Seaside-themed activities, Yorkshire celebrations and live performances will bring extra energy to the city centre this summer.
You can experience a packed programme of summer events in York, as the city comes alive with family entertainment, locally produced food and drink, live performances and outdoor experiences across the city centre and Shambles Market.
From 30 July to 2 August, Parliament Street will transform into a vibrant seaside-inspired destination, bringing coastal charm to the heart of York with four days of free and family-friendly activities.
The Seaside Fun Zone will feature a pop-up sandpit, classic fairground rides and themed selfie spots, creating a lively atmosphere for families during the summer holidays. Younger visitors will also have the opportunity to climb aboard a real farm tractor and take part in craft activities.
The celebrations continue throughout the city, with visitors encouraged to discover hidden corners of the historic Shambles Market through the self-guided Seagull Trail. Trail leaflets will be available from the Visit York Visitor Information Centre, as well as a special sticker upon completion.
The friendly and knowledgeable team can help you with top tips for enjoying your summer in York, as well as finding locally made gifts and souvenirs, as well as attraction and travel tickets, guides and maps.
You can also grab a Visit York Pass, offering exclusive access to over 35 attractions and extra offers, saving you time and money.
Shambles Market will be open as usual every day, 9am-5pm, offering a delightful variety of choices of independent shopping from exquisite gifts and stylish accessories to fresh flowers and artisan crafts from local traders.
Nestled within the market, the Shambles Food Court is the place to be for the best street food delights catering to a wide range of global tastes. Plus, it’s a dog-friendly spot to relax at the picnic bench area.
Don’t miss a special evening market showcasing Yorkshire-made products. Taking place on 29 July from 7.30pm to 10pm, the Makers Market will transform Shambles Market into a vibrant, welcoming destination, offering a family-friendly twilight shopping experience in the heart of the city.
Yorkshire Day will also take centre stage with a specially curated artisan Yorkshire Day Market, from 30 July to 2 August, showcasing handcrafted goods, locally made products and food from some of the region’s finest independent producers.
The brand-new The Tempest Play Area, brought to you by York BID, is a dynamic, family-friendly immersive lava-themed play experience packed with interactive fun. It features themed obstacle challenges and balance-based equipment including wobble boards and clatter bridges. The play area invites children to climb, balance, jump and explore their way through the course. A variety of engaging games and activities are designed to keep children active, entertained and fully immersed, encouraging movement, problem-solving and playful exploration throughout. With interactive activities and lava-themed challenges throughout, families can test their agility, problem-solving and adventure skills in an exciting city-centre play experience.
Adding to the summer atmosphere, THOR’S returns to Parliament Street, until 6 September, with a refreshed look, new food and drink offerings and a programme of community-focused events throughout the season. The popular venue will also return to The Milner York gardens, until 5 September, with a new line-up of outdoor summer events.
Not to be missed is the brand-new, free art trail, The Watchers of York, inspired by York Minster’s carved stone figures. Running until 31 August, pick up the trail map from the Visit York Visitor Information Centre and explore the city in search of these unique new sculptures.
The city centre’s summer activities complement Visit York’s wider seasonal offer, with things to do from sunrise to sunset – including world-class attractions, riverside walks, alfresco dining, independent shopping and outdoor experiences across the city.
With so much to see and do, head to visityork.org/summer for a full list of events and to plan your summer days, in addition to picking up the new summer guide.
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PRESS RELEASE: 6 July 2026
Notes to editors
About Make It York – Make It York’s purpose is to develop and promote the city and its surroundings, nationally and internationally, as a vibrant and attractive place to live, visit, study, work and do business. Its mission is to grow the economic prosperity and wider wellbeing of York and its citizens. In practice, this means delivering a range of projects and programmes based around our corporate strategic priorities. These are, city positioning and profile-raising, ensuring an exciting city centre, and delivering the city’s ground-breaking cultural strategy.
About Visit York– Visit York is a part of Make It York and is the leisure tourism brand. Under the brand Visit York, Make It York’s aim is to market York as a must-see world-class destination to the leisure and business visitor and ensure investment to develop the quality of tourism in York. Activity covers all aspects of tourism marketing and PR, including market intelligence, as well as providing business support through the membership programme. Visit York operate the Visit York Pass, York’s city-sightseeing card, and run the Visitor Information Centre.
