Eboracum Roman Festival 2026
Saturday 16 May – Sunday 31 May 2026

The Eboracum Roman Festival returns this May with a series of events and activities!

Join us on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May for the Living History Camp. Visitors can meet costumed interpreters, enjoy re-enactments, explore demonstrations of Roman Life. Families can chat to Roman soldiers, see objects from daily life, try Roman-style crafts and activities. Curators and historians from across York will offer object handling sessions and mini excavations to bring the city’s Roman past even closer. The Roman Festival has something for everyone!

This year’s festival has been organised by the Yorkshire Museum in partnership with York Archaeology, York Minster, University of York, Roman Bath Museum, Uncomfortable York, and City Screen.

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Events

Living History Camp in York Museum Gardens

Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026 | 10am – 5pm
Free entry to York Museum Gardens, some activities incur a charge

Ecce! Romani! Romans take over York Museum Gardens again this May with a living history encampment demonstrating the Roman way of life in Eboracum. This is a family friendly, free event for everyone to enjoy, celebrating York’s Roman history.

Explore the day-to-day lives of citizens and centurions through living-history demonstrations, expert talks, hands-on activities and storytelling for all ages.

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Special Activities: Talks and Storytelling

Terry Deary: ‘Revolting – A Riotous History of Rebellions and Revolutions’
Sunday 24 May 2026 | 2pm
£7.50pp | Book Tickets
Suitable for ages 16+
Yorkshire Museum
Join Terry Deary to hear entertaining tales from the Roman Republic and the struggles of the victims of Roman oppression as he talks about his best-selling adult non-fiction titles. This talk is followed by a book signing opportunity.

Stories Alive: Labours of Hercules
Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May 2026 | 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm
Free
Suitable for all ages
Storytelling Area, York Museum Gardens
Join Eden from Stories Alive for an action-packed journey full of drama, danger and heroism as you discover the story of the Twelve Labours of Hercules in this storytelling experience.

Vlad and the Roman Triumph 
Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May 2026 | 2pm
Free
Suitable for all ages
Storytelling Area, York Museum Gardens
A storytelling experience with Kate Cunningham and Vlad Flea. Kate will be reading Vlad and the Roman Triumph and talking about Roman life and strange facts.

Roman Plants and Herbs
Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May 2026 | 11.30am – 12 noon, and 2pm – 2.30pm (Saturday only)
Free, spaces allocated on a first-come-first-served basis
Suitable for all ages
Edible Wood, York Museum Gardens
Join a member of the Gardens Team to learn about medicinal and edible plants and herbs which were introduced to Britain by the Romans, which can be found in York Museum Garden’s Edible Garden.

Meet Me at the Yorkshire Museum 
Saturday 23, Sunday 24 May and Friday 29 May 2026
Drop in between 11am – 4pm | (Performances at 11am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 2.30pm) 
Included in general admission to the Yorkshire Museum 
Suitable for all ages 

Have you ever wanted to meet a Roman? History Riot return with another interactive storytelling experience, centred around life in Roman York.  

 Discover tales of the brave and bold, told by a Roman and set on a real Roman mosaic, through stories, games and laughter. 

 ‘Meet me at the Yorkshire Museum’ is brought to you by History Riot, a performance company connecting people to place and past, through riotous performance and storytelling. 

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Live Demonstrations and Performances

Officer’s Meeting
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026
10am
Roman Camp, York Museum Gardens
Start your day at the Living History Encampment with an introduction to the Roman officers.

Gladiator Demonstration
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026
10.30am
Demonstration Area, Pavillion Lawn, York Museum Gardens
Join ARC to learn about Roman army living history with weapons and battle demonstrations.

Kids Barbaric Battle
Saturday 23 May 2026 | 11am, 1.15pm and 3pm
£10 per child | Book Tickets 
Sunday 24 May | 11am and 1.15pm
£10 per child | Book Tickets
Suitable for all ages
York Museum Gardens
Barbaric Battles Live! return to York with a new Roman-themed conquest. Warriors young and old will take to the battlefield to take part in the UK’s largest Roman Family Battle.

Marching and Formation Demonstration
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026
12.30pm and 3pm
Demonstration Area, Pavillion Lawn, York Museum Gardens
Join Ermine Street Guard to see a marching and formation demonstration by Roman soldiers.

Shakespeare and Rome 
Friday 22 May and Thursday 28 May | 1.30pm – 1.55pm | 3pm – 3.25pm
Included in general admission to the Yorkshire Museum | Book Tickets
Suitable for all ages
Yorkshire Museum
Celebrating York’s Roman history, inspired by Roman objects in the Yorkshire Museum, and performed on the historic mosaic floor, this short play ‘Friends, Romans, Yorkshiremen, Shakespeare, York and Rome’ explores questions of history and memory, and the importance of the seemingly insignificant – through the words of Shakespeare.

Shakespeare and Rome’ is a collaborative project between York Museums Trust and York International Shakespeare Festival.

Other City-Wide Activity

Uncomfortable York Tour: Hidden Histories from Eboracum to the Present
Saturday 16 May, Saturday 23 May and Saturday 30 May 2026 | 11am – 12.30pm
Meet outside Bennett’s Cafe & Bistro, 30-32 High Petergate, York, YO1 7EH
Adults £16, Students and Seniors (65+) £12, Young Person (12-17 yrs) £10, Under 12s FREE | Book Tickets *
Uncomfortable York Tour takes you beyond the usual guided tours of York, revealing the city from early settlement to medieval powerhouse and industrial hub, through untold perspectives, highlighting the lives and impact of women, people of colour and LGBTQIA+ individuals across its history. 
*Discount code UNYORK-FEST2026 gives 50% off individual tickets.

Roman Discovery Trail
Saturday 23 May and Sunday 24 May 2026 | 11am – 4pm
Free | Collect a trail sheet from the Information Tent in York Museum Gardens
Explore key Roman York locations across the city in this Roman Discovery Trail, designed by the University of York. At each stop, you’ll collect a stamp and a letter for the name of the Roman lost dog, learning about York’s Roman history through stories and objects along the way.

Living History: Romans at the Minster
Daily, Monday 25 May – Saturday 30 May 2026
10am – 12.30pm and 1.30pm – 3.30pm
York Minster
Included in general admission to York Minster
Suitable for ages 6+
Join costumed interpreters from Days Gone By to learn more about York Minster’s Roman past. Discover fascinating artefacts up close, from everyday food and clothing to jewellery and replica weapons.

Gladiator
Sunday 31 May 2026
4.15pm (approx. 155 min)
Buy Tickets
Age certification 15+
City Screen Picturehouse, 13 Coney Street, York, YO1 9QL
Enjoy a screening of Gladiator at City Screen Picturehouse, marking the finale of the Roman Festival celebrations.

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Schools Programme

The Eboracum Roman Festival 2026 aims to bring Roman York to life through an exciting programme of talks, living history, family activities and resources for primary schools. This year’s schools offer is being delivered by the Yorkshire Museum in partnership with York Minster and York Archaeology.

Find out more here

The Roman Adventure Continues…

May Half-Term at the Yorkshire Museum (Saturday 23 – Sunday 31 May)

Alongside the Eboracum Roman Festival, there’s a programme of Roman-themed activities, workshops and performances throughout the May Half-Term at the Yorkshire Museum.

All activities, except the Nature Trail, are included in general admission. Book Now.

What’s On this May Half-Term at the Yorkshire Museum