A worship service for young people and families marking the beginning of Advent and the lights switch-on for the York Minster Christmas Tree Festival.
Minster Mash-Up returns to York Minster on Sunday 28 November, and this time it's the one that kicks off the Christmas season. It's a worship service for young people and families, and the lights switch-on during the service opens the York Minster Christmas Tree Festival, which marks the beginning of Advent.
If you've never been, Minster Mash-Up is exactly what it sounds like: worship for families and young people, with the lights switch-on as the main event. It's designed to mark the start of Advent with joy and anticipation, and that switch-on is what officially opens the Christmas Tree Festival. The festival itself takes over a huge part of the building, with 70 decorated trees filling the Nave, the Chapter House, and the Lady Chapel, as the Minster prepares for the arrival of baby Jesus.
One of the best things about it is how low-pressure the whole thing is. The service lasts around 45 minutes, and families are invited to arrive at any time and stay as long or as little as they like. There's no booking required, so you can just turn up when it suits you and leave whenever you're ready. If you've got young ones who might get restless, that flexibility makes it a lot easier to handle.
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It all starts at 10:00 am on Sunday 28 November at York Minster. Entry is free, and since no tickets are needed, you can just walk in. Once the lights are on, you'll have the Tree Festival to wander through across the Nave, the Chapter House, and the Lady Chapel, with 70 trees on display.
