A tourist shocked by what he experienced in York last Saturday night has asked: “Is it like summer in Ibiza every weekend, or did we just come at a bad time?”
Having come to York with his wife for some shopping and an evening meal, he said they found the city centre “awful” due to the drunkenness. They decided to call it a night at 8.30pm.
His words have sparked a debate, with some saying they never travel into the city centre at the weekend because of these problems.
Others argue that there’s plenty to enjoy in York on a Saturday night, and this one was livelier than usual due to it being St Patrick’s weekend.
Meanwhile, both the City of York Council and York BID say that the city is safe, albeit with a rowdy minority who can go too far.
The debate started when the visitor took to Reddit after his night out with his wife. They’d enjoyed York a few times before and had never witnessed anything similar to last Saturday night.
“Is it like summer in Ibiza every weekend, or did we just come at a bad time?” he asked.
“There was an extraordinary amount of drunk people. We arrived about 12-12.30pm and there were already people well on their way.
“Around 3.30pm people were being sick in the street. Around 8.30 after eating quite a nice meal in a nice restaurant, we just called it a night and went back to the hotel. The centre of town was awful.”
What others thought
His experience sparked a discussion about weekends in York. Some claimed it was “like the wild west” on a Saturday. Comments included:
- “Friday nights and Saturday nights I avoid like the plague. Tend to go for a drink weekday or Sunday afternoon. And even then you learn which places to avoid as the weekend drinkers broadly drink in the same loop. Just wait until the races start – people are feral.”
- “It’s become much worse, but it’s pretty standard for a Saturday. No other day is quite as bad.”
- “Yeah, I’ve just moved here. I dread Fridays and Saturdays. The first week that I moved here I noticed everyone drunk and loud in the street by the afternoon. Had to avoid vomit until it became a sport.“
But others said Saturday was more raucous due to St Patrick’s Day, and that a York night out had a lot to offer. Comments included:
- “Me and my wife go to York regularly and I don’t think it’s bad at all – especially compared to some other city centres that have gone right downhill. York still has an air of civility about it.”
- “It’s like this whenever the races are on, or other events like that. I don’t see the big deal particularly, people are generally nice and friendly.”
- “I’ve recently moved here having lived in Newcastle, Durham, and Exeter before this. What you’re seeing here is nothing compared to Newcastle and Durham, this is blissful in comparison. I have no problem wandering around on an evening with these drunks, but in Newcastle and Durham I’d be watching my back constantly.”
Partners making York safe
We spoke to Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID.
Carl was at the forefront of bringing Purple Flag status to York – an award from the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) that recognises destinations that demonstrate exceptional standards and safety at night.
He says the city is safe and operating effectively on a weekend due to the various partner organisations working together. “We have the BID and Make it York, we have the council who do a great job in terms of licensing, police, neighbourhood policing teams, street rangers, taxi marshalls, riverside marshalls, street angels, York Rescue Boat, and homeless charities,” Carl said.
Without these measures, York could be a very different place Carl said. “There’s all sorts of people making sure that the city is as safe as it can be.”
Although he recognises that there will always be certain individuals who take things too far, York’s welcoming hospitality industry is what keeps drawing those who live outside of the city back.
“We’re not going to turn a blind eye to it, we don’t for a second believe it’s not happening. But when you put it into comparison with the real world, people are coming here because it is safe.
“Think about the thousands, millions of people that come. Unfortunately, there is a minority that become rowdy and are doing these things that probably aren’t classed as breaking the law, but maybe don’t seem very welcoming.”
He also feels that the “family friendly” feel of the city, exemplified by the events that are run in the city centre, deters a lot of antisocial behaviour.
Regular family-friendly Saturdays have seen dinosaurs, dragons and polar bear puppets draw families into the heart of York.
“I’ve been at every event, and I’ve seen drunk people who you would expect to behave a certain way, but they don’t,” Carl said.
“They don’t because there is a family friendly atmosphere. And maybe I’ve been lucky, so maybe that’s my perception, but I have never seen anything kick off.”
Consistent improvements to deter levels of antisocial behavior are also in place, such as additional lighting projects around the city.
Matt Boxall, head of public protection at City of York Council, also felt the city centre was largely safe and welcoming.
“As a city, we are proud of how safe and welcoming our night-time economy is,” he said.
“We are one of the safest cities in the UK, and more importantly, visitors have recognised this and return year on year to enjoy the range of activities on offer.
“York’s popularity as a safe and welcoming city has been recognised by the international Purple Flag award, a credit to the many businesses who contribute to, and benefit from, our vibrant night-time economy.
“We know the behaviour of a small minority can be intimidating and, on occasions, inappropriate.
“The vast majority of visitors respect the city and the people who live here, choosing to bring their hard-earned cash to help keep our destination economies one of the strongest in the country.
“To continue to keep our city welcoming to all, we have worked with partners including the York BID and Visit York on campaigns like Choose Respect, Not Regrets to encourage people to think about how alcohol can affect their behaviour, to consider the choices they make and the possible negative outcomes.
“York is a wonderful place to visit and offers a great range of activities for those looking to enjoy themselves in a safe and respectful way.”
What’s your experience of York on a weekend? Let us know at [email protected].