Ghosts in the Gardens: York's ghost trail returns

York's ghost trail is back for its sixth year, and it's the biggest one yet. Ghosts in the Gardens returns on Saturday 19 September and runs until Sunday 1 November, with 70 translucent wire-mesh sculptures spread across 32 locations around the city. It's free to follow, no tickets or bookings needed, and the whole thing is put on by York BID, so it's an easy one to drop into whenever you're passing through the centre.

The figures are the work of Unconventional Design, a York-based creative team, and they've grown from the ten sculptures the trail started with in 2021. Ten new ghosts join the returning favourites this year, among them a bear from the Museum Gardens menagerie, a Georgian stonemason inspired by Mary Anne Fisher over at Holy Trinity Church, a plague mask figure, and a rider on a penny-farthing bicycle. Animals make an appearance too, including the University of York's duck mascot, Long Boi. You'll find them scattered across Museum Gardens, Clifford's Tower, Barley Hall, York Castle Museum, the Merchant Adventurers' Hall and York Railway Station, so it's as much a walk around the city as it is a hunt.

If you want a map, you can pick up a free printed one from the Visit York Information Centre on Parliament Street, or download the digital version if you'd rather have it on your phone. Either way, it's designed to be done at your own pace, which is part of the appeal for families.

For anyone who wants something a bit more theatrical, there's a ticketed night-time version called Ghosts After Dark. It runs from Wednesday 4 November to Sunday 8 November, when all 70 sculptures are gathered in York Museum Gardens for five nights of live storytelling, light, smoke and sound, plus a night market and some new spaces. It's delivered in partnership with York Museums Trust, with timed entry slots available until 8pm and the event running from 5:30pm to 9:30pm each evening. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 25 August at £10 for adults and £2 for children.

What's new for 2026 is that you can step inside the King's Manor courtyard and Library Lawn after dark for the first time, and the experience reaches beyond the main Museum Gardens into the Anglian Tower, the Edible Wood, the Artists' Garden, St Olave's Churchyard and the area beside York Art Gallery. The ghosts are lit among the trees, ruins and hidden corners, and they're joined by six live storytellers, a new interactive experience and the event's first night market, with stalls from the likes of York Ghost Merchants, JORVIK Viking Centre, The Potions Cauldron, The Poetry Pharmacy, Socktopus and Braithwaite Gallery. There's also an immersive experience called 'Brave The Cell' where you come face to face with the accused witch, and an interactive piece by artist Lou Chapelle.

The storytellers cover a lot of ground: JORVIK Viking Centre brings Norse sagas of warriors and gods; The Deathly Dark Tours uncovers the history behind the Stone Mason, Saxon Monk, Nun and Butcher; The Bloody Tour of York lets Mad Alice reveal the gruesome truth about the Executioner, Judge, Tudor Lady and Saxon Monk; The York Dungeon handles Guy Fawkes and the plague-infested streets of 1551 York; and The Wild Man of the Woods explores the lore behind the Falcon, Fox, Cat and Bear. Between the free daytime trail and the ticketed nights, there's plenty of ghost-hunting to go around this autumn.