YEMCF 2026

The York Early Music Christmas Festival returns to the National Centre for Early Music from 4 to 13 December 2026, with the whole run based at St Margaret's Church on Walmgate. It's one of the city's festive fixtures, and this year's programme brings together a few different ensembles over the ten days.

On the bill are Ruby Hughes and Jonas Nordberg, and Spiritato, led by violinist Huw Daniels. Ex Corde play alongside The York Waits, and there's vocal music from Echo Vocal Ensemble and Ceruleo. Between them, they cover a good stretch of early music, so if you're only in town for a few days, you can pick and choose the nights that suit you best.

The festival started in 1997 with a specific aim: to bring together the music of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, from the Medieval to the Baroque, and to weave it in with the sagas, stories and tales of the north. That's still the thread that runs through it, and it's why the whole thing is held at the National Centre for Early Music in St Margaret's Church on Walmgate, YO19TL, rather than spread across different venues. It's a ten-day run, so you've got plenty of room to fit in a concert or two without having to clear your entire December schedule.