Ghost Week VII

Fairfax House Presents: Sine Dominis: Without Masters
Fairfax House, Castlegate, York, YO1 9RN

Audience: Adults, Young Adults and Families

Saturday 24th October  – Sunday 1st November. 10am – 5pm
(11am - 4pm Sundays)

Candlelit Evenings (Pre-book only):
Monday 26th, Wednesday 28th & Friday 30th October. 5pm - 7.30pm

The Fairfaxes are returning to York; can you help restore order?
Put your skills to the test and help the Fairfax’s servants by uncovering hidden clues, solving challenges, and proving your worth in a house where not everything is as it seems.

Further details to follow

The Penny Bazaar, presented by The Ghostly Gathering
Central Methodist Church, St Saviourgate, York, YO1 8NQ

Audience: Adults & Families with Children

Monday 26th October. 11am - 3pm

Duration: Come and go anytime

Attendees will find 30 stalls of meticulously curated vendors offering high-quality, original goods and experiences, as well as two tables with entertaining parlour games with prizes to be won, and an in-person charity raffle.

Further details to follow

The Printing House After Dark
Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print, Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PW

Audience: 18+

Wednesday 28th October. 6pm – 8pm

Duration: 2 Hours

An evening of storytelling in an unusual, historic venue. Expect ghost stories old and new, with links to York’s reputation as a city of ghosts, along with refreshments, and the chance to create a souvenir print of a ghost story using our Columbian press from 1845

Further details to follow

Heritage Printing Workshop
Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print, Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PW

Audience: Adults

Wednesday 28th October. 10.30am – 4.30pm

Duration: 6 Hours

Inspired by tales of misprints, mischief, and censorship, participants in this one-day workshop will delve into the turbulent history of print, and learn about the extraordinary figures who have practised the craft of printing in York.

Participants will step into the pressroom to learn new skills in letterpress and linocut or drypoint printing, producing a unique souvenir print.

Tickets will include expert tuition and all materials.

Further details to follow

Ghost Postcard Club
Thin Ice Press: the York Centre for Print, Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PW

Audience: Families

Saturday 24th, Thursday 29th & Saturday 31st October. 1pm – 4pm

Duration: 3 Hours

Visit Thin Ice Press during Ghost Week to print a souvenir postcard to commemorate your visit to our working pressroom, members’ studio and gallery.

Discover an innovative self-inking machine first designed in 1918. Our printers will prepare a selection of formes in advance, allowing visitors to customise and print their own design in a matter of minutes.

Further details to follow

Ghost and Ghouls Gothic Dance
York Cemetery Chapel, The Gatehouse, 49 Cemetery Rd, York, YO10 5AJ

Audience: 18+

Sunday 25th October. 2pm – 5pm

Duration: 3 Hours

Step into the shadows and drift through a spellbinding afternoon amongst the ghosts of York.

Join us for an afternoon tea dance full of haunting melodies, dark elegance, and unforgettable enchantment.

Historical / Gothic costume encouraged.

Further details to follow

Tavern Mug Making Workshop
Clay Space York, 9 Melrose Yard, York, YO1 9XF

Audience: Adult, 18+

Saturday 24th October – Sunday 1st November. 10am, 2pm & 7pm

Further details to follow

Ghosts of Station Hall
National Railway Museum, Leeman Rd, York, YO26 4XJ

Audience: Families, Groups, Young Adults

Saturday 24th October – Sunday 1st November. 10am – 5pm daily

Duration: Ticket gives access to the museum for the full day

FREE EVENT

Visitors are invited to explore Station Hall in search of a series of York Ghosts created by York Ghost Merchants, carefully placed within selected carriages and displays. Each ghost is inspired by a real story, object or historical theme connected to Station Hall.

Further details to follow

Echoes on the Line
National Railway Museum, Leeman Rd, York, YO26 4XJ

Audience: Families, Groups, Young Adults

Saturday 24th October – Sunday 1st November. 10am – 5pm daily

FREE EVENT

As a companion to Ghosts of Station Hall this sister programme will include a series of short live storytelling sessions, staged at set times across the day as well as a self-led ‘make-and-take’ activity with a distinctly Victorian feel. Rather than a generic Halloween craft, visitors might create a small keepsake inspired by memory, travel, communication and nineteenth-century railway journeys.

Storytelling and craft / making times and dates TBC

Further details to follow

Mischief Night Ghost Week Trail
York Mansion House, St. Helen’s Square, York, YO1 9QL

Audience: Families, Groups, Young Adults

Saturday 24th October – Sunday 1st November. 10.30am onwards

Duration: Ticket gives access to Mansion House all day

Help our ghostly headmaster stop mischievous York school boy, Guy Fawkes, causing havoc in our Mischief Night trail!

 Mischief Night, celebrated with pranks, jokes and not a little chaos, was traditionally the night before Bonfire Night in the north country, but its origins could date back much further to the “misrule days” of the past when communities were allowed to let off steam… Explore the trail, included in your ticket price!

Further details to follow

Remember, Remember
York Mansion House, St. Helen’s Square, York, YO1 9QL

Audience: Adult, 18+

Thursday 29th, Friday 30th & Saturday 31st October. 7.30pm (Doors 7pm)

Duration: 2 Hours

As the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot draws nigh, the spirits of two former York residents rise to share their stories in the low light of York’s historic Mansion House. As the sainted ‘Pearl of York’ Margaret Clitherow relives the tragic day of her death, she is joined by the spirit of one believed to have been present at her execution in his youth - Guy Fawkes. Was Margaret’s trial and death the inciting event that set the scene for one of the most explosive (pardon the pun) episodes on the stage of English history?

Haunting period folk music, played on traditional instruments, flows hypnotically through historically - informed storytelling in this atmospheric live performance created exclusively for York Ghost Week 2026.

Further details to follow

Candlelit Mouse Hunt
Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, YO1 7LF

Audience: Children & Families

Monday 26th October. 6pm – 8pm

Duration: Come and go anytime

FREE EVENT - DONATIONS WELCOME

Doing the Ghost Hunt with small children? Take a break and chalk up an easy win with a visit to Holy Trinity, Goodramgate. Always atmospheric and full of history, the main body of the church will be lit by candlelight. Grab a torch and find all our mice to win a chocolate prize and then return to the Ghost Hunt raring to go!

Further details to follow

The Keening with Olivia Graham
Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, YO1 7LF

Audience: Adult

Sunday 1st November. 7pm (Doors 6.30pm)

Duration: TBC

On the first day in November, the veil between worlds is said to be at its thinnest. As dusk descends on one of York’s oldest churches, ancient songs of loss and mourning echo in this place where time ever stands still. In the humble glow of candlelight,
Celtic folk musician Olivia Graham reverently serenades with traditional and original music woven together with the tales and traditions of this most sacred night.

Further details to follow

Deadtime Stories for Families
National Trust - Treasurer's House, Minster Yard, York, YO1 7JL

‍Audience: Families

Thursday 29th October. 4.15pm & 5.30pm

Duration: 30 Minutes

Led by an actor portraying King Edward VII - once a visitor to the house - families gather after hours in the Great Hall to hear atmospheric ghost stories drawn from the house’s real history. The experience blends heritage, humour, and gentle participation - offering “spooky, not scary” storytelling for children aged 6 -12 and their families.

‍Further details to follow

Deadtime Stories for Adults
National Trust - Treasurer's House, Minster Yard, York, YO1 7JL

‍Audience: Adult, 18+

Friday 30th & Saturday 31st October. 6.30pm & 7.30pm

‍Duration: 1 Hour

Similar to the family sessions, however these adult only sessions provide exclusive, candle lit access to more areas of the house, as you hear about or long-term residents.
This will be the  only opportunity to see Treasurer’s House after hours this year!

Further details to follow

HAUNTED HALL: Ghost Hunters!
Barley Hall, 2 Coffee Yard, York, YO1 8AR

‍Audience: Ages 6+ / Families

Saturday 24th October – Saturday 31st October. 10am onwards

‍Duration: 45 Minutes

Due to a sudden surge in paranormal activity at Barley Hall, we've had to temporarily close the building whilst we conduct investigations into these rather unusual circumstances...
We've hired a paranormal exterminator to remove any troublesome spirits lurking in the Haunted Hall, but we need the help of some fearless recruits.
Are you brave enough to banish these mysterious ghosts?!

Further details to follow

HAUNTED HALL: Dark Tales
Barley Hall, 2 Coffee Yard, York, YO1 8AR

‍Audience: Adult, 18+

Friday 30th & Saturday 31st October. Time TBC (evening)

Duration: 1 Hour

The passages of Barley Hall echo with the whispers of spirits that have lived and died within its walls, and to this day have never left. For 600 years, their stories have lingered in silence... until now.

Join Edwardian Tales as the shadows of the past emerge and Barley Hall's dark chapters are revealed in an evening of eldritch storytelling.

Further details to follow