical reimagining that plays fast and loose with the facts, Told By An Idiot tells the story of “the greatest comedy double act that nearly was” in Paul Hunter’s homage to the English comedy legends pre-fame, played out by Danielle (CORRECT) Bird’s Chaplin and Jerone (CORRECT) Marsh-Reid’s Laurel in the style of a silent comedy to a Zoe Rahman piano score. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

Katie Melia’s Charity Hope Valentine in York Stage’s Sweet Charity

Musical of the week: York Stage in Sweet Charity, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Tuesday to Sunday, 7.30pm, except Sunday; 2.30pm Saturday and Sunday matinees

THE John Cooper Studio will be transformed into a seedily seductive Fandango Ballroom from St Valentine’s Day for Sweet Charity, the 1966 Broadway musical with a book by Neil Simon, music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields.

Played by Katie Melia, Charity Hope Valentine fantasises about three things in life: romance, luxury and escaping the questionable ballroom clientele. Lovable, gullible and spirited, she longs to find a lover who can sweep her off her feet but Charity keeps handing over her heart and earnings to the wrong man. Hey big spender, box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

Velma Celli: On song in a night of drag diva belters at Pocklington Arts Centre

Drag show of the week: Velma Celli, Pocklington Arts Centre, Thursday, 8pm

YORK drag queen supreme Velma Celli, alias West End musical actor Ian Stroughair, promises an overindulgent diva fiesta in celebration of the  songs, mannerisms and behaviour of Mariah, Whitney, Aretha, Cher, Britney and many more.

Cue cheeky impressions, belting singing and saucy banter from the international star and creator of A Brief History Of Drag, Me And My Divas, Equinox and Irreplaceable (in praise of David Bowie). Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.

The Forest Awakens: The new hole at The Hole In Wand York magical golf course

In Focus: The Hole In Wand York on course for more magic at wizard visitor attraction

FORE! Watch out, The Hole In Wand York, the “World’s Most Magical Golf Course”, has a new woodland hole at the Potions Cauldron visitor attraction in the Coppergate Shopping Centre, York.

In a magical makeover, wands have been raised and spells cast to create The Forest Awakens hole and several additions for wizards to enjoy, including a new quest.

Opened last May, the award-winning mini golf venue also has upgraded the tavern area to help with the visitor flow and journey.

For The Forest Awakens, a hole based on the North York Moors National Park’s Dalby Forest, near Pickering, a new scent and soundtrack have been added to the room to create an immersive experience.

The hole places wizards among the trees as they aim for a hole in one, looked on by magical creatures of the darkened and mythical forest.

Chief Wizard Oliver Brayshaw says: “‘We’re excited to reveal the new holes; we know that our visitors are really going to enjoy them. Both Hole 6 and 7 are quite eerie but great fun.

“We have designed and built the holes and upgraded the tavern with the visitor journey in mind to ensure that everyone that visits has a fantastic experience.”

At The Hole In Wand York, in Coppergate Walk, wizard players take on nine magical golf holes. Along the “course” are bubbling cauldrons, magical portals and a giant picture frame where they become part of the painting. Visitors can do cast a Light Spell to illuminate the way in the dark hole and awaken the spirits.

At the end of the adventure, players will find out if they have the magical powers of a Serpent, Basilisk, Unicorn or Wizard. Every player will receive a magic potion gift to take home and hopefully find Grobblenook.

Wizard golf with a potion drink costs from £6.99 per person. The minimum age for players is three and the maximum group size is six wizards with wands. To book tickets, go to: theholeinwand.com/york

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More Things To Do in and around York as festivals open and half-term attractions beckon. List No. 84, courtesy of The Press

Fourmidable: York children’s entertainer Josh Benson will perform four Just Josh shows a day at the York Spring Fair and Food Festival

BIG beards, food and funfairs galore, Irish whimsy, postcard art, tree theatre, Moronic music, female folk and a year’s notice of camp comedy catch Charles Hutchinson’s eye.

York Spring Festival and Food Fair, Clocktower Enclosure, York Racecourse, Knavesmire, York, running until June 5

IN its second year at York Racecourse, this event takes in the Platinum Jubilee long weekend celebrations to complement the 15 vintage funfair rides, food stalls,  live music and family entertainment, highlighted by the lighting of York’s Jubilee Beacon on Thursday evening.

Look forward to 6.30pm performances by York musicians Huge, The Y Street Band, Hyde Family Jam and New York Brass Band, plus Wales’s Old Time Sailors.

Busiest of all will be York children’s entertainer, “balloonologist”, juggler and magician Josh Benson, performing his high-energy Just Josh show four times a day. Tickets: ticketsource.co.uk/yorkspringfair.co.uk.

Jorvik Viking Festival: Invading forces take over York city centre for five days. Picture: Charlotte Graham

Half-term festival of the week: Jorvik Viking Festival, York, today until Wednesday

NEARLY two and a half years after hordes of Viking warriors and settlers last descended on the city, York is ready for five days of Norse-themed fun and entertainment. 

Moved from February to fit into the summer half-term holiday, the 2022 festival sees the return of a living history encampment, March to Coppergate, Strongest Viking and Best Beard contests and Poo Day at DIG, as well as a new arena event this evening, The Jorvik Games. For full festival details and tickets, go to: jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk. See full preview below.

Furious romp: The poster for Dylan Moran’s We Got This tour, visiting York tonight

Comedy gig of the week: Dylan Moran, We Got This, Grand Opera House, York, tonight, 8pm

DROLL Irish comedian Dylan Moran promises a joyously furious romp through the frustration and folly of modern-day life in his new tour show.

“These times have not been easy,” he says. “Learn how to make breakfast not even knowing you are out of bed. Diagnose the mirror, reason with the mice and boil yoghurt blindfolded. Enjoy the fruits of hurtling cognitive decline and your neighbours’ sprawling ghastliness, absence of humanity and so, so much more.” Box office: 0844 871 7615 or atgtickets.com/York.

Postcards on the edge: Rows of original postcard artworks on sale at PICA Studios

Art event of the weekend: PICA Postcard Show and Sale, PICA Studios, Grape Lane, York, today and tomorrow, 10am to 4pm

THE artists at the PICA Studios workshop are branching out into one-off postcard artworks for one weekend only. Each postcard will sell for £25 to raise funds towards improving the studio space and to create a gallery in the foyer.

Taking part will be Lesley Birch, Evie Leach, Emily Stubbs, Katrina Mansfield, Ealish Wilson, Sarah Jackson, Ric Liptrot, Jo Edmonds, Lisa Power, Amy Stubbs, Mick Leach, Rae George, Lesley Shaw Lu Mason and Kitty Pennybacker. Purchases also can be made online via instagram@picastudios. 

Badapple Theatre Company’s poster for Danny Mellor’s Yorkshire Kernel at Theatre@41

Family drama of the weekend: Badapple Theatre Company in Yorkshire Kernel, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, today, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

JAMES’S Grandad is at death’s door, but he has one last mission: to find a tree. Many trees in fact, scattered around the country in memory of his Second World War comrades. So begins writer, performer and puppeteer Danny Mellor’s play for Green Hammerton company Badapple.

Divided between being haunted by his plain-speaking grandfather, his mother rekindling her romance with an old flame, and James’s pregnant partner, Rosie, thinking he is cheating on her, Mellor’s “bonkers” solo show undertakes a journey of Yorkshire wit and grit through one man’s determination to leave a long-lasting legacy. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.

The Lovely Eggs: Playing The Crescent at the seventh attempt

Cracking gig of the week: The Lovely Eggs, supported by Arch Femmesis and Thick Richard, The Crescent, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

PROUDLY independent northern psychedelic punk rock duo The Lovely Eggs do not give up. After re-scheduling the tour to promote April 2020’s release of their I Am Moron album seven times, they play The Crescent at last this weekend.

Iggy Pop, no less, contributed to their track I, Moron. “For him just to say nothing but ‘moron’ over and over again fitted in with the sentiment of the song perfectly,” says Lovely Egg Holly Ross. “He just got it. We are all morons. In a world of moronic things. In a world of moronic ideas. You are Moron. I am Moron. We are Moron.” OK, Morons and Eggheads, tickets are on sale at thecrescentyork.com.

Rachel and Becky Unthank: York Barbican debut on Tuesday, showcasing new songs from Sorrows Away

Folk gigs of the week: The Unthanks, Sorrows Away Tour, York Barbican, Tuesday, 7.45pm; Katherine Priddy, supported by George Boomsma, National Centre for Early Music, York, Wednesday, 7.30pm

RETURNING to touring after two years off the road, Northumbrian folk musicians The Unthanks will be previewing their upcoming autumn album Sorrows Away in their York Barbican debut with an 11-piece ensemble. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

The following night at the NCEM, finger-picking guitarist and haunting singer Katherine Priddy performs enchanting songs on the theme of childhood, distant memories and whatever will follow next from last June’s debut album, The Eternal Rocks Beneath. Box office: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

Katherine Priddy: Contemporary roots singer and guitarist, playing songs from The Eternal Rocks Beneath at the NCEM. Picture: Sam Wood

Gig launch of the week: Tom Allen, Completely, York Barbican, May 28 2023

YOU will have to wait 12 months for comedian, raconteur, arch television jester and radio presenter Tom Allen’s new show, Completely, to arrive in York. Tickets go on sale rather sooner, from 10am on Monday at yorkbarbican.co.uk.

At 38, Bromley-born Allen has finally moved out of his parents’ house, prompting his eagerness to share his life updates, gain audience opinions on his vegetable patch and delve into the protocol of inviting friends with children for dinner.

On the distant horizon: Tom Allen’s newly announced York Barbican show is a full year away

Jorvik Viking Festival returns with more fun and games…

TENTS for an encampment are being set up in Parliament Street and screens installed at the Eye of York. Traders are transporting their wares to the Guildhall and St Sampson’s Square and a faint smell of mead is wafting through the air. Welcome to the return of the Jorvik Viking Festival.

Nearly two and a half years after hordes of Viking warriors and settlers last descended on the city, York is preparing for five days of Norse-themed fun and entertainment, starting today (28/5/2022).

Postponed from February to fit snugly into the half-term holiday before the Jubilee bank holiday, this year’s festival will see the return of such favourite events as a living history encampment, the March To Coppergate and the Strongest Viking and Best Beard contests, alongside a new arena event at 6.45pm this evening, The Jorvik Games.

“In February, our evening spectacular is usually a dramatic presentation of a Viking story, but with the evenings being so much lighter in May, our event will also be a little more fun,” says event manager Gareth Henry.

Viking warriors ready for a clash of styles

 “The Viking Games will pit the finest warriors from four teams against each other, with spectators invited to pick their champion and cheer them on to victory. Henry. Of course, being Vikings, they might not always play by the rules – and with their own horde of supporters behind them on the arena field, sparks will fly with skirmishes inevitable!”

Tickets for The Jorvik Games are still available, priced £15 for adults and £11 for concessions, with family tickets also available at jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk.

While Saturday will be the festival’s busiest day, visitors from Sunday to Wednesday will enjoy a host of events and activities too.  On Sunday, at 29/31 Coney Street, visitors can meet Vikings from all over Europe, brought together under the Erasmus scheme, including fun crafting activities. 

Young warriors can hone their skills in Have-A-Go Sword sessions on the Parliament Street stage and the Ting Tang re-enactors will bring theatre to the stage every day too.

Five go Viking in York for five days

The last few places remain on crafting workshops taking place Monday to Wednesday at York Medical Society, on Stonegate, including Nalebinding (Viking knitting), Trichinopoly (wire weaving) and tablet weaving.

On Wednesday, Jorvik’s sister attraction, DIG in St Saviourgate, will host the ever-popular Poo Day, a chance for children (and adults!) to try their hand at making a replica Viking poo, based on the world-famous Lloyds Bank Coprolite (fossilised poo, should you be wondering). 

Jorvik Viking Centre’s exhibition of items from the Silverdale Hoard, on loan from Lancashire County Museums, is also expected to be popular, with tickets for the attraction selling out for many time slots throughout the half-term break. 

“With good weather forecast for the weekend, we’re expecting York to be particularly busy, so would urge visitors to pre-book their tickets wherever possible to avoid disappointment,” says Henry.

Full details of all Jorvik Viking Festival events can be found at jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk.

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That Jorvik Viking Thing online festival will peak with day of live-streaming on Saturday

Late addition: Lindy-Fay Hella will discuss scents, plant essences, myths and storytelling in a live-stream tomorrow. Picture: Raina Vlaskovska and May Husb

THE finale to York’s six-day online festival, That Jorvik Viking Thing, will be an ambitious afternoon and evening of live-streaming on Saturday.

Ancient meets ultramodern in the challenging task faced by the team behind this week’s event, who will play host to a “truly international and extraordinary Norse-themed broadcast from 12 noon”.

Billed as the world’s largest-ever online Viking festival, That Jorvik Viking Thing has been organised by the Jorvik Viking Centre as an alternative to the Coppergate visitor attraction’s usual February half-term activities. 

Introduced by York Mix Radio presenter Ben Fry and three members of Jorvik Viking Centre’s interpretation and collections teams, Lucas Norton, Rachel Cutler and Becky Sampson, the day will mix live presentations and Q&A sessions from Jorvik, with links to other Viking attractions around the world, including Dublinia in Dublin and Lofoten Viking Museum in Norway. 

York’s Viking village at Murton Park will feature in the day too, contributing a live wood-working project that will be revisited throughout the broadcast, alongside some pre-recorded films being worked into the show. 

Event manager Gareth Henry says: “We were fortunate to be able to film a host of videos for the Thing while lockdown restrictions were lifted in the autumn, including our fun film, Arnor’s Adventure, and our daily chapters of the Saga Of Revr The Sly, which have been released each day during the Thing since Monday.

“We had hoped to be able to broadcast this day live from a fully populated Viking village; sadly the Norns* were against us, but we are pleased that we can still manage some socially-distanced filming from the village.”  

Einar Selvik: Norse musician will take part in the closing event of That Jorvik Viking Thing on Saturday

The live-streamed day will be the penultimate event in That Jorvik Viking Thing’s programme that will conclude at 7.30pm with international Nordic folk musician Einar Selvik deep in conversation with music journalist Alexander Milas.

Selvik composed the music for the History Channel’s Vikings series and the Assassins Creed: Valhalla game soundtrack, and his latest album with his band Wardruna, Kvitravn, topped the iTunes chart on release in January.

On Saturday, Selvik will discuss Norse music, demonstrate assorted instruments and perform acoustic versions of a selection of his songs. Tickets cost £15 at jorvikthing.com.

In a last-minute addition to the Thing’s programme tomorrow (19/2/2021), Selvik’s Wardruna bandmate, Lindy-Fay Hella, will be joined by Christina Oakley Harrington, founder of London bookshop Treadwells, and herbalist Johanna Elf to discuss scents, plant essences, myths and storytelling in a free live-stream at 8pm, accessible through jorvikthing.com.

So far, That Jorvik Viking Thing and its educational preview during Schools Week, have drawn more than 20,000 visitors to the website to watch more than 2,500 hours of video content. Some live-streams are still attracting audiences, not least the fun Poo Day, prompting Twitter to be flooded with images of home-made Viking worm-infested poo. 

The most popular video is a free 360-degree tour of Viking-age Coppergate that can even be viewed using a VR headset for a fully immersive experience.

For more information, or to access the array of video-on-demand resources, visit jorvikthing.com. 

*Who are the Norns?

In Norse mythology, the Norns are female beings who rule the destiny of Gods and men.

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Chart-topping Nordic musician Einar Selvik to take part in That Jorvik Viking Thing’s most ambitious online event on Saturday UPDATED 20/2/2021

Einar Selvik: Discussing Norse music, demonstrating instruments and playing songs at That Jorvik Viking Thing online event on Saturday

OUT goes Europe’s largest Viking festival, the Jorvik Viking Festival, banished from York by Lockdown 3 restrictions. In comes That Jorvik Viking Thing, the world’s largest online Viking festival, organised by York Archaeological Trust.

So named as a nod to “Thing” being “a Viking public assembly”, the half-term remote event adds up to six days of new online content and live broadcasts, climaxing in An Evening With Einar Selvik, chart-topping Nordic musician and Jorvik Viking Centre enthusiast, on Saturday.

At 7.30pm that night, the Wardruna front-man will be in conversation with producer, filmmaker and journalist Alexander Milas, discussing Norse music, demonstrating instruments such as the taglharpa, and performing songs, buoyed by his band’s latest album, Kvitravn (White Raven), topping the iTunes chart in late-January.

Ticket holders are invited to send questions for a live question-and-answer session too, and such questions may even stretch to asking Einar about providing the soundtrack for the History Channel’s Vikings series and composing the music for the latest Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla game, released last November.

“As I’m an enthusiast for the festival, it feels great to be able to contribute, especially in these strange times,” says Einar Selvik

Einar is no stranger to the Jorvik Viking Festival. “I’ve performed there and done lectures there,” he says, recalling his sold-out events in “maybe 2017 and 2018”. “I really enjoy York as a city and I love the atmosphere during the festival,” he says.

“I do enjoy the ride at Jorvik Viking Centre – I’ve been there a few times – and maybe it’s best that the famous odour is confined to one space!”

Now comes his Jorvik Viking Festival online debut. “I was contacted, I guess it was a few months ago, by the organisers, asking if I’d be up for doing something: some sort of performance, if I’d be open to that idea.

“As I’m an enthusiast for the festival, it feels great to be able to contribute, especially in these strange times.”

Chart-toppers: Einar Selvik’s band, Wardruna. Picture: Kim Ohrling

Saturday’s online event can be viewed from all four corners of the globe, one of the changes that the pandemic has brought to arts and culture. “Absolutely that’s a good thing,” says Einar.

“Once all this started happening last year, first there was a lot of disappointment, but it’s up to us to think differently, to find a constructive and positive focus and look at the possibilities of what we can do. That’s the only way of coping and surviving.”

Einar’s band, Wardruna, last performed to a live audience in December 2019. “We were supposed to be doing our tour right after the first lockdown, when we were supposed to be playing the UK,” he says.

“The album was originally going to be released in early June last year, doing the tour of the UK in the following weeks, which has since been pushed to this spring, but that’s not likely now, and we’ll probably have to rearrange again, when Manchester will be the nearest place to York we’ll be playing.”

Artwork for Wardruna’s January album, Kvitravn

Kvitravn was completed in mid-March, before lockdown restrictions were imposed in Scandinavia, and the album release was delayed subsequently by the production plant being closed, but Einar believes that delay has turned out to be serendipitous. “I often get that question, leading up to a release, about ‘don’t you think the timing is risky?’, when you want to support it with concerts,” he says.

“But people have now adapted to new ways over the past year, they’re spending more time at home, and judging by the responses we’ve had people are really grateful to have something new for these times.”

What’s more, Einar’s songs on Kvitravn address both human nature and nature against the backdrop of the Coronavirus pandemic and climate change. “I do feel the album is on the brink of being almost prophetic,” he says. “Even though it addresses themes that were relevant pre-Covid, everything is amplified by what’s happening now.

“If you go back and make connections with various cultures, and you connect with wild animals and white ravens, like I do, when you look at the prophecies connected with them, you find that those prophecies are very often connected to renewal or great change, so there’s great hope in that album title.”

Einar Selvik: Wardruna front-man plays lyre, taglharpa, flute, goat horn, lur, drums and percussion

Einar continues: “The raven is an animal I have a totemic relationship with, which is why I chose that for myself. But although this album is in a sense more personal and more down to earth than before, it’s also quite obscure.

“I delve into the philosophical, the esoteric, the Nordic myths and how these old traditions define human nature and nature itself. So, the white raven was not chosen as the title because of my name, but more due to the ideas which inspired me to take that name in the first place.”

Einar, whose lyrics combine Norwegian with Old Norse, describes Kvitravn as being “a visual landscape”. “I do think that the music speaks on its own, even though it’s in this Norse and Nordic wrapping. The instruments, the themes, are timeless, so I think that’s one of the reasons people react to it very personally,” he says.

“But the lyrical side is a very important ingredient too, which is why, at least on the physical versions, we do include an English translation if you want to connect on that level.”

“The raven is such a central creature in Nordic traditions, being seen as a message between here and beyond,” says Einar

“The raven is such a central creature in Nordic traditions, being seen as a message between here and beyond, and as the animal embodiment of the human mind and body, so almost human within nature, I guess, on many levels.”

Einar has had experiences with ravens, both in his waking hours and in the world of dreams. “They are such strong symbols, representing nature and how it speaks through you in your own symbolic language that’s connected to your intuition, whether in actual encounters with ravens or in dreams,” he says.   

Einar, whose lyrics combine Norwegian with Old Norse, describes Kvitravn as being “a visual landscape”. “I do think that the music speaks on its own, even though it’s in this Norse and Nordic wrapping. The instruments, the themes, are timeless, so I think that’s one of the reasons people react to it very personally,” he says.

“But, for me, the poetry and lyrical side is a very important ingredient too, which is why, at least on the physical versions, we do include an English translation if you want to connect on that level.

Alexander Milas: Producer, filmmaker and journalist hosting Einar Selvik’s online event at That Jorvik Viking Thing

“In terms of language, I have quite a playful approach to it, where I combine Norwegian with Old Norse and Proto Norse, a language from before the Viking age. It’s almost Germanic.”

Einar grew up steeped in traditional music, Norse music and metal music. “For several years I played in metal bands, but I would say I was quite done with metal on a personal level in my mid-teens,” he says. “From then, it was more of a job and the desire to do something that was more in keeping with my passions grew stronger and stronger.”

Does he see any common ground between metal music and Wardruna’s music? “Metal has always drawn a lot from Nordic culture and ideology, but I really wanted to do something where they were treated more in their own right, not just playing with it for an album cover or lyrics, but for the tonality too,” says Einar.

“I guess there are connections between metal and Norse music in that lots of melodies in Scandinavian traditional music are quite dark, like in metal.”

Einar’s childhood days were spent on the Norwegian island of Osteroy. “It’s a fairly large inland island with a fjord surrounding it, and I guess your surroundings will always affect you. Growing up amid this postcard imagery, it definitely cultivated a profound sense of appreciation of nature,” he says.

“‘Nature’ instruments have a will of their own as they’re a living thing,” says Einar Selvik of the taglharpa, a bowed instrument made with horse hair

“I also grew up with lots of stories from the past, where you can connect them with the landscapes and what happened there 1,500 years ago. In hindsight, it gave me a sense of place and a place in time.”

Looking forward to Saturday’s streamed show, Einar says: “Alexander Milas will host the event, where I’ll talk with him a little about the context of each song and about the tools I use, the instrumentation, what we know and what we think we know about them. And, of course, the best way of demonstrating an instrument is to put it to use in a song.”

Einar will find time for questions from the online audience too, but here is one in advance: what is the taglharpa instrument? “It’s basically a bowed lyre, and in Scandinavia it’s the oldest bowed instrument we know of,” he says.

“Taglharpa means ‘horse hair’, which is what it’s made out of, though when I perform, I sometimes use metal strings for practical reasons because horse hair is really weather sensitive when you’re playing outside, which is the case with a lot of ‘nature’ instruments. They have a will of their own as they’re a living thing.”

An Evening With Einar Selvik, That Jorvik Festival Thing online, Saturday, 7.30pm. For £15 tickets, go to: jorvikthing.com. Wardruna’s album, Kvitravn, is available on Sony Music/Columbia Germany.

Story copyright of The Press, York

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More Things To Do in and around York and at home in 2021, whatever barriers may yet lie ahead. List No 23, courtesy of The Press

Grayson Perry: Two shows in York in 2021; one an exhibition of “Lost Pots” at York Art Gallery, the other, his existentialist gig, A Show For Normal People, at York Barbican

AFTER a year where killjoy Covid-19 re-wrote the arts and events diary over and over again, here comes 2021, when the pandemic will still have a Red Pen influence.

Armed with a pantomime fairy’s magic wand rather than Madame Arcati’s crystal ball from Blithe Spirit, when what we need is a jab in the arm pronto, Charles Hutchinson picks out potential highlights from the New Year ahead that York will start in Tier 3.

Velma Celli: Had planned to present A Brief History Of Drag at Theatre @41 Monkgate in January; now heading online at home instead

Back on screen: Velma Celli, Large & Lit In Lockdown Again, streaming on January 8

AFTER his “Fleshius Creepius” panto villain in York Stage’s Jack And The Beanstalk, Ian Stroughair was planning to pull on his drag rags for a live Velma Celli show in January, and maybe more shows to follow, at his adopted winter home of Theatre @41 Monkgate.

Instead, he writes: “Darlings, as we head back into a lockdown in York, I am back on the streaming! My first show is next Friday at 8pm. I would love you to join me for an hour of camp cabaret fun! Get those requests and shout-outs in!” Tickets for Virtual Velma start at £10 via http://bit.ly/3nVaa4N; expect an online show every Friday from Ian’s new riverside abode.

Shed Seven: Headlining all-Yorkshire bill at The Piece Hall, Halifax, in the summer

Open-air one-off event of the summer: Shed Seven, The Piece Hall, Halifax, June 26

FRESH from releasing live album Another Night, Another Town as a reminder of what everyone has had to miss in 2020, Shed Seven have confirmed their Piece Hall headliner in Halifax has been rearranged for next summer.

The Sheds have picked an all-Yorkshire support bill of Leeds bands The Wedding Present and The Pigeon Detectives and fast-rising fellow York act Skylights. For tickets, go to lunatickets.co.uk or seetickets.com.

Cocktail Party 1989, copyright of Grayson Perry/Victoria Miro, from the Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years exhibition, opening at CoCA, York Art Gallery, in May

Most anticipated York exhibition of 2021: Grayson Perry: The Pre-Therapy Years, York Art Gallery, May 28 to September 5

CHANNEL 4’s  champion of people’s art in lockdown, Grayson Perry, will present his Covid-crocked 2020 exhibition of “lost pots” at the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) next spring and summer instead.

The Pre-Therapy Years reassembles Perry’s earliest forays into ceramics; 70 “explosive and creative works” he made between 1982 and 1994. Look out too for the potter, painter, TV presenter and social commentator’s existentialist September 6 gig at York Barbican: Grayson Perry: A Show For Normal People, wherein he will “distract you from the very meaninglessness of life in the way only a man in a dress can”.

Chris Moreno: No festive cheer at Christmas, but now he looks forward to presenting The Great Yorkshire Easter Pantomime, Aladdin, on Knavesmire, York, in spring 2021

A pantomime in the spring? Yes, The Great Yorkshire Easter Pantomime in a tent on Knavesmire, York, March 19 to April 11

CHRIS Moreno, director of Three Bears’ Productions four pantomimes at the Grand Opera House from 2016 to 2019, will direct York’s first ever “tentomime”, Aladdin, this spring with a cast of “21 colourful characters”.

The Great Yorkshire Easter Pantomime will be presented in the luxurious, heated Tented Palace, Knavesmire, in a socially distanced configuration compliant with Covid-19 guidance.

The big top will have a capacity of 976 in tiered, cushioned seating, while the stage will span 50 metres, comprising a palace façade, projected scenery and magical special effects. Look out for the flying carpets.

Going solo: Julie Hesmondhalgh in The Greatest Play In The History Of The World at York Theatre Royal from February 16

Falling in love again with theatre: The Love Season at York Theatre Royal, February 14 to April 21

ON December 15, York Theatre Royal announced plans to reopen on St Valentine’s Day for The Love Season, with the audience capacity reduced from 750 to a socially distanced 345.

Full details will be confirmed in the New Year with tickets going on sale on January 8, and that remains the case, says chief executive Tom Bird, after hearing yesterday afternoon’s statement to the House of Commons by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

“We’re carrying on with our plans, including presenting Coronation Street and Broadchurch actor Julie Hesmondhalgh in husband Ian Kershaw’s one-woman play, The Greatest Play In The History Of The World, from February 16 to 20,” he confirmed.

Van Morrison: A brace of bracing nights at York Barbican in May

Six of the best at York Barbican in 2021

YORK Barbican has remained closed since the March lockdown, foregoing even the UK Snooker Championships in November and December.

A reopening date is yet to be announced but mark these shows in your diary, if only in pencil: Rob Brydon, A Night Of Songs & Laughter, April 14; Jimmy Carr, Terribly Funny, May 2; country duo The Shires, May 23; Van Morrison, May 25 and 26; Paul Weller, June 29, and Rufus Wainwright, Unfollow The Rules Tour, October 13.

Ceramicist Beccy Ridsdel: Looking forward to the 20th anniversary of York Open Studios

Anniversary celebration of the year: York Open Studios, April 17 and 18; 24 and 25, 10am to 5pm

2020 turned into a virtual Open Studios with displays online and in windows, but already 140 artists and makers are confirmed for the 20th anniversary event in the spring when they will show and sell their work within their homes and workspaces.

Many of 2020’s selected artists have deferred their space to 2021, but new additions will be announced soon, the website teases. “We’re channelling the optimism and enthusiasm from all our artists to ensure this year’s 20th show is one of the best,” says event co-founder and ceramicist Beccy Ridsdel.

Dr Delma Tomlin: Administrative director of the 2021 York Early Music Festival, running from July 9 to 17

And what about?

Festivals galore, as always, in the self-anointed “City of Festivals”. Coming up are the Jorvik Viking Festival; York Fashion Week; York Literature Festival; York Early Music Festival; York Festival of Ideas, the Aesthetica Short Film Festival and more besides. 

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