The York Walls Festival Weekend took place this year on August 14th and 15th. Amongst the activities and events this year were:
York’s Famous Bar Walls (free, approximately 08:00 to dusk)
York’s Famous Bar Walls are the most complete circuit of city walls in England. Free to walk, they are now open in both directions, but please do observe social distancing where you can. Walk-the-Walls this weekend and you’ll find the Festival locations and activities! Please note dogs are not allowed on the Walls.
York Guard Promenade (free, approximately 10:00 to 10:30 Saturday)
[EVENT OVER] York Guard will be promenading along the Walls from Micklegate Bar to Barker Tower on Saturday morning to kick off the Festival. Be wary as they will be looking for miscreants who have found their way inside the Walls and need to be chased off.
York Guard will pause at Toft Tower (overlooking Queen Street and the Railway Station) at about 10:15 to await a sign from Holgate Windmill that it’s safe to proceed down the Walls to the River Ouse at Barker Tower. Will the wind blow? Will the sails turn?
Please maintain social distancing on the Walls, and be prepared for a short wait on the Wall Walk if there’s a pause in the promenade
Festival Information Point (free, Museum Gardens, 10:30 to 16:00)
Visit us in York’s Museum Gardens at our Information Point (near the amazing Roman multangular tower), and find out what’s happening that day. Pick up your free Activity Book, Explorer’s Trail booklet (for the young and the young at heart!), Festival wristband^ and a souvenir Festival Programme. Plus, make sure you get your Explorer’s Trail booklet stamped with the special Festival stamp (1 of 9)!
^While stocks last
Battlefields Trust – Yorkshire (free, Museum Gardens, 10:30 to 16:00)
Also in York’s Museum Gardens next to the Festival Information Point you’ll find the fascinating Battlefields Trust stand. As well as having a chance to chat to volunteer members of the trust about all things battlefields, you can join a free walk/talk about the 1644 Civil War ‘Siege of York’. Taking about 30 minutes, and staying within Museum Gardens and St. Mary’s Abbey Walls, Chris Rock will lead these talks at 11:30 and 14:30 both days. Please meet at the stand 5 minutes before the start time. Plus, pick up your special Explorer’s Trail booklet stamp (1 of 9)!
Woollen Walls Project (free, Fishergate Bar, midday to 16:00)
As part of the build up to this year’s York Walls Festival, we ran a ‘Woollen Walls’ project, asking people to help us create a wall-hanging/tapestry inspired by York’s history and heritage. Some very kind members of the public knitted squares 8.5 x 8.5 inch (22cm x 22cm). and sent them in! The final tapestry, combining all submissions, will be on view at the Fishergate Bar festival location (14th/15th August), and will also displayed at Holgate Windmill and Fishergate Postern Tower at dates TBC.
Fishergate Postern Tower (free, Piccadilly, 10:00 to 16:00)
Fishergate Postern Tower is open over Festival weekend, staffed by volunteers, and at other dates throughout the year (check the Friends of York Walls website for Open Day dates). The 500 year-old tower is usually open 10am to 4pm, and is always free to enter. Over the Festival weekend we have some new and updated displays for you to enjoy.
Built around 1505, water from the dammed River Foss once filled the gap between the tower and York Castle. Boasting four floors, a spiral staircase, and even a Tudor toilet, the tower also has an impressive timber-beamed roof. The second floor has a permanent display showing finds from the December 2018 archaeological dig undertaken with York Archaeological Trust. You can pick up a free souvenir Festival Programme, Activity Book, Explorer’s Trail booklet, and a Festival wristband^ here, plus, a special Explorer’s Trail stamp (1 of 9).
^While stocks last
Red Tower (Foss Islands Road, 10:00 to 16:00)
The Red Tower is open over Festival weekend, staffed by volunteers, and at other dates throughout the year (check the Red Tower website for opening dates). The tower is a Grade 1 listed building dating back to 1490. The only brick–built tower on the Walls, it was originally a watchtower, part of a programme of improvements to the city’s defences ordered by Richard III. The tower has been repaired on many occasions and having sat locked up and empty for years, it is now at the heart of a community initiative to create a unique space for residents and visitors to enjoy. Outdoor refreshments will be available, so come along and rest your weary wall-walking feet for a few minutes. As always, make sure you collect your special Explorer’s Trail stamp (1 of 9)!
Craft Fair (free to enter, Red Tower, Foss Islands Road, 10:00 to 16:00)
While you’re at the Red Tower make sure you visit the Craft Fair, featuring local York creatives, Moody Mare Patisserie, and The Holgate Windmill Preservation Society. Lots of different skills and artistry will be represented by the items available to buy, plus have a chat with some lovely, friendly York or nearly-York-based independent creative people. A percentage of sales from the Craft Fair will go towards next year’s Festival, and to supporting The Friends of York Walls and the Red Tower charities.
Ecological Trail (free, Walls Ramparts, near Red Tower, Foss Islands Road, 10:00 to 16:00)
Just two footsteps from the Red Tower and the Craft Fair, you’ll find the wonderful Ecological Trail, a grass path mown into the Walls ramparts on the outside of the Walls. Wind your way amongst the trees, grasses and other plants that have been left to thrive on the ramparts over the Summer, and find the nine Information Signs. Packed with information about the flora and fauna of York’s Walls Ramparts, there’s also a sprinkling of History (Did the Romans bring the daffodil to Britain?), and some thought-provoking questions. Follow the trail to the end and you will find…
The Ecological Trail has been made possible with the very kind support of the City of York Council, who have let the Walls Ramparts in this section grow, unmown over the Summer, to observe what has been growing.
Please take care on the ramparts as there are brambles and stinging nettles, plus there could be hidden rubbish and dog mess. Stick to the mown paths and trails, and keep an eye on children at all times.
Grass Labyrinth (free, Walls Ramparts, near Red Tower, Foss Islands Road, 10:00 to 16:00)
…the incredible York Walls Festival 2021 Grass Labyrinth! Carefully walk the labyrinth, and when you’re offered a choice – choose wisely! Labyrinths are usually square, and they usually only have one route (unlike a maze), but there’s nothing usual about our labyrinth!
If you’re around on Friday 13th August from around 16:00 to 16:30 you can meet our labyrinth designer and mower, Thomas Frere, and ask him some questions about labyrinths, grass mowing, and possibly mazes too!
The Grass Labyrinth has been made possible with the very kind support of the City of York Council, who have let the Walls Ramparts in this section grow, unmown over the Summer, to observe what has been growing.
Please take care on the ramparts as there are brambles and stinging nettles, plus there could be hidden rubbish and dog mess. Stick to the mown paths and trails, and keep an eye on children at all times.
The River Foss Society (free, Foss Islands Road, 10:00 to 16:00)
The River Foss Society traces its origins back to 1973 and ‘The River Foss Amenity Society’. Since the early 70s they have succeeded in making the river and its environs a better and safer place for wildlife and York residents and visitors. As well as promoting wildlife and ecology, the society are interested in the history of The Foss, which has played a major role in the city’s defences and industrial heritage.
The River Foss Society have very kindly taken part in several York Walls Festivals, and again will be hosting a presentation stand and activities on the bank of the Foss as it forms part of the city’s Medieval defence circuit at Foss Islands Road. Pop by to learn about the ecology of The River Foss, and the society itself. The River Foss Society’s website can be found here: https://www.riverfosssociety.co.uk/
Pick up your free Activity Book, Explorer’s Trail booklet (for the young and the young at heart!) and a souvenir Festival Programme. Plus, make sure you get your Explorer’s Trail booklet stamped with the special Festival stamp (1 of 9)!
The Phoenix Inn (Fishergate Bar, midday to 16:00)
The Phoenix Inn is a wonderful, friendly independent pub, tucked just inside the Walls at Fishergate Bar. Definitely the place for some refreshment as you Walk-the-Walls. Thanks so much to landlord Paul Rodgers and the Team for welcoming the Festival into the Best Pub on the Walls!
As well as serving wonderful ales from Yorkshire breweries and beyond, you can also sample the success story that is York Gin! Plus, as a Festival special you can buy a York Gin gift-box (just about small enough to carry the rest of the way around the Walls), so you can take York Gin home with you. York Gin are very kindly supporting York Walls Festival, with giftbox proceeds going towards the Festival and the two charities we support.
Ebor Morris Dancers (free, between Walmgate Bar and Fishergate Bar, Sunday 11:30 to approx. 14:00)
Ebor Morris Dancers are very kindly joining us on Sunday afternoon, and will be performing between Walmgate Bar and Fishergate Bar, at various times. Walk-the-Walls on Sunday and you’ll be unlucky if you miss them!
Special Festival Guided Walks (£2.50 a ticket via Eventbrite, Sunday 15th August)
– York Walls Festival ‘Beneath Our Feet’ – Archaeological consultant Toby Kendall takes you on a walk that links the streets and buildings above with the incredible archaeology below. Come with the questions you’ve always wanted to ask, and Toby will mould the walk around the answers. Walk arranged in kind association with The River Foss Society.
Sunday 15th August, 18:30 to 20:00. Search ‘York Walls Festival’ on Eventbrite for booking page and all further details.
– York Walls Festival ‘The Changing Views of York and its Walls’ – Volunteer Guide Neil Moran takes you on a fascinating eight-stop walk showing how York and its famous Walls have changed over the centuries. Walk arranged in kind association with The River Foss Society.
Sunday 15th August, 10:30 to midday. Search ‘York Walls Festival’ on Eventbrite for booking page and all further details.
– York Air Walk ‘York Walls Festival’ (free) – Dr. Simon Rogerson leads a fascinating walk from Micklegate Bar to York Minster, taking in the Walls and casting a quirky light on some of York’s lesser-known tales.
Sunday 15th August, 15:00. www.hiddenhorizons.co.uk