A self-guided walking trail around the city of York and an opportunity to try samples from some of the best York’s food scene by visiting a range of deli’s, restaurants and suppliers.
We have two Taste Trails for you to enjoy, with each trail featuring around 20 stops to sample the best of York’s food and drink scene as well as a tasting hub with more samples to enjoy.
This year’s participants are: East Trail and West Trail
You will receive the map and guide outlining the various participating businesses, along with a schedule of when each business is open and offering samples.
The samples provided on the taste trail vary widely depending on the participating businesses, but may include small bites of food, such as cheeses, meats, breads, and desserts, as well as drinks, such as wine or beer.
Overall, the Taste Trail is a fun and engaging way for visitors to sample a wide variety of local food and drink offerings and experience the unique flavours and culture of a particular York.
Tickets are limited to 100 per day – You can either pre-book online or purchase your booklet at the information point while stocks last
Collection of the trail booklet is from the Information Point any day between 10am to 4pm, located on Parliament Street – In front of Claire’s (37 Parliament Street, YO1 8RU)
*Please note:
– Some samples will involve alcohol and therefore under 18s will not be able to participate with all of the stops on the trail.
– While you can collect the booklet between 10am to 4pm, each business has different opening times and some will close as early as 3pm
– Some businesses are closed on specific days.
Did you know that the York Food Festival is a not-for-profit organisation?
Any money generated (from trader fees to ticket sales) goes back into the festival to improve it year after year.
During the festivals we run this demonstration programme for all visitors to the festival to attend.
Please consider making a donation to support this programme and keep it running.
The York Food Festival offers a series of FREE cookery workshops, which are designed to provide visitors with an opportunity to learn new culinary skills and how food is made.
The workshops are open to all ages and held at the Museum Gardens, and St. Crux Hall.
(and also home to our Schools Workshop programme, where we welcome over 1000 children to participate over the 5 weekdays)
Opening times for public:
Friday 19th 3pm to 5 pm in St Crux only
Monday to Thursday – 3pm to 4pm
Second Friday – 2pm to 4pm in St Crux only
Both Weekends (Sat & Sun) – 10am to 4pm
At the minimum, there are six workshops available, covering a range of themes including bread making, pasta making, vegan dips, and smoking your own food. New workshop themes will be added in for 2025, ensuring that there is always something new to learn and discover at the festival.
The workshops are interactive and hands-on, providing participants with an opportunity to get involved in the cooking process and learn by doing. The workshops are suitable for all ages, and experienced instructors are on hand to provide guidance and support.
The York Food Festival is always on the lookout for talented volunteers to work with the public by delivering workshops. If you are someone who has a passion for cooking and wants to give back to the community, then we encourage you to consider volunteering with us. If interested, please fill out our online form
Did you know that the York Food Festival is a not-for-profit organisation?
Any money generated (from trader fees to ticket sales) goes back into the festival to improve it year after year.
During the festivals we run this extensive free food education programme for all visitors to the festival.
Please consider making a donation to support this programme and keep it running.
A fun and interactive activity designed for families with children. A self-guided walking tour, answering clues along the way, and finishing with decorating your own Chocolate Bar with York Cocoa Works
Participants receive a guide map (FREE for all) providing a unique and engaging way for families to explore the local chocolate scene, while also having fun and learning new things along the way.
Purchased ticket holders end the tour decorating a Chocolate Bar with York Cocoa Works.
Tickets can either be pre-booked online or purchase at the information point (while stocks last)
Collection of the guide map is from the Information Point any day of the festival from 10am, located on Parliament Street – In front of Claire’s (37 Parliament Street, YO1 8RU)
Last entry for the chocolate bar decorating at York Cocoa Works will be 4pm (Please allow at least 45 minutes to come back to collect your Chocolate Bar once it has set).
Did you know that the York Food Festival is a not-for-profit organisation?
Any money generated (from trader fees to ticket sales) goes back into the festival to improve it year after year.
During the festivals we run this demonstration programme for all visitors to the festival to attend.
Please consider making a donation to support this programme and keep it running.
A self-guided walking trail around the city of York, with some of York’s food establishments offering a vegan alternative to their non-vegan samples.
This year’s participants are: Vegan Trail
You will receive a guide map listing the various participating businesses, along with a schedule of when each business is open and offering samples.
The trail features around 20 stops to sample – small bites of food or drink samples – which will vary depending on the participating businesses.
Overall, the Taste Trail is a fun and engaging way for visitors to sample a wide variety of local food and drink offerings and experience the unique flavours and culture of a particular York.
Tickets are very limited – You can either pre-book online or purchase your booklet at the information point while stocks last.
Collection of the trail booklet is from the Information Point any day between 10am to 4pm, located on Parliament Street – In front of Claire’s (37 Parliament Street, YO1 8RU)
*Please note:
– Some samples will involve alcohol and therefore under 18s will not be able to participate with all of the stops on the trail.
– While you can collect the booklet between 10am to 4pm, each business has different opening times and some will close as early as 3pm
– Some businesses are closed on specific days.
Come down to St Crux to play the Chocolate Bar Game, or pick up family activities from the Woodlands Trust (weekend only). Part of a range of activities at St Crux which includes the Demo area, a café, and the Food factory activities – hands on cookery for people of all ages.
Explore the iconic Terry’s clock tower with York Unlocked
This iconic clock tower features a clock with a ‘waiting train’ mechanism, powered by an electrical impulse from a master clock. The tower is part of five buildings designed by J G Davies and L E Wade for Terry’s chocolate factory (built 1924-1930). Tours in partnership with York Clock Group.
Join York Unlocked for an Insider’s Tour of Betty’s.
Opened in 1937, Bettys’ upstairs dining room was modelled on the art-deco glamour of transatlantic
liners. Our insider tours will explore the basement that was an informal WWII ops room, the staff canteen and store rooms that were once a ballroom.
For more information click here.
Join York unlocked for a tour of Nestlé Product Technology Centre.
This state-of-the-art centre includes a small manufacturing facility, a development laboratory
and a confectionery kitchen to develop and reformulate products. DLA Architecture’s 2011
extension – which includes a unique glazed, tree-lined street linking the original and new
spaces – won a York Design Award.
For more information click here.
York Castle Museum is delighted to announce the opening of a brand-new community-led exhibition, celebrating York’s world-famous confectionery industries. The exhibition, Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork: York’s Confectionery Workers, delves into the lives and stories of the people who lived and worked in York during its sweet-producing heyday.
York became home to confectionery giants Terry’s, Rowntree’s, and Craven’s throughout the nineteenth century, and by the mid-twentieth century the city was a hub for the confectionery community, manufacturing and distributing products on a global scale. Sugar, Skill and Shiftwork has been curated in collaboration with the public to reveal what life was like for workers and those living in York during this time.
The invitation to share lived experiences, objects and memories was welcomed by the community following a successful callout for information. York Castle Museum received a range of incredible submissions that have fed into the wider narrative of the exhibition.
The exhibition guides visitors through the history of confectionery in York, and other areas of working life. Nostalgia is a key theme throughout, with household favourites such as Terry’s Chocolate Orange and KitKat sporting retro wrappers and packaging, reminding visitors of childhood treats. Workers items, uniforms, images, film and oral history create five themed rooms exploring York’s confectionery industries. The exhibition has been supported by York Oral History Society who have generously allowed access to their archives, allowing workers voices to be heard in the museum.
Explore the chocolate making process from cocoa bean to the chocolates we make here at York Cocoa Works, learning and tasting your way around the chocolate manufactory with our Tasting Journey.
Quote “YORKFOODFEST25” for 25% off
During your time with us, one of our expert chocolate makers will share the secrets of our cocoa and how we transform it into chocolate. You will discover our origins and learn the rich history of chocolate making in York before taking a peek into our manufactory and watching our chocolate being made. This session concludes with a special tasting conducted by our cocoa connoisseur. You will sample the chocolate we make from cocoa beans all around the world, experiencing the different strengths and flavour notes in our range.
Following the journey, you are invited to join us in our Chocolate Cafe where you can use your ticket to enjoy further discounts across our whole product range.
What’s your blood pressure?
On behalf of the NHS, a pop-up Blood pressure stand to help people avoid heart attack and stroke by knowing their blood pressures. This is a free service for the general public.
Running daily at York Food Festival and part of the York Chocolate Bar Challenge, join York Cocoa Works to craft your own little chocolate bar.
Explore the chocolate making history of York and create your own mini Chocolate Bar!
Pre-booking available – 10.00, 10.30, 11.00, 11.30, 12.00, 12.30, 1.30, 2.00, 2.30, 3.00, 3.30 (4pm on Saturday and Sundays)
Live wheel thrown demonstrations all day, alongside pots and sculptures for sale
Crafting high-quality, handmade ceramic pots and vessels that blend artistry with everyday living. Driven by a passion for craftsmanship and creativity, each piece is thoughtfully designed and meticulously handcrafted to bring a touch of uniqueness and beauty into your home. Discover pottery that’s as functional as it is artful.
Join York Unlocked for a tour of the Old Liquor Store.
Originally the transformer house attached to the clock tower, water tower and boiler house, it’s possible that rum and coffee beans were later stored here. Now a restaurant, floor-to-ceiling original 1920s tiles and photographs of Terry’s factory employees complete the interior design by Banjo Beale (BBC Interior Design Masters winner).
For more information click here.
MasterChef UK 2022 semi-finalist, food writer and founder of Yummy by Design.
Yemi Adelekan is a Yorkshire-based fusion chef celebrated for her bold, spice-led cooking inspired by her Nigerian roots and global travels. Through her popular supper clubs and chef’s table experiences, Yemi creates unforgettable food experiences that feel like home, full of heart, culture, and creativity.
Join York Unlocked for a tour of SPARK
Previously this site was a trolleybus shed, aviation factory and garage, but SPARK renovated the then derelict land using low-impact shipping containers to create a community space. It’s a place to discover food, drink, retail and social enterprise start-ups.
For more information click here
A demonstration from the chef-proprietor of Skosh
One of York’s most well regarded restaurants!
Join York City Football Club Foundation for some fun in Museum Gardens. Meet Yorkie and take part in some of the family friendly activities
Caroline Bell from Shepherds Purse will be sharing some of their Award Winning cheese for you to sample and chatting about the about the family business, farming and cheesemaking.
Daily – 2.30pm and 4pm
25% Discount for York Food Festival
– Quote “YORKFOODFEST25”
Discover Chocolate History & Make Your Own Truffles!
Available daily between 3.30pm-5.30pm
Begin your journey with our Classic Guided Tour, where you’ll:
Explore the rich history of chocolate, from its ancient origins to its transformation into today’s indulgent treat.
Learn the art of chocolate tasting like a connoisseur.
Dive into York’s chocolate-making heritage, discovering the stories behind its famous confectionery families.
At the end of your tour, enjoy an additional 15 minutes of hands-on chocolate making, where you’ll:
Roll four decadent ganache-filled truffles in the finest Belgian couverture chocolate.
Personalise and package your creations to take home as a sweet memento.
Join Trig Brewery at their pop-up taproom!
Having been in (and out) and around the craft beer industry since 2013, founder and chief brewer, Patrick established Trig in 2023. Starting on a 150 litre nanobrew kit he spent two years experimenting and developing beers which quickly gained a strong following in York.
At the start of 2025 Trig upgraded to a 2000 litre brewhouse on the Northminster Business Park in Poppleton. Since then production has been running at maximum capacity to keep pace with demand from pubs & bars in York, Yorkshire and across the UK.
Trig produces a concise range of small batch craft beers in cask, keg and can, taking a modern approach to classic brewing styles and emphasising the importance of high quality ingredients and technique.
Live For St Leonard’s will return between 19th and 27th September. This live music event is organised by York BID, as part of the York Food & Drink Festival, and all charitable funds raised are donated in aid of St Leonard’s Hospice. Over the last 2 years the initiative has raised nearly £9,000 for the charity. The events is free for the public to attend and St Leonard’s volunteers will be on-site collecting cash and card donations.
This year’s event will feature two separate stage areas with performances running in parallel. The main stage can be found in the marquee on Parliament Street, and the acoustic stage on St Sampsons Square.
Patrons can expect performances from great local talent, every evening from 5pm!
The line up can be found HERE
An evening tasting Yorkshire Wines, Beers and Spirits.
A selection of Yorkshire producers will be showcasing some of their finest products, for you to taste and discuss with them. The Wines area is co-ordinated by the Festival and hosted on the night by Lucy Hjort from Melton’s restaurant – Lucy has raised awareness of the quality of Yorkshire wines for many years featuring them on her renowned wine flights.
Yorkshire Breweries and Distillers will take a range of stands and offer you the opportunity to meet the makers.
