York is full of the sights, sounds and smells of the Vikings. And some of those smells are better than others!
The 40th Viking festival opened today (Monday), packed with family-friendly activities running till Sunday.
There’ll be crafts, marches, battles, shows – and the first ever Poo Week.
Here’s what to expect:
- a parade of over 200 Vikings through the historic streets of York
- two dramatic evening son-et-lumière shows
- a living history encampment on Parliament Street with an array of tents featuring craftsmen and traders, with the opportunity to handle replica armour and weapons
- the Viking Games at the Eye of York, next to Clifford’s Tower
- the Evening Spectacular, a dramatic retelling of a Norse legend featuring a legendary sword that can never miss its target.
- a free Top Trumps trail around York, with oversize cards on display all around the city taken from the brand new Jorvik Viking Centre Top Trumps game.
Jorvik Viking Festival 2025
Monday 17 February to Sunday 23 February
Full details on the website here
One of the most popular events of previous festivals was Poo Day, inspired by the famous Lloyds Bank coprolite – the world’s largest fossilised Viking poo..
This year it’s been extended into Poo Week, with daily sessions of the hands-on fun at DIG: An Archaeological Adventure on St Saviourgate.
Children can use a variety of ingredients to replicate undigested seeds and intestinal worms in a dough poo.
Jorvik is the largest Viking festival in Europe and will welcome thousands of visitors over the coming days.
“Jorvik Viking Festival has been an absolute staple of York’s tourism calendar for four decades now, and seeing the vibrant bustle in the encampment within minutes of opening, it is very clear that enthusiasm continues to grow,” said head of marketing and communications, Lisa Wood.
