York BID Unveils “Christmas Around the World” Nutcracker Trail with Local Artist MarcoLooks

York BID is excited to launch this year’s Nutcracker Trail, a festive journey with a global twist created in collaboration with York-based artist MarcoLooks.

This year’s theme, Christmas Around the World, brings ten beautifully designed Nutcracker sculptures to life, each representing a different country with colours and landmarks that reflect York’s diverse, vibrant communities.

Marc, the Artist behind all 10 nutcrackers, said: "Designing the York Christmas Nutcracker Trail for 2024, Nutcrackers Around the World, has been one of the most joyful projects I have ever had the privilege to work on. From conception, to completion, a lot of love and invention has gone into it.”

“For me, it was also important to make the trail accessible. As an artist with a visual impairment (I only have one working eye), I wanted to offer something to help the people in our city who might be blind or live with severe visual impairments to engage with the trail too. With the help of the RNIB's transcriptions team, I have been able to add braille to the collar of every Nutcracker, to share which country is being celebrated on each statue. "

Rachel Bean, Project Manager at York BID, said: “This project is all about celebrating togetherness and the wonderful communities that call York home. I want to say a huge thank you to Marc and to the Our City Hub team for making this project so special. We hope everyone enjoys finding the statues around the city, and hopefully find a new favourite local business along the way!”

From 14^th November, you can start your festive adventure by picking up a map at the Visit York Visitor Information Centre on Parliament Street. Each Nutcracker is themed to reflect a specific country, using colours from its national flag and landmarks.

Use the clues on each Nutcracker to match it to the correct country, recording your answers on the map. Completed entries can be submitted at the Visitor Information Centre or Santa’s Post Box in Museum Gardens for a chance to win a £250 York Gift Card!

This project was created with invaluable input from the team at the City of York Council Our City Hub, a community group that helped shape each Nutcracker’s design to authentically reflect York’s diverse cultures. York BID and MarcoLooks are very thankful to Bianca Vartic, Cultural Integration and Partnerships Manager, and many community members and volunteers who have contributed to the trail’s international theme.

Marc Godfrey-Murphy, also known as MarcoLooks, founded his illustration studio in York in 2018, after working as an animator on popular CBeebies shows like Numberblocks and Tree Fu Tom. Known for his colourful, quirky illustrations, Marc creates everything from animal-themed artwork to York-inspired prints and playful gifts, all designed to bring a smile.

Young and budding artists are invited to download a Nutcracker template and create their own designs. Submissions can be sent to info@theyorkbid.com for a chance to see their work featured in the York Nutcracker Trail 2025.