With York’s reputation as a haunted city, it makes sense to have a festival all about ghosts.
York Ghost Week returns this month for a fourth year of spooky shenanigans. Organised by York Ghost Merchants, this year’s events include a ghost trading hall, spooky storytelling, ghost hunts, and more.
York Ghost Week takes place from Saturday 28 October to Sunday 5 November 2023.
We’ve put together a guide to six highlights for the spooky week.
For more information and to see the full program, visit the York Ghost Merchants website.
Six highlights for York Ghost Week
The Ghost Merchants Trading Hall
This is a social occasion to begin the week with and give opportunity to collectors to meet up and trade (swap) Ghosts face to face. This is the first official live event (non digital) that facilitates the coming together and exchanging of Ghosts. Bring along Ghosts to show and swap, there is a cafe serving hot and cold drinks and cakes.
- Bedern Hall, York, YO1 7AL
- 29 Oct
- 11am – 4pm
- £5 entry
- More info
The Little York Ghost Hunt
As night falls the Merchants invite you to join the search for Little York Ghosts, along the atmospheric ancient streets that surround York Minster, for a seek and keep hunt. It is free to participate in and open to young and old. There are 125 to find each evening and included in their number are two rare and unusual types in a limited number each night.
- York city centre
- 30 Oct – 2 Nov
- 6-8pm
- Free
- More info
DIG After Dark: Ghosts in the Graveyard
Huddle around the campfire and listen to ghost stories this half term at DIG after Dark. Come along to these interactive and immersive storytelling sessions to hear the tragic tales of the ghost of a Viking warrior and even the ghost hunter who yearned to witness him! Plus, you can discover more about folklore, ghost stories and the history of St Saviour’s Church. Kids can have fun cosying around the campfire with snacks and a hot drink, all included in the price.
- DIG, St Saviour’s Church, St Saviourgate, York, YO1 8NN
- 28-29 Oct
- 5:30-6:30pm and 7:30-8:30pm
- From £7.50
- More info
Echoes of the Past
As part of York Ghost Week, Fairfax House invite you to join us for an unforgettable evening, where history comes alive through an immersive soundscape, alluring aromas, and the warm glow of candlelight. Do not miss this rare opportunity to see Fairfax House lit entirely by candlelight, transporting you to a winter’s eve in the eighteenth century in this captivating experience of the senses.
- Fairfax House, Castlegate, York YO1 9RN
- 30 Oct – 3 Nov
- 5pm
- From £5
- More info
Twilight Tales with The Storyteller
York Walls Festival presents a special Twilight Walls event in partnership with York Ghost Week. Take to the ancient Bar Walls after dark in the company of your guide ‘The Storyteller’ who will entertain you with spooky family-friendly stories and historical tales spanning the centuries of York’s incredible history.
The Walls from Bootham Bar Gateway to Monk Bar Gateway, passing behind York Minster, will be lit by fairy lights, creating a unique atmosphere. The Walls close at dusk and are rarely open in the evening, so ‘Twilight Walls’ offers the unique chance to experience the Walls and the views from this vantage point at night.
- Bootham Bar, 2-4 High Petergate, York YO1 7EH
- 30 Oct – 2 Nov
- 5pm
- From £5
- More info
Ghosts in the Gardens
Cementing York’s reputation as one of the most haunted cities in Europe, York BID brings you Ghosts in The Gardens – eerie sculptures in beautiful settings. York BID has again partnered with local design agency Unconventional Design to create translucent 3D sculptures skilfully formed from narrow gauge wire mesh. This year’s display is bigger and better than ever, with 39 ghosts to discover in some of the city’s beautiful gardens.
- Multiple locations
- 23 Sep – 12 Nov
- 5pm
- Free
- More info