Evening in the Gardens

Evening in the Gardens runs at York Museum Gardens on two summer dates: Friday 14 August and Friday 28 August 2026. It's a simple enough premise — private access to the gardens on a summer evening, ambient music playing as the sun goes down, and a complimentary cocktail on arrival. You've got the run of the grounds to yourself, so you can take a slow stroll through the gardens and stop for street food and drinks from the bar whenever you fancy.

If you've spent any time in the city, you know the gardens. They were established in the 1830s by the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and have grown into a proper collection of trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs, all set against the ruins of St Mary's Abbey. It's one of York's best green spaces, and usually, you're sharing it with the crowds. This is your chance to have it to yourself for an evening, with the abbey ruins as the backdrop and nothing on the agenda but a walk and a drink.

It's the kind of thing that works just as well for a date as it does for catching up with friends. You can wander the paths at your own pace, hang out by the ruins, and let the evening stretch out. If you're coming with a group, there's plenty of room to spread out and do your own thing, or just stick together and drift through the gardens. With the ambient music in the background and the cocktail to start, it's more of a slow-paced night than a structured event.

Tickets are £7.50 per person, which includes that cocktail on arrival. You've got two dates to choose from — Friday 14 August and Friday 28 August — so you can pick whichever fits your summer plans best.