Battle lines are drawn at the Eye of York at the 2026 JORVIK Viking Festival. Picture: Jonathan Pow
THE Norse weather gods looked favourably on the Vikings of York as weeks of rain broke to keep the 2026 JORVIK Viking Festival dry and even sunny.
From January 16 to 22, thousands of visitors descended on the city, where 50,000 people joined in the fun, from the encampment to the spectacular March to Coppergate, a parade of around 450 Vikings.
“This has really been an epic year for JORVIK Viking Festival, with the vast majority of the events sold out before the festival even opened, and really good crowds turning out to enjoy all the free activities and displays we have hosted” said Mark Jackson, head of operations for York Archaeology, the festival organisers.
Despite gloomy forecasts, the rain held off all day last Saturday(21/2/2026) for the large-scale events taking place at the Eye of York.
From the young warriors-in-training who opened the day with the Kids Barbaric Battle, to the full-grown Viking combatants taking on four rounds of combat in the Battle Spectacular, climaxing with a pyrotechnic display, the public experienced the ferocious side of the Viking invaders.
“The March to Coppergate seemed particularly well supported, with people lining both side of the street the whole way from Dean’s Park to Coppergate, cheering on the marching Vikings as they passed,” said Mark.
“Indeed, the living history encampment in Parliament Street was packed all week, with the wood turning, blacksmithing and tattooing proving exceptionally popular.
“It is brilliant to see so many people engaging with this fascinating period in York’s history, and learning a little about how our 10th-century ancestors would have lived.”
On the festival’s closing day (22/2/2026), 10th-century traders traded at Merchant Adventurers’ Hall; children crafted at Barley Hall, and Poo week concluded at DIG on St Saviourgate. A Fringe event, the Jorvik Tattoo Moot, continued at Merchant Taylors’ Hall and Bedern Hall for those wanting a permanent souvenir of their festival visit.
The festival finale coincided with the final evening of York BID’s Colour & Light installation at the Eye of York, which told the story of York’s villains and legends through Double Take Projections’ projection on the Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower, where a familiar Viking name – Eric Bloodaxe – put in an appearance.
JORVIK Viking Festival coincided with the traditional Viking end of winter, when the seasonal makeover at JORVIK Viking Centre, covering the re-creation of Viking-age Coppergate with a thick blanket of snow for A Winter Adventure, concluded too.
JORVIK will close today for “the great thaw”, reopening on Tuesday with the street scenes reverting to their usual spring setting of a May afternoon in the year AD960.
Who was Mary Bateman? Find out at Colour & Light 2026 at York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower
THOUSANDS of visitors have already enjoyed Colour & Light 2026 as the dual-façade projection show continues to light up York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower.
Now into its final week, the family-friendly free event has turned the Eye of York into a gathering point each evening, when audiences can watch a fully choreographed ten-minute projection on rotation.
Delivered by York BID in partnership with Edinburgh installation designers Double Take Projections, as well as York Museums Trust and English Heritage, this winter’s show brings York’s rogues and rebels, scoundrels and legends to life in a projected experience that draws on the city’s rich and sometimes surprising history.
Despite the incessant rain, an estimated 24,000 people watched Colour & Light 2026 in its first week when, at its peak, more than 1,200 people gathered to watch a single showing on the first Saturday evening, as York & Light seeks to surpass the 100,000 viewing figures for last year’s 18 shows per night across 20 nights.
Backed by £46,914 funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Colour & Light has drawn large and varied crowds into the city centre during February’s coldest and darkest weeks, supporting York’s evening economy at a quieter time of year.
Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID, says: “Seeing over 1,200 people gathered together for one show on that first Saturday really highlighted what Colour & Light has become: a moment people experience together in the city centre.
“Despite the very wet weather we’re experiencing at the moment, the atmosphere has been strong each night, with people meeting up, bringing family and enjoying York after dark. There’s still time to see it, and we hope many more people will take the opportunity.”
Siona Mackelworth, Head of Audience and Programme at York Museums Trust, says: “York Castle Museum is pleased to be supporting York BID on Colour & Light for 2026. York Museums Trust last participated in 2024, when the projections of our incredible collections lit up the front of York Art Gallery.
“The 2026 show brings something different as it explores some of York’s potentially lesser-known history and, for the first time, will be projected across multiple buildings. Working in conjunction with York BID and English Heritage at Clifford’s Tower has been an exciting venture in bringing two iconic York locations together.”
David Skaith, Mayor of York & North Yorkshire, says: “High streets are constantly changing, but they have, and always will be, hubs for our communities. That’s why I’m backing community-led projects across York and North Yorkshire.
“Like Colour & Light in York, which brings people into the city centre with a light show projected onto some of York’s best-known buildings. It’s a simple but creative way to attract visitors and give everyone something special to enjoy.
“Residents and businesses understand most what is needed in their communities, and I am proud to be backing their plans with my £10m Vibrant and Sustainable High Street Fund.”
Among those rebellious and legendary figures featured in Colour & Light 2026 are Dick Turpin and Guy (or “Guido”) Fawkes, Mary Bateman, Swift Nick, Eric Bloodaxe, Moonlight Maggie, the Filey Brigg Dragon, the Roman Soldiers at Treasurer’s House and the Barghest, a legendary monstrous black dog that haunts the snickelways and streets of York.
“We’re so lucky to be from a city that is so rich in heritage,” says Carl. “Everyone loves a villain: someone with an edge and whose backstory is as intriguing as it is alarming.
“They’ve got questionable morals and they’ve got complexities, complexities that keep appearing in fictional characters. This is what draws us in and is what we have in abundance in this city.”
The continuous, looped Colour & Light show runs every evening until Sunday (22/2/2026), with projections starting at 6pm and running every ten minutes until 9pm. Admission is free; no tickets are required; the best viewing point is the Eye of York.
Two into one won’t go: Lisa Faulkner’s Allie, left, and Kym Marsh’s Hedy in Single White Female. Picture: Chris Bishop
AN update of a Nineties’ psychological thriller and a panto dame’s transformation into a dog top Charles Hutchinson’s cultural picks for early February and beyond.
World premiere tour of the week: Single White Female, Grand Opera House, York, until Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm matinees today and Saturday
SCREEN actress, 2010 Celebrity MasterChef winner, TV presenter, chef and cookery book author Lisa Faulkner returns to the stage for the first time in 21 years in Rebecca Reid’s darkly humorous stage adaptation of psychological thriller Single White Female, now updated to the social-media age.
Faulkner’s recently divorced mum Allie is balancing being a single parent with the launch of her tech start-up. When she decides to advertise for a lodger to help make ends meet, Kym Marsh’s Hedy offers her a lifeline, but as their lives intertwine, boundaries blur and a seemingly perfect arrangement begins to unravel with chilling consequences. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Viking illumination: Colour & Light celebrates Eric Bloodaxe at York Castle Museum. Picture: David Harrison
Illumination launch of the week: Colour & Light, York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower, York, today to February 22, 6pm to 9pm
YORK BID is bringing Colour & Light back for 2026 on its biggest ever canvas. For the first time, two of York’s landmark buildings will be illuminated together when York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower become the combined canvas for a fully choreographed projection show, transforming the Eye of York.
Presented in partnership with York Museums Trust and English Heritage, the continuous, looped, ten-minute show will bring York’s historic characters to life in a family-friendly projection open to all for free; no ticket required.
Matt Tapp’s ‘Wild’ Bill Hickok and Helen Gallagher’s ‘Calamity’ Jane in Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s Calamity Jane
Musical of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Calamity Jane, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tonight to Saturday, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
HELEN Gallagher’s tough talkin’, gun-totin’ heroine ‘Calamity’ Jane and Matt Tapp’s former peace-officer ‘Wild’ Bill Hickok lead director Sophie Cooke’s cast for Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster’s musical Calamity James.
Deadwood’s citizens are content with their ways of life: supporting their fort of soldiers and socialising at the beloved Golden Garter saloon. However, when a new face blows in from the Windy City to create a stir, friendships will be formed, long-time loyalties tested and perhaps even secret love revealed. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Alexander Flanagan Wright in Wright & Grainger’s Helios at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
Ancient & modern drama of the week: Wright & Grainger in Helios, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm
EASINGWOLD theatre-makers Alexander Flanagan Wright and Phil Grainger begin their new partnership with Theatre@41 by re-visiting Helios, wherein a lad lives half way up a historic hill, a teenager is on a road trip to the city in a stolen car and a boy is driving a chariot, pulling the sun across the sky.
In Wright’s story of the sun god’s son, Helios transplants the Ancient Greek tale into a modern-day myth wound around the winding roads of rural England and into the everyday living of a towering city. “It’s a story about life, the invisible monuments we build to it, and the little things that leave big marks,” he says. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Robin Simpson in rehearsal for Catherine Dyson’s The Last Picture, premiering at York Theatre Royal Studio
Solo show of the week: The Last Picture, York Theatre Royal Studio, tomorrow to February 14, except February 8, 7.45pm, plus Wednesday and Saturday 2pm matinees
ROBIN Simpson follows up his sixth season as York Theatre Royal’s pantomime dame by playing a dog in York Theatre Royal, ETT and An Tobar and Mull Theatre’s premiere of Catherine Dyson’s The Last Picture, directed by John R Wilkinson.
Imagine yourself in a theatre in 2026. Now picture yourself as a Year 9 student on a school trip, and then as a citizen of Europe in 1939 as history takes its darkest turn. While you imagine, emotional support dog Sam (Simpson’s character) will be by your side in a play about empathy – its power and limits and what it asks of us – built around a story of our shared past, present and the choices we face today. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Simeon Walker: Inviting his audience to gather around the piano at Helmsley Arts Centre
Pianist of the week: Simeon Walker, An Evening Around The Piano, Helmlsey Arts Centre, Friday, 7.30pm
LEEDS modern classical pianist and composer Simeon Walker performs in Great Britain and Europe, while notching 50 million streams across online platforms and having his music played on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.
Walker, who has a keen interest in jazz, folk and ambient music too, has collaborated on interdisciplinary work with artist Mary Griffiths, Portuguese choreographer Sara Afonso, writer Emma White and filmmakers Will Killen and Ben Cohen, plus BBC Radio 4 and University of Leeds. His concerts span moments of quiet, gentle solitude to boisterous, flowing exuberance. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Julie Carter: Addressing themes of feminism, land rights, ageism and ableism, history and literature in The Dreamtime Fellrunner
Wellbeing on the run: Julie Carter, The Dreamtime Fellrunner, Milton Rooms, Malton, February 12, 7.30pm
IN her first theatre show, poetry and creative non-fiction author Julie Carter charts her running exploits on the Lakeland fells in this moving and humorous account of being an athlete with a physical disability in the form of a developmental disease of the spine.
Presenting fell running as a type of land art and spiritual practice, Carter emphasises body-mind-spirit-place connections while addressing themes of feminism, land rights, ageism and ableism, history and literature, in a 60-minute immersive performance supported by original music, topped off by second-half opportunities for discussion and reflections on wellbeing and the ways we inhabit our environments. Box office: 01653 696240 or themiltonrooms.com.
Mark Stafford: Solo performance at the double in The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde at Helmsley Arts Centre
Split personality of the month: Mark Stafford in The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde, Helmsley Arts Centre, February 21, 7.30pm
PUBLISHED in 1886, Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic mystery tale of the timeless conflict between good and evil is performed by Mark Stafford in his compelling and faithful adaptation.
In fog-bound Victorian London, respectable lawyer Gabriel Utterson is concerned by a strange clause in his friend Henry Jekyll’s will, whereupon he investigates the sinister Edward Hyde, Jekyll’s unlikely protégé. Convinced that Jekyll and Hyde’s relationship is founded on blackmail, Utterson finds the truth to be far worse than he could have ever imagined. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
The poster for Saturday’s EQUUS UK Film & Arts Fest’s day of equine films at Helmsley Arts Centre
In Focus: EQUUS UK Film & Arts Fest, Helmsley Arts Centre, Saturday, Block 1, 12 noon to 2.16pm; Block 2, 3.30pm to 5.07pm; Block 3, 7pm to 9.45pm
HELMSLEY Arts Centre, in collaboration with Ryedale Bridleways Group, presents the first British screening of the EQUUS UK Film & Arts Festival this weekend.
Founded in 2013 by Illinois equestrian Lisa Diersen, who has spent her life in the company of horses, EQUUS aims to show the world how horses can bring everyone together regardless of race, age, gender, abilities or disabilities.
Saturday’s event comprises two afternoon blocks of short films, exhibitions from Ryedale artists and an evening showing of the 96-minute feature film Big Star, The Nick Skelton Story.
Showing from 12 noon will be Horse & Human Connection, featuring Wings Of Angels, Healing Horses In Mongolia, Heart Of Compton and My Life Between The Reins.
The Wild Horse Collection, from 3.30pm, presents American Mustang (music video), Wild Heart Mustang Book Project, Wild Horse Refuge “Dahtetse”, A Mustang Story promo, Okanagan Wild, Hellbent, Evoke and Renegade.
The Big Star Collections opens at 7pm with Healing In The Open, followed by Inside The In Gate and Unstable. After a 15-minute interval, Big Star will close the event.
Tickets for single blocks or the whole day are available on 01439 771700 or at helmsleyarts.co.uk.
An equine photograph from Valerie Mather’s 2025 trip to the USA
AMONG the exhibitors at Saturday’s EQUUS UK Film & Arts Fest event will be Yorkshire lawyer-tuned- portrait, documentary and travel photographer Valerie Mather.
“After a successful career in law, I retired early to pursue a lifelong passion for photography,” she says. “I learned to ride (English style) as a child but was brought up watching Western movies on television and longed to see for myself the real cowboys and cowgirls of the American West.
“That dream came true in 2025 when I visited the United States and spent time at the McCullough Peaks wild horse area and the Shoshone National Forest ranchlands in Wyoming. “
Another of Valerie Mather’s McCullough Peaks photographs on show at Helmsley Arts Centre on Saturday
Did you know?
RYEDALE Bridleways Group (RBG) covers the Ryedale district and North York Moors National Park. Activities include fundraising events, such as equestrian talks and films. RBG works with local authorities to seek to resolve issues on bridleways and Countryside Access Service Unsurfaced Unclassified Roads, as well as carrying outpractical work such as bridleway clearances and surveys.
Dame for a laugh anew: Graham Smith returns to the pantomime stage with Shiptonthorpe Community Theatre
A PANTO dame’s return and another’s transformation into a dog top Charles Hutchinson’s cultural picks for early February and beyond.
Pantomime of the week:Shiptonthorpe Community Theatre in Robin Hood And The Babes In The Wood, Shiptonthorpe Village Hall, Shiptonthorpe, near Market Weighton, today, 3pm and 7pm; Sunday, 2pm; February 6 and 7, 7pm
GRAHAM Smith, Rowntree Players’ pantomime dame from 2004 to 2022, pulls on the frocks once more after a three-year hiatus in the York guest house proprietor’s debut for East Riding company Shiptonthorpe Community Theatre.
He plays Nellie Nickerlastic in Richard Waud’s production of Robin Hood And The Babes In The Wood, joined in principal roles by Neil Scott’s King Richard, Toby Jewsen’s Robin Hood, Chris McKenzie’s Little John, Henry Rice’s Will Scarlett, Paul Jefferson’s Friar Tuck, Alison Rosa’s Sheriff of Nottingham and Chloe Jensen’s Maid Marion. Tickets: 07922 443639 or email richardwaud@yahoo.co.uk.
Femme Fatale Faerytales: Dark feminist re-telling of age-old classic
A homecoming, a haunting, a holy rebellion: Femme Fatale Faerytales present Mary, Mary, Fossgate Social, Fossgate, York, February 1 and 2, 8pm (doors 7pm)
MARY, Mary quite contrary, wouldn’t you like to know how her garden grows? Step into the fairytale world of Femme Fatale Faerytales as Sasha Elizabeth Parker unveils a dark, lyrical, feminist re-telling of an age-old classic. Part confession, part ritual, part bedtime story for grown-ups, Mary, Mary invites you to meet the woman behind the nursery rhyme in all her wild, untamed, contrary glory.
In her York debut, expect enchanting storytelling, poetic prophecy and a subversive twist on the tales you thought you knew on two intimate, atmospheric nights in one of York’s cult favourite haunts. Box office: wegottickets.com. Box office: wegottickets.com.
Kym Marsh’s Hedy, left, and Lisa Faulkner’s Allie in Rebecca Reid’s updated version of Single White Female, on tour at the Grand Opera House, York
World premiere tour of the week: Single White Female, Grand Opera House, York, February 3 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees
SCREEN actress, 2010 Celebrity MasterChef winner, TV presenter, chef and cookery book author Lisa Faulkner returns to the stage for the first time in 21 years in Rebecca Reid’s darkly humorous stage adaptation of psychological thriller Single White Female, now updated to the social-media age.
Faulkner’s recently divorced mum Allie is balancing being a single parent with the launch of her tech start-up. When she decides to advertise for a lodger to help make ends meet, Kym Marsh’s Hedy offers her a lifeline, but as their lives intertwine, boundaries blur and a seemingly perfect arrangement begins to unravel with chilling consequences. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Colour & Light: Illuminating Clifford’s Tower and York Castle Museum from February 4
Illumination launch of the week: Colour & Light, York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower, February 4 to 22, 6pm to 9pm
YORK BID is bringing Colour & Light back for 2026 on its biggest ever canvas. For the first time, two of York’s landmark buildings will be illuminated together when York Castle Museum and Clifford’s Tower become a combined stage for a fully choreographed projection show, transforming the Eye of York.
Presented in partnership with York Museums Trust and English Heritage, the continuous, looped, ten-minute show will bring York’s historic characters to life in a family-friendly projection open to all for free; no ticket required.
Matt Tapp’s ‘Wild’ Bill Hickok and Helen Gallagher’s ‘Calamity’ Jane in Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company’s Calamity Jane
Musical of the week: Joseph Rowntree Theatre Company in Calamity Jane, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, February 4 to 7, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Saturday matinee
HELEN Gallagher’s tough talkin’, gun-totin’ heroine ‘Calamity’ Jane and Matt Tapp’s former peace-officer ‘Wild’ Bill Hickok lead director Sophie Cooke’s cast for Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster’s musical Calamity James.
Deadwood’s citizens are content with their ways of life: supporting their fort of soldiers and socialising at the beloved Golden Garter saloon. However, when a new face blows in from the Windy City to create a stir, friendships will be formed, long-time loyalties tested and perhaps even secret love revealed. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.
Alexander Flanagan Wright in Wright & Grainger’s Helios at Theatre@41, Monkgate
Ancient & modern drama of the week: Wright & Grainger in Helios, Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, February 5, 7.30pm
EASINGWOLD theatre-makers Alexander Flanagan Wright and Phil Grainger begin their new partnership with Theatre@41 by re-visiting Helios, wherein a lad lives half way up a historic hill, a teenager is on a road trip to the city in a stolen car and a boy is driving a chariot, pulling the sun across the sky.
In Wright’s story of the son of the sun god, Helios transplants the Ancient Greek tale into a modern-day myth wound around the winding roads of rural England and into the everyday living of a towering city. “It’s a story about life, the invisible monuments we build to it, and the little things that leave big marks,” he says. Box office: tickets.41monkgate.co.uk.
Robin Simpson in rehearsal for Catherine Dyson’s The Last Picture, premiering at York Theatre Royal Studio
Solo show of the week: The Last Picture, York Theatre Royal Studio, February 5 to 14, except February 8, 7.45pm, plus Wednesday and Saturday 2pm matinees
ROBIN Simpson follows up his sixth season as York Theatre Royal’s pantomime dame by playing a dog in York Theatre Royal, ETT and An Tobar and Mull Theatre’s premiere of Catherine Dyson’s The Last Picture, directed by John R Wilkinson.
Imagine yourself in a theatre in 2026. Now picture yourself as a Year 9 student on a school trip, and then as a citizen of Europe in 1939 as history takes its darkest turn. While you imagine, emotional support dog Sam (Simpson’s character)will be by your side in a play about empathy – its power and limits and what it asks of us – in a story of our shared past, present and the choices we face today. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
The poster for Super Furry Animals’ summer concert at York Museum Gardens
Gig announcement of the week: Live At York Museum Gardens presents Super Furry Animals, York Museum Gardens, July 11
FUTURESOUND completes the line-up for its third Live At York Museum Gardens season with Welsh art-rock icons Super Furry Animals, celebrating more than 30 years together with multicolour hits and off-piste deep cuts, lovingly handpicked from nine albums.
Gruff Rhys, Huw Bunford, Cian Ciarán, Dafydd Ieuan and Guto Pryce are returning to the concert platform in 2026 for the first time in ten years. Joining them in York will be special guests Baxter Dury, Los Campesinos!, Divorce and Pys Melyn. Tickets for SFA, along with Liverpool’s Orchestra Manoeuvres In The Dark on July 9 and South Yorkshire ’s Self Esteem on July 10, are on sale at futuresoundgroup.com/york-museum-gardens-events.
Super Furry Animals: Playing first concerts in ten years in 2026, including Live At York Museum Gardens headline show
In Focus: Norwell Lapley Productions in Tales From Acorn Wood, York Theatre Royal, February 3 to 5
JULIA Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s beloved Tales From Acorn Wood stories are brought to life in an enchanting lift-the-flap experience where poor old Fox has lost his socks. Are they in the kitchen or inside the clock?
Rat-a-tat-tat! Who’s keeping tired Rabbit awake in a children’s show that also invites you to join in with Pig and Hen’s game of hide-and-seek and discover the special surprise that Postman Bear is planning for his friends.
Rabbit’s Nap in Tales From Acorn Wood
Packed full of songs, puppetry and all the friends from Acorn Wood, this show featuring Fox’s Socks, Rabbit’s Nap, Hide-and-Seek Pig and Postman Bear comes from the team behind Dear Zoo Liveand Dear Santa.
Writer Julia Donaldson says: “I am really happy that the Tales From Acorn Wood are now moving to the stage. Fans of the books are bound to enjoy seeing the four main characters, Fox, Bear, Pig and Rabbit, brought to life through Norwell Lapley Productions’ clever staging.
“Live performance and songs are both very close to my heart and I am sure this production will delight children and families.” Performances: Tuesday, 1.30pm; Wednesday and Thursday, 10.30am and 1.30pm. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.Age guidance: One plus.
A trio of York Nutcracker Trail 2025’s designs in preparation for street duty
YORK Nutcracker Trail returns for the festive season with the Kids Takeover theme for 2025.
From now until January 4 2026, you can embark on York BID’s city-wide trail to discover ten giant nutcrackers, each designed uniquely by children from across York and the surrounding area.
Each design has been brought to life with delicacy by York artist Marc Godfrey-Murphy, also known as MarcoLooks, who has hand-painted the children’s creations onto the full-size nutcracker sculptures.
Kids Takeover brings young people’s imagination to life after York BID (Business Improvement District) invited budding young artists to submit their dream nutcracker designs last year. From hundreds of colourful entries, ten were selected to be transformed into life-sized sculptures to brighten York’s historic streets.
Mark Godfrey-Murphy painting one of the Kids Takeover designs for the York Nutcracker Trail
Rachel Bean, project manager at York BID, says: “We wanted to do something truly special this year: to hand the creative reins over to York’s young people. We asked kids across York to let their imaginations run wild, and the designs we received were full of colour and fun. It was so hard to pick just ten!
“York Nutcracker Trail has become a real festive favourite in York, and I can’t wait to see lots of people with trail maps in their hands across the city again this year”
Marc says: “I remember when York BID first talked to me about working on this project with them. From the moment I found out about the concept, I immediately wanted to be involved.
“I used to be an animator for CBeebies, so I know how discerning children’s imaginations can be. Their ideas and minds are bold, brave and limitless. It’s been a joy spending time working with designs from their perspective.
The map for the York Nutracker Trail 2025 with the Kids Takeover theme
“Some of our young designers have used colour combinations I would never think of, but as an artist illustrator, it’s been wonderful to discover the joy in colour and pattern from their world view.”
York Nutcracker Trail maps are available to pick up from the Visit York Information Centre on Parliament Street to help you discover each nutcracker’s location and enjoy a fun, free festive adventure through the city.
Find all ten Nutcrackers and collect their names on your trail map to enter the prize draw for a £250 York Gift Card. That’s not all: by answering the bonus question, you could win an art hamper filled with MarcoLooks goodies.
Submit your completed trail map to the Visitor Information Centre or post it in Santa’s Post Box in York Museum Gardens to enter the prize draw.
York illustrator Marc Godfrey-Murphy
Marc Godfrey-Murphy/MarcoLooks: back story
GRADUATED from Character Animation course with Aardman Animation studios (the people behind Wallace & Gromit).
Worked as animator for CBeebies on Numberblocks and Tree Fu Tom. Now a freelance Illustrator and independent card and calendar publisher in York, he founded MarcoLooks in 2018.
His delightfully daft, quirky and colourful greetings cards and prints, coasters and mugs are stocked in many shops across the UK. From punning animal titles to illustrations of York landmarks and cheeky birthday card messages, “everything pops in bright and happy colour palettes”.
Marc has worked for Fenwick department stores, Oxfam, The Hole In Wand, York BID and Indie Makers and is the founder of the Draw As You May online drawing challenge. He also is a part-time animation tutor and mentor to newbie artists/makers who want to start making money from their creative practice.
You can find Marc across social media as @MarcoLooks. To find out more, visit www.marcolooks.com or go to Fabrication, on Stonegate, to discover his greetings cards and York illustrations.
The Wild Man of the Woods telling a wartime ghost story by the soldier’s sculpture at St Anthony’s Gardens on November 5
GHOSTS: The Untold History has opened for an already sold-out run – or, rather, walk – at St Anthony’s Gardens, Peaseholme Green, York. There’s not a ghost of a chance of a ticket, alas.
Set among the atmospheric Ghosts In Gardens sculptures, bathed in ghostly light, this new 40-minute nocturnal storytelling experience uncovers York’s hidden histories and haunted past.
The candle-lit walk weaves together York’s spectral figures with previously untold stories spun by Yorkshire storyteller The Wild Man of the Woods (alias Dave Vale).
Guests wander through York’s snickelways and shadows, discovering tales that blend 2,000 years of myth, folklore and the city’s rich, chilling history, from ancient gods, through Jorvik times to the Second World War, with matters of sex and death often to the fore.
Ghosts: The Untold History storyteller The Wild Man of the Woods
Carl Alsop, York BID (Business Improvement District) operations manager, selected St Anthony’s Garden, on the back of the success of last November’s inaugural Ghosts After Dark showcased York’s tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights in York Museum Gardens.
Mad Alice, of the Bloody Tour of York, Lady Brigante, of the Polite Tourist, Dr Dorian Deathly, of the Deathly Dark Tours and York Dungeon’s Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes, along with The Wild Man of the Woods, all told tales.
Ghosts After Dark and now Ghosts: The Untold Story forms the companion piece to the Ghosts In The Garden sculpture trail, which began five years ago with ten ghosts installations in York Museum Gardens and has since expanded to feature 58 3D wire mesh sculptures, all created by York company Unconventional Designs.
The translucent figures, including ten new additions for 2025, were on show from September 19 to November 2 in a trail through York’s public gardens, ruins, hidden corners and green spaces with free entry.
York BID presents Ghosts: The Untold History at St Anthony’s Gardens, Peaseholme Green, York, until November 9, from 6.30pm night. SOLD OUT.For more information, go to: theyorkbid.com/ghosts-untold-history/.
Red sky at night: two of Unconventional Designs’ Ghosts In The Gardens wire-mesh sculptures in St Anthony’s Gardens
A sneak peek of Art Of Protest Project’s North Street Gardens mural in honour of the Rowntree family’s legacy
ART Of Protest Projects is creating a bold new mural in celebration of the life and legacy of the Rowntree family in York.
Work on the installation began on June 2 in North Street Gardens, one of York’s most central – yet sometimes overlooked – green spaces.
York street art collective Art of Protest Projects is known for creating meaningful public art that connects people and place. The latest artwork marks the centenary of Joseph Rowntree’s passing and honours his lasting contributions to the city, particularly the gift of North Street Gardens by the Joseph Rowntree Village Trust in April 1959.
The mural has been commissioned by York BID [Business Improvement District] in partnership with York Cares, the City of York Council, Nestlé, Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Rowntree Society, supported by generous funding by Nestlé.
The project will become part of the York Art Trail, launched by York BID in 2024 to enrich the city with public art that celebrates York’s culture, history and people.
Rowntree’s Chocolates: Picture copyright of Joseph Rowntree Foundation Heritage Library
York BID project manager Rachel Bean says: “This mural is a celebration of everything Joseph Rowntree stood for: community, education and innovation. North Street Gardens is a hidden gem in our city, and we’re excited to see it revitalised through this artwork. I’d like to sincerely thank the project partners for helping to bring this exciting and important project to life.”
The mural will re-imagine the space with a 46ft typography mural and imagery inspired by Rowntree’s values and legacy. The installation is part of a wider initiative to enhance the gardens that began with the York Cares Big Community Challenge last autumn.
Jeff Clark, of Art of Protest Projects, says: “We are excited to be working on this project to help tell the Rowntree’s story through art. We hope the mural invites people to pause, explore and connect with the deeper history and purpose behind North Street Gardens.”
Leanne Cooper, market procurement manager at Nestlé UK and Ireland, says: “We are so pleased to be part of this project that honours the work of Joseph Rowntree and the profound impact he had on the place that Nestlé Confectionery calls its home: York.
“Our communities are what make Nestlé what it is, and we hope that this vibrant mural will bring joy to those who pass by. We are very proud to have supported this project and the vitality of North Street Gardens.”
York Ice Trail 2025: Taking the theme of Origins on February 1 and 2
YORK Ice Trail, Make It York’s annual “free weekend of frosty fun”, returns on February 1 and 2 with a 2025 theme of Origins as York’s streets are turned into an icy wonderland of frozen tableau.
Among the 30 ice sculptures showcasing 2,000 years of city history will be a Roman shield, a Viking helmet, a chocolate bar, a drifting ghost, a majestic train and a Yorkshire rose, all captured in the language of ice by ice sculpture specialists Icebox.
The ice sculptures will bring captivating tales to life, each telling a story from York’s rich heritage or depicting a moment of celebration or a creature that lived long ago.
On display too will be an origin block of ice, showing how each ice sculpture starts before Icebox’s team of professional ice carvers bring designs to life.
From 12 noon each day, visitors can experience the thrill of live ice carving demonstrations at St Sampson’s Square, where expert sculptors from Icebox will transform raw blocks of ice into works of art before your eyes.
Throughout the weekend, the grounds of Middletons Hotel will be transformed into The Sweeter Side of Life in a family-friendly showcase of four ice sculptures, including Sweet Like Chocolate, dedicated to the heritage of the hotel’s Sir Terry Alms Cottages. Look out too for The Ice Wall, where you can “‘freeze” yourself in a perfect photo moment.
York BID will be journeying back 2.4 million years to the Ice Age to present five prehistoric animals, once thriving in the frozen era but now extinct, brought to life anew in sculptural form.
Make It York managing director Sarah Loftus says: “We’re so excited for the York Ice Trail weekend! With these stunning ice creations set to transform the city, we can’t wait to see the incredible artistry and imagination that will bring the Origins theme to life.
“We’re incredibly grateful to all the local businesses whose support makes the York Ice Trail possible. Their contributions are essential to bringing this beloved event to life, and we couldn’t do it without them. See you there!”
Icebox managing director Greg Pittard says: “We are so excited to be returning to York this year with 30 spectacular ice sculptures, each telling a different story. With years of experience and a passion for creating ice masterpieces, Icebox takes pride in turning ordinary gatherings into extraordinary experiences.
“Our team of talented artisans worked closely with Make It York and partners to craft custom ice sculptures that reflect their unique vision, making this York Ice Trail an exceptional one that guests will talk about for years to come. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, you’ll thank us for this mesmerising experience!”
Colour & Light: York BID free event returns to York Minster from February 12
YORK Minster’s South Transept is to be illuminated with York wildlife down the centuries for the return Colour & Light from February 12 to March 2.
Building on the impact of the 3D projection mapping illuminations at York Minster in 2023 and York Art Gallery in 2024 that drew tens of thousands of spectators from York and beyond, this year’s large-scale visual arts project will highlight the city’s heritage and creativity once more in celebration of the city’s UNESCO Media Arts status.
This free event promises a “mesmerising projection” of famous and lesser-known stories of York’s animal world, from the peregrine falcons that call the Minster home and the foxes that roam the city after dark, to the horses on which the Romans rode into Eboracum and the legendary dragons carved into York’s history.
Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID, says: “Colour & Light is fast becoming a highlight of York’s cultural calendar. The event started at York Minster in 2023, so we’re proud to partner with them again for our 2025 event.
“We’re particularly excited as this year’s projections showcase the diversity of wildlife and unique animal stories that makes York so special. By encouraging families and visitors to explore the city centre during these quieter months, we’re not only creating magical experiences but also supporting local businesses and reinforcing York’s vibrant evening economy.”
Colour & Light 2024 on the frontage of York Art Gallery
Lisa Power, York Minster’s head of events and participation, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Colour & Light back to York Minster this February. The inaugural display in 2023 saw the city welcome tens of thousands of people during what is often the coldest, darkest and quietest time of the year.
“This year’s projections will bring York Minster’s heritage to life, this time through a spectacular display of flora and fauna illuminating the cathedral’s South Transept. We hope that this beautiful display will once again remind everyone that York is open all year round!”
Colour & Light will run nightly from 6pm to 9pm with projections on a ten-minute loop. The final hour each evening will feature a designated quiet hour with reduced noise and crowd levels, ensuring everyone can enjoy the event. No tickets are required.
Colour & Light 2025 is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, highlighting the importance of investing in cultural initiatives to support local economies and enhance community well-being.
Visitors are invited to explore York’s shops, restaurants and cafés as part of their evening. Join the conversation on social media via #ColourAndLight2025.
Ghosts After Dark: Lighting up York Museum Gardens for four nights
EXPERIENCE Ghosts in the Garden like never before! So reads the York BID and York Museums Trust invitation to the first ever Ghosts After Dark at York Museum Gardens,
Showcasing York’s rich tapestry of historical figures with light, sound and storytellers for four nights only, this exclusive event runs from today (7/11/2024) to Sunday from 6.30pm to 9.30pm nightly with last entry at 8.30pm.
Tickets are selling out fast, so prompt booking is advised. Once booked, ticket holders will receive an information pack with a map to help them to plan their night.
Ghost garden visitors can choose their own path to explore the ghostly sculptures, hidden around the gardens, each lit dynamically against an atmospheric background of smoke and sound.
Ghosts After Dark will feature an exclusive new ghost sculpture, a medieval pig, “celebrating the city’s history that can still be felt today”. The sculpture is an homage to Finkle Street, once known colloquially as Mucky Pig Lane, on account of being used as a through passage to move pigs to the Thursday Market, held in St Sampson’s Square, and the Swinegate Markets.
Mad Alice: Telling gruesome tales by the St Mary’s Abbey ruins in York Museum Gardens
York storytellers and ghost walkers will share a mix of much-loved classics and previously unheard stories every 15 minutes. For lovers of all things gruesome, Mad Alice, of the Bloody Tour of York, will share the grisly truth about the Archbishop, Executioner, Bear and Stone Mason at the Ruins.
Lady Brigante, of the Polite Tourist, will uncover the criminal past of the hidden stories of the Victorian Lady and Gentleman, Artist and Merchant at the Hideaway. The Wild Man of the Woods will explore the lore around the Cat, Fox, Pig and Falcon in the Woodland Clearing.
The York Dungeon’s Dick Turpin will recount how he met his infamous end at Palmer’s Corner while the Dungeon’s Guy Fawkes will share his ill-fated past at the Plot.
For those brave enough, Dr Dorian Deathly, of the Deathly Dark Tours, will lead visitors on a lantern-lit tour of St Olave’s Church, sharing a story made exclusively for Ghosts After Dark. “You will have to wear Bluetooth headphones for this one, with atmospheric music as he walks you through the churchyard with his spooky stories of monks and nuns,” says Carl.
Ghosts After Dark is the new companion piece to Ghosts In The Garden, which began four years ago with ten ghosts installations in York Museum Gardens. “It started as a spooky offering for Halloween but we quickly decided it wasn’t really about that,” says York BID operations manager Carl Alsop. “Year two and three we spread our wings and now it gets more exciting and challenging each year, with 45 sculptures this year.
“Like acknowledging Yorkshire’s oldest working observatory being in the Museum Gardens. We thought, ’let’s put a Georgian astrologer in there’. Or the Bear, because there was a menagerie here in the late 1800s that used to escape and chase the gardener around. Or the Mill, which now stands outside the Castle Museum, that used to be a working mill on the Moors.
Dr Dorian Deathly: Leading visitors on a lantern-lit tour of St Olave’s Church
“There’s a ‘long duck’ too because we do have ducks in the Museum Gardens but people can interpret it as attribute to a certain Long Boi at the University of York.”
The wire mesh sculptures are created by York company Unconventional Designs. “We have used them since the start,” says Carl. “We give them a character and an idea about the character and they come back with the design.
“The low aperture wire mesh is the gift that keeps on giving after I had this crazy idea! People might say why would you use chicken wire but the way you look at each sculpture changes depending on the time of day. Some of them appear, some of them disappear, in the changing light, because of the way they are set up!”
The York Bid and York Museums Trust has been keen to “keep growing this event, not just increasing the number of sculptures and locations, from the rail signaller at the railway station to a female stonemason at Holy Trinity Church, a taylor at Merchant Taylors Hall to a beekeeper in St Olave’s Grove,” says Carl.
“Now we’ve added this ticketed event, Ghosts After Dark, for the first time as we want to bring business into the city in what can be a quieter time of the year, coming to the city not only for the ghost sculptures but also to enjoy York’s evening economy. The ghosts will be lit up with different colours after we did a dress rehearsal to trial colours with fog and background music.”
Ghosts After Dark, York Museum Gardens, Museum Street, York, tonight to Sunday. Box office: yorkmuseumstrust.org.uk. Tickets cost £7.50 for adults and just £1 for under-16s.
