JORVIK Viking Festival 2026

It is time to start checking your chain mail, sharpening your swords and strengthening your shields as another invasion of York is set to happen 1160 years after they first arrived!  The Vikings are once again set to take over the city in February, with the dates announced for the 2026 JORVIK Viking Festival!

For seven days, Norse-influence will be spread across the city centre as Viking-enthusiasts from around the country and beyond descend on the city for Europe’s largest Viking Festival.  Around 500 Viking re-enactors are expected to help welcome nearly 50,000 residents and visitors for living history, crafts and combat within the city walls.

“JORVIK Viking Festival has become one of the anchor events in York’s tourism calendar, bringing in the crowds during what would previously have been a very quiet time for the city,” says Mark Jackson, head of operations for York Archaeology, the educational charity which organises and funds the Festival.  “We will be celebrating the end of winter with our traditional blend of February feasting and fighting – and invite everyone to come along to join us!”

Tickets for some of the headline events including a remarkable feast in the Merchant Adventurer’s Hall themed around the Great Heathen Army, the Kid’s Barbaric Battle, and The Battle for York, a combat spectacular in the shadow of Clifford’s Tower, are now available.

“We know that there is always high demand when we release tickets – especially for things like the Feast, which make brilliant Christmas presents – so we’ll be releasing tickets for different events at different times over the coming weeks,” explains Mark.  “Of course, there are a host of events at the heart of the festival – including a large Viking encampment in Parliament Street, and the traditional March to Coppergate – which are entirely free to attend with no tickets required.  But be sure to mark the date in your diary!”

The festival also coincides with the end of A Winter Adventure at JORVIK Viking Centre – a three-month long spell of snowy weather in Viking-age Coppergate.  With the week fully sold-out during the 2025 Festival, visitors are advised to make sure they have their place booked for this wintery experience early to avoid disappointment.

For more details of JORVIK Viking Festival 2026, please visit https://jorvikvikingfestival.co.uk/