A grown-up guide to JORVIK Viking Festival - 11th to 19th February 2023

Whilst JORVIK Viking Festival is probably one of the most family-friendly events in York’s annual calendar, potential adult visitors are advised not to be fooled into thinking it is just for kids, with a host of grown-up-friendly events and activities taking place throughout the nine days!

Whilst JORVIK Viking Festival is probably one of the most family-friendly events in York’s annual calendar, potential adult visitors are advised not to be fooled into thinking it is just for kids, with a host of grown-up-friendly events and activities taking place throughout the nine days!

“JORVIK Viking Centre itself was designed to appeal to all ages, with information available at many different levels depending on who is visiting, including adult commentary on the world-famous ride around Viking-age Coppergate,” explains Gareth Henry, festival manager.  “We know that lots of history enthusiasts and re-enactors come to York without children, so when we plan JORVIK Viking Festival, we make sure that there’s plenty for child-free visitors to enjoy during the event.”

Gareth’s top tip for enjoying JORVIK Viking Festival include:

• Jolablot Feast, Merchant Adventurers Hall, Saturday 18 February, 7.00pm.  SOLD OUT

Definitely not for children, participants are invited to dine in style at the beautifully atmospheric Merchant Adventurers’ Hall. Enjoy three courses of delicious fare and raise your glass to the Gods – this is a dining experience not to be missed. Skal!

£95 per person, tickets must be prebooked (bookings close 9am, Monday 30 January).

• Best Beard Competition, St Helen’s Square Festival Arena, Saturday 18 February, 11.00am.  Open to children and adults, with separate competitions for home-made beards at 11.00am and naturally cultivated beards at 11.15pm.  Free to enter, and free to watch - a must for facial-hair lovers!  
• Beowulf and Beer, Barley Hall Coffee Shop, Saturday 18 February, 7.00pm

Join us in the intimate atmosphere of the Barley Hall Coffee Shop for a screening of Beowulf (2007), starring Ray Winstone and Angelina Jolie and with a screenplay by Neil Gaiman. Screening with short film Snake in the Eye (2022). Admission includes a bottle of beer or a soft alternative.  £10 per person, prebooking essential.

• Craft workshops – Tablet weaving, Nalebinding and Trichonopoly, Barley Hall School Room, Mon-Fri various times.  Ideal for beginners to learn a new Norse-inspired skill, choose from tablet weaving to make intricate decorative bands or strips, nalebinding (Viking knitting), or trichonopoly (wire weaving).  Each session lasts three hours and costs £40, including all materials.
• Mead tasting, Barley Hall, Wednesday 15 February, 7.00pm.  Discover your new favourite drink! Learn about the cultural and historical significance of mead, a honey-based drink beloved in the Viking era, Middle Ages and now the 21st century. The Lancashire Mead Company leads a tasting of several delicious meads, accompanied by fine food, served in the Great Hall of our atmospheric medieval townhouse. Skal!  £35 per person SOLD OUT
• The Helen Thirza Addyman Lecture: Silver, Slaves – and Yorkshire? with Jonathan Shepard.  JORVIK Viking Centre/Livestreamed, Wednesday 15 February, 7.00pm.  Join Jonathan Shepard of the University of Oxford to consider JORVIK's Trade with the East loan from the British Museum in the light of the recent Viking-Age Trade: Silver, Slaves and Gotland collection of essays. What was the silver found in hoards around the Baltic Rim and dateable to the 9th and 10th centuries being traded for, and how do the British Isles (and York) fit into the picture? Copies of Viking-Age Trade: Silver, Slaves and Gotland will be available to purchase at the event.  Tickets: £15 in person, £6 for livestream
• History Plays in York, Barley Hall Coffee Shop, Friday 17 February 7.00pm.

Hear from Rebecca Benzie and Ben Poore, Lecturers in Theatre at the University of York, about the city's long track record of staging history plays, and learn how theatre archives can shed light on the performances of the past. For those attending on the evening: includes a glass of mead or a soft alternative, plus a chance to tour the Bard at Barley Hall exhibition, given a Viking twist for the 2023 Festival.  £20 in person, £6 online

• Mythos: Ragnarok, York Barbican, Friday 17 February 7.30pm.  Part of the Festival Fringe.

Join Odin and Loki in their struggle to overcome primeval giants, rival Gods and Goddesses, and each another’s ambitions in this dark comic adaption of Norse mythology.

Weaving ancient myths, legends, and folk tales into original pieces of theatre, Mythos utilises a cast of actors who specialise in professional wrestling to create some of the most intense and thrilling fight scenes in the history of theatre. Named a “Must See Show” of Edinburgh Fringe 2022, the show earned more positive public reviews than any other show of the festival and was nominated for the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence.  Tickets from £24.50

• 10th Century Traders, Merchant Adventurers Hall, Friday 17 – Sunday 19 February, 10.00am to 4.30pm

Transport yourself to the 10th Century city and meet traders from all over the Viking world. Explore the stalls and soak up the atmosphere, and enjoy the excellent range of Viking goods on sale, from hand-crafted weapons to authentic jewellery and much more! 

Adult £3.50, Conc. £2.50, Family of 4 £9 

• Battle Spectacular in the Land of Darkness, Eye of York (by Clifford’s Tower), Saturday 18 February 6.45pm (gates open at 6.00pm)

When night falls at the Eye of York, gather with us to see the tale of Ibn Fadlan, the Arabic witness to the might of the Vikings. His vivid account of their strength, rituals and ferocity will be brought to life with a cast of legendary Norsemen, fire displays and soundscapes to recreate their historic encounter in ‘the land of darkness’. Tickets for this thrilling finale of JORVIK Viking Festival are likely to sell out so secure yours today to avoid disappointment.  Tickets £20 adult, £16 concessions/child 

• Richard Hall Symposium: At the Edges of the Viking World, Online (livestreamed), Sunday 19 February, 10.00am to 5.00pm

Hear about the latest fascinating research from leading Viking experts at the annual Festival Symposium. This day-long event is a rare opportunity for Viking enthusiasts to be immersed in the latest thinking about Viking culture and history.  £15

“Of course, many of our other events will also appeal to adults, too, including the spectacular March to Coppergate, which sees hundreds of warriors processing through the city streets from York Minster to JORVIK Viking Centre,” adds Gareth.

For more information on all of the events in this year’s JORVIK Viking Festival, and to prebook tickets, please visit Jorvik Viking Festival – Europe’s largest viking festival