York is halfway through its fourth Georgian Festival, and there is still plenty to catch before it wraps up. Hosted by York Mansion House, the festival runs from Thursday 6 to Monday 10 August, so the next few days are the busiest. It is a wide-ranging programme of parades, music, workshops, talks, guided tours and performances spread across attractions all over the city, including the Assembly Rooms, the 18th-century high-society haunt.
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The most recognisable image of the weekend is the military presence. His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot, also known as Pulteney's 13th, puts on drills and displays at St Helen's Square at 12:15 and 15:45 on both Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 August. On Saturday morning, they lead a promenade through the city starting at Clifford's Tower at 11:00, which is free to join if you book a place online. Alongside them, the Galliard Folk Dancers perform in St Helen's Square at 11:30, 13:30 and 15:00 on both Saturday and Sunday.
For anyone who wants to dress the part, the York Georgian Masquerade Ball is the headline event, held at the Grand Assembly Rooms on Saturday 8 August at 19:00. It comes with fine food and drink, a welcome from York Gin, live music from Eboracum Baroque and dancing, so it is the night to commit to the costume. If you would rather watch than dance, the regiment's talk Life as a Georgian Infantryman runs at York Mansion House at 14:30 on Saturday and again at the same time on Sunday, and it is free with general admission.
Sunday 9 August keeps the momentum going. Beyond the drills and dancing in St Helen's Square, there is No Priest but Love at 14:00, an afternoon exploring Anne Lister's loves at Holy Trinity Goodramgate and Merchant Taylors' Hall, and a Georgian Love Letter Workshop at Fabrication York at 14:00. Fairfax House runs Awakening the Past from 11:00 to 16:00, with last admission at 15:15, and the self-led Georgian Festival Tour at the Bar Convent remains open throughout the day. The festival's free-with-admission Georgian Lemon Cream cooking demo also returns to York Mansion House at 11:30.
Monday 10 August is a quieter, talk-heavy day at York Mansion House, with Blackmail and Scandal at the Heart of the Court at 11:00, Shoes and the Georgian Man at 13:30, Sancho and Sterne: A Meeting of Minds in Georgian Britain at 15:30 and The Unnatural Trade at 17:30, all bookable online. The self-led tour at the Bar Convent runs one last time from 10:00 to 17:00.
A few practical notes before you go. York Mansion House, the official residence of the Lord Mayor, sits on St Helen's Square and is free to enter for the cooking demo and the infantry talk, with general admission at £21. York residents get a 50% discount, so it is £3.50 for adults and £1.70 for children, and you can buy tickets on the day rather than pre-booking. The Grand Assembly Rooms on Blake Street is a Grade I listed building designed by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and was built between 1730 and 1735. The Bar Convent has a Hidden Chapel and a Georgian Parlour, with guided tours on Friday at 10:30 and 14:30. Fairfax House, the Guildhall, York Castle Museum and Barley Hall all host festival events, so it is worth checking the full programme before you set off.
Published Date
9 August 2026
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