What's on in York
April/May/June
York is celebrating 800 years since King John signed a charter effectively giving the city the freedom to govern itself. In York 800, an exciting, year-long programme, there’s a host of special events to enjoy, including an exhibition of paintings, drawings and photographs of the city from 1610 to the present at Fairfax House (1 April-31 August), the launch of a new medieval gallery and exhibition 1212: The Making of the City at the Yorkshire Museum (6 April), and the first ever Buskival, a city-wide busking festival featuring all manner of weird and wonderful performers (2-3 June).
From May to September, the York Science & Innovation Grand Tour showcases the city’s groundbreaking achievements and ingenuity in areas such as geology, the science of flight and information technology. Up to 100 large-scale images and messages will be on display in key locations around the city, each bearing a QR code so that people with smartphones can scan them to learn more about the story behind the image. One of the giant pictures is of a gribble, a tiny marine shrimp that may hold the secret to the development of new biofuels to replace oil and gas. Clever stuff.