Christmas Early Music Festival

11 - 14 Dec 2008 (annual)

Following the success of the well-established summer York Early Music Festival (first held in 1977), the National Centre for Early Music in York provides seasonal entertainment at venues across the city during its Christmas Early Music Festival.

Midwinter Beer Festival

11 - 14 Dec 2008 (annual)

Suddaby's award-winning Malton Brewery hosts its Midwinter Beer Festival, giving locals and visitors alike a warm glow before Christmas!

Castle Howard

29 Nov - 21 Dec 2008 (various dates)

Located just 15 miles north-east of York, Castle Howard is one of Britain's finest and grandest stately homes. Built in 1699, it remains the private home of the Howard family, but now receives hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

Continental Market

Feb 2009 (various dates)

Three times a year, in February, July and October, York's Parliament Street is a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach during the Continental Market.

Jorvik Viking Festival

18 - 22 Feb 2009 (annual)

Get some hands-on experience of what it was like to be a Viking. More than 10,000 visitors turn up to York's annual Jorvik Festival to watch Norse warriors fight to the (mock) death with their enemies, the Saxons.

Harrogate Spring Flower Show

Apr 2009 (annual)

The Harrogate Spring Flower Show, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, is the year's premier spring horticultural event, with features such as the Largest Daffodil Show in the North and the Early Season Tulip Show.

Moor and Coast Festival

May 2009 (annual)

Whitby celebrates its annual Moor and Coast festival of traditional music, song and dance. The entertainment around town includes ghost walks, street theatre, ceildhs and workshops.

Harrogate Antique & Fine Art Fair

May 2009 (annual)

This annual antiques fair at Harrogate's International Centre offers the opportunity to view and purchase high quality antiques and fine art, including furniture, glass, pottery and porcelain, jewellery, silver, textiles, paintings and works of art.

Ryedale Festival of Food and Drink

May 2009 (annual)

The Ryedale Festival of Food and Drink is held at Castle Howard this May. The festival promotes local produce, and this year boasts a cookery theatre where Yorkshire's leading chefs can share their culinary secrets with the public.

Swaledale Festival

May - Jun 2009 (annual)

A well-established annual spring event which takes place in Swaledale, Wensleydale and Arkengarthdale, the Swaledale Festival presents classical music, folk, jazz, brass, theatre, village concerts, workshops, exhibitions and traditional craft displays.

McArthurGlen Designer Outlet

Daily

McArthur Glen is a shopping concept offering designer-hungry shoppers heavily discounted, quality merchandise. This 110-shop mall sits just outside York city centre.

Harrogate Turkish Baths

Daily

What better place to chill out than in a Frigidarium? The Romans used to do it and it worked well for them. Make your way to Harrogate's Turkish Baths - a slice of history.

The Shambles

Daily

The Shambles is the most famous street in York. Lined with timber-built, medieval shops, it is a magnet for visitors looking for that essential York souvenir.

York Minster

Daily

York Minster is the largest medieval building in England and the biggest gothic cathedral north of the Alps.

National Railway Museum

Daily

York's National Railway Museum is a trainspotter's heaven - a mammoth shrine to all things that move on rails.

Jorvik Viking Centre

Daily

The Jorvik Viking Centre offers plenty of Viking history on the very site where archaeologists discovered the remains of the city of Jorvik, now known as York.

The York Dungeon

Daily

The York Dungeon delves into the city's dark and haunting past and explores the chilling truth about the suspicious characters who have lived, hidden or died in the city. Watch out for the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin (who was hanged here) and the Viking Ivar the Boneless, who invaded the city on 1 November 1866 AD and caused much bloodshed.

York Designer Outlet

Daily

York's Designer Outlet is a great place to pick up a bargain. More than 120 designer shops sell everything from clothes and jewellery to homeware at up to 50% off their recommended retail price. For label-lovers everywhere.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Daily

The 800-year old Cistercian Fountains Abbey is Britain's largest ruin and one of Yorkshire's most visited attractions. It includes the grand Elizabethan mansion, Fountains Hall, and the 18th-century Studley Royal Water Garden, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Roman Bath Inn

Daily

In a city as old as York it should come as no surprise that there is a pub in the city - the Roman Bath Inn - with the caldarium or "hot room" of a Roman bath-house in the cellar.

North York Moors National Park

Daily

Encompassing 554 square miles of some of England's most amazing countryside, the North York Moors National Park was designated in 1952 (the year after the first National Parks were founded). With the country's largest expanse of heather moorland as well as 26 miles of spectacular coastline, it is a haven for flora, fauna, 25,000 residents and the millions of visitors seeking natural regeneration every year.

The Living Room

Daily

The Living Room is one of York's swishest venues and boasts an extensive food and cocktail menu. With a terrace looking over the River Ouse, it is a popular place to enjoy a quiet sundowner before partying the night away.

York Art Gallery

Daily

York Art Gallery houses one of the region's finest collections of European painting, spanning over 600 years and displayed in new themed areas under the headings of People, Places, Stories, Devotion and Morality. Among the artists on show are Belloto, Reynolds, Parmigianino, Lowry and Nash.

Yorkshire Dales National Park

Daily

The Yorkshire Dales National Park covers a collection of river valleys and hills in the North of Yorkshire and Cumbria. Famed for their beauty, the Dales offer visitors extensive options for walking, biking, caving and sightseeing.

York Castle Museum

Daily

York's Castle Museum brings more than 400 years of history back to life in its award-winning exhibitions and displays.

BPM

Daily

Popular with students and those looking for a late night, BPM is open seven days a week. Two floors, three bars and a rooftop terrace make this place a fixture on York's party circuit.

Roman Walls

Daily

York has more miles of intact city walls than anywhere else in England, visited by over a million people every year. Originally built as defences in Roman times, they've been added to and rebuilt over the centuries.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Daily

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) was founded in 1977 and sits in a 200 year-old landscaped park outside Wakefield that was originally a private pleasure ground. It aims to utilise the natural beauty of the area to display a changing array of sculptures including, most notably, works by Barbra Hepworth and Henry Moore.

Burnby Hall Gardens

Daily

This spectacular landscaped garden in York is home to the National Collection of Waterlillies, making it a wonderful place to visit especially during the summer when all 80 varieties spread gloriously across the garden's two lakes.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

Daily

Just outside Harrogate, garden lovers can immerse themselves in floral heaven at the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Harlow Carr, themed to reflect the trends of gardening in the past 200 years.

Henshelwood's Deli

Daily

Henshelwood's Deli, in the heart of historic York, sells everything from hampers to sandwiches, 40 types of British and Continental cheese and Whiby crab. There is always an expert on hand to answer your questions.

No monthly events available.

York National Book Fair

Sep 2009 (annual)

The York National Book Fair is the largest rare, antiquarian and out-of-print book fair in Europe. Around 200 leading booksellers offer an immense collection of books, maps and prints at the Knavesmire Centre.

York Maze

Jul - Sep 2009 (annual)

A popular American pastime is to plant fields with maize, then cut paths to create a maze in the tall crop. The tradition has arrived in England and in late summer you can come and get lost at York Maze!

York Festival of Rivers

Jul 2009 (annual)

Following its success last year, the Festival of Rivers returned to York with exhibitions and musical performances, walks and dancing, swimming and fishing on the riverbanks and on long boats lining the Ouse and the Foss.

York Festival of Food and Drink

Sep 2009 (annual)

Providing a great opportunity to broaden your culinary knowledge and expand your waistline, the York Festival of Food and Drink - first held in 1997 - returns for ten individually themed days, with events at venues all over the city.

York Festival of Fairtrade

Feb - Mar 2009 (annual)

Although there's more to York's Fairtrade Festival than just the market in Parliament Square, it is certainly the highlight, with quality produce from around the globe available to buy and taste.

York Early Music Festival

Jul 2009 (annual)

First held in 1977, York Early Music Festival can claim to be Britain's foremost festival of Early Music, commandeering a variety of medieval churches, historic houses and Guildhalls in and around this Roman city for its huge range of performances.

Tockwith and District Show

Aug 2009 (annual)

The Tockwith and District Show provides a wealth of rural entertainment every August. Visitors can wander around a vast display of trade stands, livestock exhibits and craft stalls in the showfield at Harrogate.

Swaledale Festival

May - Jun 2009 (annual)

A well-established annual spring event which takes place in Swaledale, Wensleydale and Arkengarthdale, the Swaledale Festival presents classical music, folk, jazz, brass, theatre, village concerts, workshops, exhibitions and traditional craft displays.

St Nicholas Fayre

27 - 30 Nov 2008 (annual)

The medieval streets of York come alive for the St Nicholas Fayre. Specialist market stalls (including a costumed Medieval market), carol singers, festive food and entertainment help get shoppers into the Christmas spirit.

Ryedale Festival of Food and Drink

May 2009 (annual)

The Ryedale Festival of Food and Drink is held at Castle Howard this May. The festival promotes local produce, and this year boasts a cookery theatre where Yorkshire's leading chefs can share their culinary secrets with the public.

Richmond Walking & Book Festival

Sep - Oct 2009 (annual)

Boots and books are in full supply in North Yorkshire this autumn. Bookworms and walkaholics join forces for the annual Richmond Walking & Book Festival, where guided walks take place and famous guests from the literary world come to visit.

Morris Dance Festival

Jul 2009 (annual)

This annual Morris Dance Festival in Robin Hood's Bay (near Whitby) in North Yorkshire features around 30 teams of dancers. It's a great way to see traditional England at its merrymaking best.

Moor and Coast Festival

May 2009 (annual)

Whitby celebrates its annual Moor and Coast festival of traditional music, song and dance. The entertainment around town includes ghost walks, street theatre, ceildhs and workshops.

Midwinter Beer Festival

11 - 14 Dec 2008 (annual)

Suddaby's award-winning Malton Brewery hosts its Midwinter Beer Festival, giving locals and visitors alike a warm glow before Christmas!

Limetree Festival

Aug 2009 (annual)

For people who moan about summer festivals not being what they used to, there's the laid-back Limetree Festival at North Yorkshire's Lime Tree Farm. It features up-and-coming bands, comedy, cabaret, a stone circle and healing field, minus the corporate feel.

Knitting and Stitching Show

20 - 23 Nov 2008 (annual)

The Knitting and Stitching Show at the Harrogate International Centre comprises almost 300 exhibiting companies selling a galaxy of products for knitting, sewing, embroidery, quilting and crochet. Contemporary and historic exhibits, workshops and lectures complete the programme.

Jorvik Viking Festival

18 - 22 Feb 2009 (annual)

Get some hands-on experience of what it was like to be a Viking. More than 10,000 visitors turn up to York's annual Jorvik Festival to watch Norse warriors fight to the (mock) death with their enemies, the Saxons.

Harrogate Spring Flower Show

Apr 2009 (annual)

The Harrogate Spring Flower Show, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, is the year's premier spring horticultural event, with features such as the Largest Daffodil Show in the North and the Early Season Tulip Show.

Harrogate International Festival

Jul - Aug 2009 (annual)

Harrogate's annual International Festival encompasses live classical, jazz and global music performances, held at venues throughout the town.

Harrogate Antique & Fine Art Fair

May 2009 (annual)

This annual antiques fair at Harrogate's International Centre offers the opportunity to view and purchase high quality antiques and fine art, including furniture, glass, pottery and porcelain, jewellery, silver, textiles, paintings and works of art.

H2O Festival

Oct 2009 (annual)

Fire and light sculptures illuminate Yorkshire's countryside for the H2O Festival. The mystical Women in White lead visitors around Fewton Reservoir to watch as shimmering water comes to life at this festival of the elements...

Great Yorkshire Show

14 - 16 Jul 2009 (annual)

The Great Yorkshire Show - a countryside showcase held at Harrogate's Great Yorkshire Showground - celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2008. The packed programme features show-jumping, pole-climbing, marching bands and cattle parades.

Grassington Festival

Jun 2009 (annual)

The annual Grassington Festival of the arts was first held in 1981 and brings a varied selection of classical and popular music, jazz, comedy and lectures to the Yorkshire town.

Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show

Aug 2009 (annual)

Upholding the 19th-century tradition of finding the heaviest gooseberry has always been of utmost importance at Egton Bridge in North Yorkshire. Some 200 years after its origin, competition entrants at St Hedda's Schoolroom are as enthusiastic as ever.

Darlington Championship Dog Show

Sep 2009 (annual)

The North East of England's rich canine heritage is reflected in Darlington Championship Dog Show, which caters for all people interested in the world of pedigree dogs. Since 2005 the show has been held at Newby Hall, near Ripon.

Christmas Early Music Festival

11 - 14 Dec 2008 (annual)

Following the success of the well-established summer York Early Music Festival (first held in 1977), the National Centre for Early Music in York provides seasonal entertainment at venues across the city during its Christmas Early Music Festival.

Blessing of the Boats

Jul 2009 (annual)

During one of the more quirky religious festivals in North Yorkshire, the Bishop of Whitby blesses the working and leisure boats in Whitby harbour in a special service on the quayside. The public join in, while music is provided by the Guisborough Salvation Army.

A Day at York Races

May - Sep 2009 (annual)

York Racecourse (aka The Knavesmire) hosts regular flat and National Hunt races from May to October. A day out here is an excuse to dress up, have a flutter and generally enjoy yourself.

The Yorkshire Airshow

Aug 2009 (biennial)

The Yorkshire Airshow is an exciting aerial display organised at Elvington Airfield, an old RAF base just south of York city centre. The finale of both days is a Red Arrow flypast.