Take a look at what’s going on in York for the week ahead.
Snooker is back at York Barbican, there’s Christmas musical fun with Nativity! at the Grand Opera House and Elf at Joseph Rowntree Theatre, take a nostalgia trip with Retro Gaming Takover at Spark, and more.
And for more ideas of Christmassy things to do in York, check out our festive guide below.
What’s on in York this weekend: Sunday 24 – Friday 29 November
All week
Victorian Plumbing UK Championship Snooker
Snooker is back at York Barbican! Fans coming to one of snooker’s Triple Crown events can always expect to see the sport’s all-time greats. The likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson, Mark Selby and Judd Trump have lifted the trophy in York in recent years.
- York Barbican, Paragon St, York, YO10 4AH
- Sat 23 Nov – Sun 1 Dec
- 1pm & 7pm
- More info
Pick Me Up presents Nativity!
Feel-good, funny and full of yuletide joy, Nativity! The Musical features all of the favourite sing-a-long hits from the films including Sparkle and Shine, Nazareth, One Night One Moment, She’s the Brightest Star and a whole host of new songs filled with the spirit of Christmas! A Pick Me Up Theatre Production.
- Grand Opera House York, Cumberland Street, York YO1 9SW
- Fri 22 – Sat 30 Nov
- 7:30pm, 2:30pm matinees
- More info
Ghost Stories for Christmas
Here are three of Dickens’s Christmas ghost stories: not only A Christmas Carol, but The Chimes and The Haunted Man. The ghost stories are acted by James Swanton, who over the last year has played the title roles in two BBC chillers: ‘The Curse of the Ninth’ in Inside No. 9 and Lot No. 249, Mark Gatiss’s annual ghost story.
- York Medical Society, 23 Stonegate, York YO1 8AW
- Mon 25 Nov – Thu 5 Dec
- 7pm
- More info
Elf the Musical
Elf is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. Buddy is raised unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and his stepbrother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
- Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Haxby Road, York, YO31 8TA
- Tue 26 – Sat 30 Nov
- 7:30pm, 2:30pm Sat matinee
- More info
Monday
Say Owt / Bad Betty Performance Poetry Showcase
Teaming up for the fifth time, local gobheads Say Owt and award-winning publishers Bad Betty Press are delighted to present a showcase of performance poets delivering sharp sets of superb spoken word.
Expect humour, heart and hope, as Bad Betty Press brings three incredible poets to York in the form of Berlin based Jemima Foxtrot and Essex-based Jackson Phoenix Nash, plus Joshua Idehan.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB
- Mon 25 Nov
- 7:30pm
- More info
Tuesday
Retro Gaming Takeover
Join us at SPARK as we team up with Sore Thumb Retro Games to step back in time and relive the nostalgia of yesteryears! Get ready for an evening filled with pixelated adventures, button-mashing excitement, and a blast from the past that will transport you to the golden era of gaming.
- Spark York, 17-21 Piccadilly York YO1 9PB
- Tue 26 Nov
- 7pm
- More info
Thursday
Haxby Town Council Christmas Light Switch On
The annual Christmas Light switch on! 6.15pm singing at the Tree with the switch on at 6.30pm.
- Haxby Memorial Hall, The Village, Haxby, York YO32 3HT
- Thu 28 November
- From 6:15pm
Twinnie
York and international singer/songwriter Twinnie is quite the trailblazer, carving out her own lane in Nashville, where she now resides. She grew up in a Romani Gypsy community where storytelling and music played a pivotal role. Raised on artists such as Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, and Billy Joel, Twinnie became obsessed with songwriting and performing.
- The Crescent York, 8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
- Thu 28 Nov
- 7:30pm
- More info
Alice in Wonderland
Go through the rabbit-hole with Pop Yer Clogs Theatre as they bring Lewis Carroll’s timeless classic to Theatre@41.
Follow young Alice on her adventures underground, as she navigates her way through an imperfect and unfamiliar world. Discover a place where absurdity is the norm, logic is turned on its head and animals can talk! Join her as she encounters many weird, wonderful and colourful characters, including the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat and of course – the Mad Hatter! Throughout her adventures in Wonderland, answers to riddles are non-existent, tales lack morals and injustice looms large.
Popular with both children and adults alike, it is a tale full of fantasy, imagination and fun, where every time is “tea-time” and nothing is ever really as it seems.
- Theatre@41, 41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB
- Thu 28 – Sat 30 Nov
- 7:30pm, 2:30pm Sat matinee
- More info