Eboracum Roman Festival returns to York Museum Gardens in July

On Saturday July 8 and Sunday July 9, the Romans will once again take over York Museum Gardens with a living history encampment demonstrating the Roman way of life.

The Eboracum Roman Festival is a family friendly and free event for everyone to enjoy.

Visitors can explore the day-to-day lives of citizens and centurions through living history demonstrations, expert talks, hands-on activities and storytelling for all ages.

Romans will take over the city during the event (Image: Frank Dwyer)

Visitors can expect demonstrations of military techniques, crafts such as coin casting and leatherworking, as well as learning how to write in Latin script and how to play Roman board games.

A spokesperson for the festival said: "The popular Kid’s Army and Gladiator School will also return this year, giving children the chance to get involved with our exciting Roman re-enactments.

"To explore fashion through the Roman age, we’re thrilled to welcome back Lorie Ann from California's Legion Six Victrix in Los Angeles to host a light-hearted look at "Classical" Couture."

New for 2023 is ‘Circus Maximus’, a chance for families to get creative with a range of hands-on activities, including making a hobby horse to enter in either the chariot race or equestrian dressage.

For further Roman fun, visitors can step inside the Yorkshire Museum to enjoy some of Yorkshire’s most significant collections, including our current exhibition ‘The Ryedale Hoard’, which includes a 1,800-year-old bust of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Then explore the Roman galleries and walk on the real Roman mosaic.

There will be a living history encampment demonstrating the Roman way of life (Image: Frank Dwyer)

Please note all activities and exhibitions inside the Yorkshire Museum are included in general admission.

The Yorkshire Museum will close at 5pm and York Museum Gardens at 6pm.

The Yorkshire Museum is home to some of Britain’s finest archaeological treasures from the city’s Roman, Viking and Medieval past as well as a nationally significant natural science collection.

The museum was one of the earliest purpose-built museums in the country. It opened in 1830 as the new home for the collections of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society.

Established in the 1830s by the society, York Museum Gardens are famous for their collection of trees, shrubs, perennials, and bulbs. The society originally acquired the land to build a museum to house its collections.

Visitors can explore the day-to-day lives of citizens and centurions through living history demonstrations (Image: Frank Dwyer)

The land was granted to the Yorkshire Philosophical Society under the condition that botanical gardens would be established on the site. These were created Sir John Murray Naysmith and originally contained a conservatory, a pond and a menagerie.

In 1960, the gardens and the Yorkshire Museum were given in trust to the City of York Council and, since 2002, have been managed by the York Museums Trust. The gardens are open daily and are free to visit.