Explore Discover Enjoy
York Unlocked Festival
27th and 28th September 2025
ENTRY IS FREE
Programme 2025
You can download the programme for York Unlocked 2025 below.
Hard copies will be available at York’s libraries and Visit York’s Tourist Information.
App
The York Unlocked app is available to download. It lists all the information in the programme, provides directions to venues, and much more.
Tickets
Most of our venues do not require tickets – but the few that do sold out very quickly. If ticket holders cancel their tickets, these will be made available at the link below.
Live Stream
John Wright will be hosting a livestream of the festival for us again this year, from 2pm on Saturday 27th September. Click below to join him as he visits a number of interesting venues.
Celebrate the National Railway Museum’s 50th Birthday
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the National Railway Museum is inviting you to look behind the scenes at its historic buildings and join free events during York Unlocked.
You will be able to:
- Explore the labyrinth of climate-controlled rooms and corridors that house the NRM’s collection with our archives and art stores tours
- Experience the conservation studio, where a team of dedicated specialists repair and maintain the museum’s collection
- Access the cabs of locomotives that are not normally open to the public
- Learn to signal trains on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Signalling School
What’s more, as a birthday present to visitors, the NRM is offering the following activities for FREE during the York Unlocked weekend:
- Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery
- Flying Scotsman Virtual Reality Experience
- Miniature Railway
Visitors will need a Museum Entry Ticket to attend - and the art stores, archives and signalling school experiences will require additional tickets. These will be available at 10am on 15th August from:
railwaymuseum.org.uk/birthday-weekend
York Unlocked coincides with the re-opening of the NRM’s Station Hall after its two-year, £10.5 million refurbishment.
During York Unlocked you will be able to join the Conservation team to learn about how the rail vehicles were cared for during the development of the new Station Hall, and meet the Curatorial team for talks covering the history of the railway and the museum. The curators will be on the museum floor with their favourite collection items as well, ready to reveal the stories behind the objects.
We’re immensely grateful for the support of the National Railway Museum, the principal partner of York Unlocked 2025. This opportunity embodies the spirit of York Unlocked – revealing hidden aspects of the city and fostering a deeper connection with our heritage.
As one of the UK’s leading cultural venues, the NRM’s generosity and collaborative spirit have not only enriched our programme but also underscored the profound cultural value that the museum brings to York and beyond.
Information about the weekend
Getting around
Most of our venues are clustered in the city centre, but we have hubs a little further afield.
From the Railway Station take the bus routes 1, 1a, 5 and 5a to reach our Haxby hub in the north, or our Holgate hub in the west. Bus Route 11 goes to our Bishopthorpe Road hub, and the 59 Poppleton Bar Park and Ride bus goes to the National Railway Museum.
Bikes can be hired for the weekend. Go to www.getcycling.org.uk for further information and cycling routes.
Information on car parks and Blue Badge parking around the city is available on the City of York Council website.
Tours
- Tours were very popular in 2024. Most tour tickets were taken within a few hours of going "live". We expect building tours to be very popular in 2025 too. Most of our venues do not require tickets, so if you don't manage to get a ticket there are still lots of fanatastic buildings and spaces to visit.
Accessibility
We have produced a PDF document with details about the accessibility of each of our venues, which can be downloaded from here.
Please pay attention to any health and safety guidance at our venues.
Many of our historic buildings are difficult to access with stepped entrances and poorly lit spaces in some areas, please pay attention to any health and safety guidance. Some of our buildings require special care and attention and are not recommended for people with health issues, walking difficulties (including assisted walking), or for children aged under 6 years old.
For a the best experience possible please keep in mind the following:
- For any programmed events you are attending, please make sure you check the dates and times the space is open to visit on our programme & on your ticket.
- Some churches listed may have their own events over the weekend, please be respectful of these when visiting.
- Please don’t visit outside of the times shown for drop-ins or scheduled events.
- You should only attend York Unlocked events during the opening times, and not at other times.
- Please be respectful to all our contributors and volunteers who have kindly provided their time and space to open for us.
- If there is a ticketed event that has sold out, please do not attend.
- You will enter buildings that indicate difficult access at your own risk.
