Here’s what’s on at the very first York Walls Festival

York’s city walls have been here for centuries. So an event in their honour is long overdue.

The very first York Walls Festival is putting that right, thanks to a concerted effort by community groups from across the city.

The festival will begin with a launch event at York St John University on Friday evening, featuring a talk by city archaeologist John Oxley.

Saturday is the main event. It will see a host of guided walks, events and open days across the city centre, giving the public the chance to find out more about parts of the three-mile circuit they might not often visit.

A rare opportunity

It’s a rare day that sees all the towers on the walls open at the same time. For children there will be a York Walls Explorers Trail in which they can collect stamps as they make their way around the city.

There will also be an opportunity for children to build the walls – and other city landmarks – out of Lego. Most events are free. The full timetable is below.

Martin Hetherington from Friends of York Walls is one of the organisers. He said:

• It’s great to be working with other local groups who are passionate about sharing the city’s heritage with the public.

  Plans are advancing for a York Walls Visitor Centre at Fishergate Postern Tower, and a display there will show progress to date. Our volunteers will be showing off highlights from the city’s archive photo collection too.

Cllr Keith Aspden, in charge of community engagement at City of York Council, said more than a million people take a walk through 1,900 years of history on York’s city walls every year, adding:

• Last year, the council announced an exciting five-year programme of investment to preserve and protect the medieval walls, which are renowned as being the finest and most complete walls in England.

  Some of this work is already complete, for example at Micklegate Bar, and what better way to celebrate this than opening the walls up to a new festival.