Enjoy Yorkshire Christmases through the ages at York Castle Museum – as they announce their festive programme for 2025.
As visitors wander through over 200 years of festive history, all your senses can be embraced by the magic of Christmas – with period decorations, live performances, music, and cookery demonstrations to discover.
Christmas at York Castle Museum 2025: A Very Yorkshire Christmas will run from Saturday 15 November 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026.
Snowy scenes and festive delights await you on Kirkgate, the famous Victorian street.
Beautifully decorated trees and twinkling garlands will accompany the layer of snow on the cobblestones, Victorian Christmas objects will adorn the shop windows, and there’ll be live performances of traditional carols – transporting you to a Christmas reminiscent of Dickensian England.
Speaking of Dickens, Scrooge returns for one-man performances of A Christmas Carol, running on Fridays from 21 November to 12 December.
Green Father Christmas will also be wandering the street Saturdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from Saturday 15 November until Wednesday 24 December with an additional appearance right before Christmas on Tuesday 23 December! He’ll be delighting visitors with Victorian games, songs and tales of winter feasts and traditions.
Visit the Castle Kitchen on Thursdays and Saturdays from 15 November to 20 December for live baking demonstrations of historic Tudor and Georgian mince pie recipes. There will often be samples to try and recipe cards to take home.
A new event for 2025 is Ghost Stories for Christmas by Edwrydian Tale. Taking place on Sunday 14 December, it’ll take visitors back to traditional practices of passing long winter nights in front of the fire sharing stories of the supernatural.
A range of activities will be taking place throughout the winter, for adults and children alike. Storycraft Theatre will be at the museum on Tuesdays, with interactive stories featuring Ralf the Robin and his puppet friends. This magical storytelling experience is perfect for little ones, with 20-minute performances running three times a day.
There’ll also be festive workshops such as wreath making, Christmas card making, make your own Christmas crackers, bauble marbling, and more.
To see the full list and times of festive activities for Christmas at York Castle Museum, visit their website here. Some activities are included in general admission and some are at an additional cost.
