A season of fun is beginning at York Castle Museum – as their historic Victorian street is transformed for summer.
The much-loved York museum is dressing up for summer and bringing a Victorian extravaganza to the city, inspired by the era’s Summer Galas of years gone by.
There will be live music, street performances, seasonal crafts, and the museum’s famous Kirkgate is transformed with colourful bunting and floral displays to depict a traditional summer scene from nineteenth century York.
“It was a real celebration of summer in York, and that’s what we’re trying to do now,” said Carla Starkey, immersive interpretation producer at York Castle Museum.
“We do Christmas brilliantly here at the Castle, so now we are elevating summer to make it another destination stop for visitors and residents in York.
“It’s a superb event that we’ve just really delved into what York would have been like during the York Gala, with thousands of visitors coming to the city – just like we have today.”
The varied summer programme includes live musical entertainment in the yard with performances of historical tunes on Sundays, Phinneas Fickletickle returns for more new adventures with his Totally Tremendous Time-Travel Tincture on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and there will be incredible circus skill performances from The Silly History Boys on Tuesdays.
Dress-up and gala themed games also contribute to the summer programme, alongside poster printing and other daily crafts. There will also be edible flower demonstrations, crafty flower-making sessions, and bird of prey puppet workshops from Hoglets Theatre Company on Fridays.
Your ticket to York Castle Museum lasts 12 months, so you could visit every day of the week and see something different.
Summer at York Castle Museum will run from Saturday 19 July to Sunday 31 August 2025.
To see the full programme of events and book your tickets, visit the York Castle Museum website.
Take a look at what to expect in our gallery below!
Gallery
