ROMANS gathered in York once more, to promote this summer's big new festival for York.

The Eboracum Roman Festival will take place in Museum Gardens, and will include parades, weapon demonstrations, army drills and a Roman camp with stalls selling themed items.

Event spokesman Graham Harris, who runs the Roman Bath Museum in St Sampson's Square, said: "There would certainly be no York as we know it today without the influence of the Romans. It was an important Roman garrison, and became a major civilian settlement during the Roman occupation, which lasted almost 350 years.

“We are delighted that this heritage is once again being celebrated in the form of a festival, with fantastic speakers, events and activities all over the city for all levels of interests.

"The hub will be the Roman camp in the York Museum Gardens which will come alive with military displays and demonstrations of Roman life. We hope people will visit to learn about this period of the city’s history and enjoy what we hope will become an annual event.”

The festival will begin on June 1. A full programme will be published before then.