York Events and Festivals 2014 / 2015

(York, North Yorkshire, England, UK)

York is a city very much geared up for tourism and throughout the year, visitors will be able to enjoy a calendar of seasonal events and celebrations. Things to do range from joining the 40,000+ attendees of the Jorvik Viking Festival during the February half-term holidays, to Easter-themed activities in April, live jazz music in May and comedy gigs galore in June.

Early July sees the arrival of the York Rotary Dragon Boat Challenge, where crowds gather on the banks of the River Ouse to watch teams row between the bridges of Scarborough and Lendal, raising significant amounts of money for charity.

July also sees summer horse racing at the city's very own Racecourse on Knavesmire Road, while September is a particularly busy month and heralds the arrival of the Peace Festival, the National Book Fair, the York Festival of Food and Drink, and Fashion City.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day
• Good Friday / Easter Monday - late March or early April
• First and last Monday in May
• Last Monday in August
• 25th December - Christmas Day
• 26th December - Boxing Day

(If Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the next weekday becomes a public holiday).

York Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• New Years' Day Celebrations - January 1st, various locations throughout the city
• Holocaust Memorial Day - late January, remembering the atrocities of the Second World War
• Residents Festival - late January, with locals enjoying free and discounted admission to many of the city's attractions, while restaurants and shops may also offer discounts during this two-day event

February

• Jorvik Viking Festival - early February, organised by the York Archaeological Trust and the Jorvik Viking Centre, first held in the mid-1980s and including a costumed procession around the Minster and along Stonegate, as well as a battle reenactment at Bustardthorpe Field. Visitors can also expect the burning of a traditional longboat and evening fireworks

March

• International Women's Week - early March, comprising some 80 events over a week, highlighting the political and cultural contributions of women over the past century
• Fair Trade Market - early March, with market stalls gathered around Parliament Street, selling all manner of fair-trade goodies
• Literature Festival - late March to early April, held at various venues, including storytelling and poetry at the Black Swan
• Open Studios - late March, offering direct public access to some 30 art venues and studios around the city, providing a real insight into the lives of the participants

April

• Chocolate Festival - early April, with Easter egg hunts, chocolate-making workshops, demonstrations by esteemed chocolatiers, various talks and lots of traders, based on Parliament Street
• Easter Craft Fair - early April, at Parliament Square

May

• Spring Festival of New Music - mid-May, with various concerts, composers and sizeable audiences, at the university's Rymer Auditorium and Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall
• Battlegroup Neptune - mid-May, at the Yorkshire Air Museum
• York Races - mid-May, at the Racecourse
• Music Live and Jazz Series - late May
• Thunder Theme Park - late May / early June, at Knavesmire
• Railfest - late May / early June, a line-up of steam locomotives at the National Railway Museum

June

• York Comedy Festival - early June, various venues throughout the city
• Roman Festival - mid-June, with many Roman-themed activities around the city, including a Mayoral 'inspection of the troops' at St. Helen's Square, gladiator shows and a Living History camp
• York Races - mid-June, at the Racecourse
• Festival of Ideas - mid to late June, drawing some 8,000 people, who come to see the exhibitions of photographs and art works, as well as the various talks and discussions, and live music at the university's Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall
• York Carnival Parade - late June / early July, organised by university students and showcasing local talent across the city centre

July

• Burton Agnes Jazz and Blues Festival - early July, various jazz concerts staged both within the Elizabethan Hall of Burton Agnes Hall and its landscaped grounds, roughly 50 minutes to the east
• Dragon Boat Racing - mid-July, the riverbanks and the Museum Gardens see huge crowds, with this famous boat race being first held in 2003
• Early Music Festival - mid-July, a celebration of early music, with concerts staged at Harewood House, the National Centre for Early Music and York Minster, held over a ten-day period
• York Races - mid-July, at the Racecourse
• Festival of the Rivers - mid-July, lasting two weeks and seeing many attractions along both the River Foss and the River Ouse
• Festival of Youth - mid-July, with live music, sports, trade stalls , cheer-leading, rock climbing and more, at Rowntree Park on Terry Avenue

August

• Battle of the Bridges - mid-August, at the Yorkshire Air Museum
• York Races - mid-August, at the Racecourse

September

• Peace Festival - early September, based at Rowntree Park and first held in 1985. More than 5,000 people come to see the live music, cabaret-style shows and performance art
• National Book Fair - early September, established in 1974 and held at the Knavesmire Suite of the Racecourse
• Fashion City - early September, with catwalks at St. Sampson's Square and the Guildhall
• York Festival of Food and Drink - mid-September, lasting some ten days and based around the city centre, with free cookery demonstrations and wine tastings on Parliament Street
• York Races - mid-September, at the Racecourse

October

• Sight Sonic Digital Arts Festival - mid-October, established in 2000 and taking place over a weekend in the middle of October, at various centrally located venues
• York Races - mid-October, at the Racecourse
• Illuminating York Festival - late October, with many of the city's most iconic landmarks being illuminated by coloured lights in a dramatic fashion, including projections on the walls of the Minster

November

• Bonfire Night and Fireworks - early November, Guy Fawkes fun throughout the city
• Aesthetica Short Film Festival - mid-November, film screenings at medieval halls, cinemas and venues such as Barley Hall, City Screen, the De Grey Rooms, the Guildhall, Mansion House, the Micklegate Bar Museum, the National Railway Museum, St. John University, St. William's College and the Theatre Royal
• Interfaith Week - late November, including exhibition boards at local libraries
• Christmas Lights Switch On - late November
• St. Nicholas Fayre - late November to early December, a four-day event attracting crowds of thousands, with market stalls located at Coppergate, Parliament Street and St. Sampson's Square

December

• Festival of Angels - early December, with ice sculptures, outdoor food and winter-themed activities around the streets of Swinegate
• Early Music Christmas Festival - mid-December, Yuletide celebrations
• New Years' Eve Celebrations - December 31st, throughout the city