If you’re looking for ideas of free things to do in York in summer, look no further! It is possible to have plenty of fun out and about in the summer holidays in York without spending lots of money.
We’ve pulled together a list of ideas that are free (or very cheap) to keep everyone entertained over the summer holidays.
York Mumbler is the place to come to find out everything going on in York for families. This summer our website is packed full of information to help make your life easier. If you are looking for holiday clubs & childcare or inspiration for a fantastic day out in the summer holidays, then you’ve come to the right place.
We also stay up to date with all the events happening in York so you don’t have to – all you have to do is look at our daily events calendar.
PLUS…Don’t forget you can get an All York Family ticket for up to five people on board any bus for just £5.50 until 3 September!
Fun family activities at Children’s Centres in York Drop into the Children’s Centres at Clifton (Wednesdays and Fridays, 9am-2pm) and Hob Moor (Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am-2pm) to take part in free, fun drop-in activities, including arts and crafts, mirror making, and canvas creations.
The activities are aimed at 0–11 year olds, although everyone is welcome to get involved.
A fortnightly drop-in and activity session will also be available at The Avenues Children’s Centre in Tang Hall, every other Wed (9am-2pm) starting from Wednesday 16 August.
ℹ️ Find out more here
💷 Free
📅 Clifton – Wednesdays and Fridays, 9am-2pm, Hob Moor – Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am-2pm & Tang Hall, every other Wed (9am-2pm) starting from Wed 16 August.
📍 Clifton Children’s Centre, Clifton, York YO30 6JA | Hob Moor Children’s Centre, Green Lane, Acomb, York, YO24 4RF | The Avenues Children’s Centre Sixth Avenue, Tang Hall, York, YO31 0TX
York Art Gallery is very family-friendly and there are some brilliant fact sheets and colouring sheets you can download and print for free before you visit to keep the kids engaged and entertained on the way round.
Activity bags are also available to buy from the shop for £6.99. A reusable tote bag full of coloured pencils, an activity guide, a kaleidoscope and a colour wheel. You can take it around the gallery with you and complete all the activities.
After visiting the gallery you can walk down into the Artists Garden and the Edible Wood before exploring the rest of the beautiful York Museum Gardens.
ℹ️ Find out more on Mumbler here
💷 Entry to York Art Gallery is free, although charges do apply for any special exhibitions. You can find out about Bloom, the current exhibition here.
📅 Open Wednesday – Sunday, from 10am to 5pm.
📍 Exhibition Square, York, YO1 7EW
Look for shapes, patterns and colours as you journey around York Minster on one of the brand-new trails: Maths Quest and Light Quest. Perfect to keep little brains busy over the holidays! Or explore nature inside the Minster and outside in Dean’s Park with a new summer Nature Trails. Or you can borrow a Little Explorer Backpacks are filled with gadgets including maps, binoculars, and a magnifying glass to help your young adventurer explore the medieval Minster.
On Wednesdays throughout the summer holidays you can discover the nature on a free tour of Dean’s Park. Learn to identify leaves and flowers in our sensory garden; find out how York Minister is helping hedgehogs and listen out for the resident Peregrine Falcons. There will also be an opportunity to meet the kind folk from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. Sessions will take place at 10 am and 2 pm, last for an hour and are free to attend.
ℹ️ See York Minister website for more information
💷 Cost: General admission is free for York residents and students with valid proof of a York address. Up to four children aged 17 and under go free with a paying adult
📅 When: Mon to Sat: 9.30am – 4pm & Sun: 12.45pm – 3.15pm
Enjoy the free games in the Museum Gardens
Enjoy the new dinosaur-themed play area in the Musuem Gardens! With balls, tunnels, wooden stepping blocks and planks for balancing and building, beanbags, hoops and table games it should keep the kids busy while you enjoy resting in the gardens!
💷 Cost: Free
📅 When: Now until 31 August (weather depending) until around 3.30pm daily.
Hunt Dinosaurs with the York Quest app
Be careful when you go into York this summer… because you might just bump into a dinosaur!
Prehistoric creatures are now hiding around the famous old streets of the city. And you can track them all down – if you dare.
As the name suggests, Jurassic Jungle takes York Quest users on a hunt to find all manner of critters from the Mesozoic Era. There are seven to find in all, from supersized dinosaurs to giant insects.
ℹ️ Get the app on Google Play or Apple App Store
💷 Cost? Free – download the York Quest app
📅 When? Year-round, plus seasonal quests are often available
🗺 Where? York City Centre
Go paddling or swimming outside 💦
When the weather is warm it’s the perfect excuse to go paddling, splashing or swimming outside to cool off.
From streams to stepping stones and splash areas to outside swimming pools, we’ve rounded up all the places near York that you can cool down this summer.
ℹ️ See Mumbler for more information
💷 Cost: Charges apply at some venues, some are in nature so obviously free!
📅 When: Anytime!
Enjoy a relaxed stroll around one of the Nature Reserves we are lucky enough to have in York. The Woodland Trust has some great ideas for summer activities you can do together or why not enjoy one of our scavenger hunts!
Here are two our favourites:
🌳 Askham Bog – the boardwalk is a short loop so perfect for little legs and pushchairs
🌳 Moorlands Woodland – with a trail for children to follow this safely enclosed woodland, makes it perfect for young explorers of nature
ℹ️ See Mumbler for more information
💷 Cost: Free
📅 When: Open daily
Take a trip to the Summer Social at York Designer Outlet 🏖Enjoy a taste of the seaside at York Designer Outlet this summer!
Enjoy playing on the big beach area that has plenty of picnic tables and benches plus lots of deck chairs. There are buckets, spades, beach toys and sieves for the kids to play in the sand.
There are also lots of games to play including a basketball hoop wall, ping-pong and a decent size crazy golf too! And the best part – it’s all COMPLETELY FREE!
ℹ️ See York Mumbler for more information
💷 Cost: Free
📅 When: Now until Sun 3 September. Open Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 8pm, Sunday 10am – 6pm
📍 South Entrance of York Designer Outlet, just off the A19/A64 interchange.
Another summer holiday essential is a trip (or twenty trips) to your local park. Why not ring the changes and visit a park in York you might not have been to before? We’ve listed over 25 brilliant parks with play areas in York guaranteed to keep everyone happy.
If the sun is shining, it is the perfect time to go on a family picnic! We’ve rounded up some great picnic spots in York for you to discover!
Plus if you are all out of ideas as to what to pack for your picnic and fed up with sandwiches, then we’ve got some great food ideas too!
ℹ️ See York Mumbler for more information and here for picnic ideas
💷 Cost: Free
📅 When: All parks & play areas are open daily
Going on a trail or treasure hunt is a great way to get together on a family walk. In and around York there are lots of free trails, so many in fact we have written a whole guide about them which you can read here!
🗺 Of course, there is our very own Mythical Creature Quest – collect your free trail sheet for Visit York or download it here!
🗺 We also love the Squirrel Trail in the Museum Gardens!
🗺 Plus there are lots of indoor trails if the weather isn’t great!
ℹ️ For more information see York Mumbler
💷 The majority of the trails in our guide are free
📅 Year-round
📍 Various locations in and around York
Enjoy a walk around the City Walls, taking in the sights from a new angle. If you enjoy family walks, we’ve also got over 50 ideas on one of our most popular blogs!
ℹ️ See York Walls.org for route information
💷 Cost: Free
📅When: 8am to dusk daily
Children aged 4-11 can visit their local library to take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge and read six or more library books over the summer! There are stickers and other rewards for every book read, plus a medal and certification when your child completes the challenge!
As well as the challenge there will be some children’s activities in libraries – more information is available on the Explore website.
ℹ️ See York Mumbler for more information
💷 Cost: Free
📅When: Anytime!
Low-cost theatre workshops at York LibrariesDo you have a love of performing? In these 2 hour weekly workshops run by York Explore, learn about different aspects of theatre, from monologues, to scripts, characterisation to physical theatre. And it’s only £3 per session! Book for one session, or book on them all! Suitable for ages 11- 16 years.
ℹ️ See the York Mumbler Events Calendar listing for more information
💷 Cost: £3 per session
📅When: Various dates in the summer holidays – see listing linked above.
📍 Acomb Explore and Tang Hall Explore Libraries
We’ve listed all the places in York where kids can eat for free or £1 (generally with a full paying adult) this summer.
Why not combine a meal out with one of the free activities above for a complete bargain day out in the summer holidays with the kids!
There is plenty of choice from a free breakfast to a picnic box for £1 or a tasty Italian meal or even sushi!
ℹ️ See York Mumbler for more information
💷 Cost: Generally free or £1 per child with a full paying adult (terms & conditions vary by venue)
📅When: Summer holidays (dates and times vary by venue)
The crafts will vary and are run by makers that are part of Fabrication. All children must be accompanied by a parent/adult.
ℹ️ See York Mumbler for more information
💷 Cost: Sessions free (donations can be made if you wish).
📅When: Dates & times shown above
📍First Floor Fabrication Crafts 19 Coney St, York YO1 9ND
Make Space for Girls Summer Programme at Rowntree Park 🌳ℹ️ FInd out more information and book here
💷 Cost: Free
📅When: Dates & time shown above
📍Terry Avenue, Yor,k YO23 1JQ
In the last week of the school holidays, there is a programme of exciting free activities running at Our Lady’s Church Hall. Prebooking advised but some spaces will be reserved for walk-ins on the day for residents of Westfield Ward. You can look forward to:
ℹ️ Find out more information here.
💷 Cost: Free
📅When: Friday 25th August – Friday 1st September
📍 Our Lady’s Church Hall, Cornlands Road, Acomb YO24 3DX
Haxby Memorial Hall events 🎪The Memorial Hall has a couple of free/entry by donation events worth your attention:
📍 Where: Haxby Memorial Hall, 16 The Village, Haxby YO32 3HT
Mini Mornings at Vue Cinema 🎬Fancy seeing the best kids’ films and family films with both adult and child tickets from only £2.49 per ticket? Vue’s Mini Morning sessions give the chance to experience big screen entertainment for a small price, and run every morning of the school holidays.
ℹ️ Check the Vue website here to see what’s showing on Mini Mornings when you wish to visit.
💷 Cost: £2.49 each when booked online in advance (£3.49 if bought on the door)
📅When: Every morning in the school holidays at 10am
📍 Vue Cinema, Clifton Moor, YO30 4XY
Waterstones York is running a variety of free summer activities throughout August in its children’s section.
Activities include: beach-themed and space-themed treasure hunts; a couple of crafty Sunday dates; storytime every Tuesday at 3pm; and a “Guess the name of the rabbit” throughout August.
💷 Cost: Free!
📅When: throughout August – exact dates and times on the poster below.
📍 Where: Waterstones, 15 Coney Street, York
ℹ️ For more information, check the Waterstones York instagram page.
“Tuesday Tots Extra” sessions at St James the Deacon churchAlthough Tuesday Tots at St James the Deacon (Woodthorpe/Acomb) is a school term time only playgroup, they are running two extra “Summer Special” sessions over the holidays! They are open to pre-schoolers and older children (all must be accompanied by a responsible adult). Sessions are FREE and will have a range of activities, as well as refreshments, food parcels to take home and a clothes bank. Kindly supported by Tesco Askham Bar, York Foodbank and City of York Council. More details on the poster below (click to enlarge).
💷 Cost: Free!
📅When: 1st and 15th August, from 9:30am to 12:30pm
📍 Where: St James the Deacon Church, Sherringham Drive, York YO24 2SE
ℹ️ For more information, see the church website here or call 01904 706047 (Father Luke).
EDCCA (Easingwold District Community Care Association) is running two afternoon sessions of free activities for kids in the holidays. There will be 4 table activities offered per session, with a range of things to appeal to different ages from age 3 upwards. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and younger children are likely to need help with the activities.
25th July includes making newspaper flower pots and then filling them with a soil and a sunflower seed; making coasters with airdry clay and natural embellishments; making wrist flapper bracelets; plus one activity TBC.
15th August includes making nature mobiles, plus the coasters and wrist flappers.
💷 Cost: Free!
📅When: 25th July and 15th August, both sessions 2-4pm
📍 Where: Easingwold Scout Hut, Chase Garth Road, Easingwold
ℹ️ For more info, call Rachel at EDCCA on 01347 822598.
That’s the end of our list of free things to do in York this summer. Do let us know if you hear about any other great free or cheap activities to do over the summer so we can share them with all the other Mumblers.
Last updated 14 August 2023
PS
If you want even more ideas of things to do in York for free, then visit our year-round section, crammed full of ideas to have fun for free in York! You can have such a fun day out in York for free, that we even made a video about it to inspire you! 💜
Watch our video to plan your perfect free day out in York with kids!
