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 One month until York Georgian Festival begins...
Get your fans ready and prepare to promenade - it's only a month to go until the next York Georgian Festival!
Talks, tours, performances and workshops are taking place at a variety of venues between 6 and 10 August, the grandest of which will be York Georgian Masquerade Ball at the Grand Assembly Rooms. Plus Horrible Histories author Terry Deary will be returning again!
Free events include our promenade across the city on Saturday 8 August, this year led by HM 33rd Regiment of Foot, plus displays of Georgian dancing and military drills over the weekend in St Helen's Square.
Thanks to all our partner attractions for taking part in this year's festival - The Bar Convent, Fairfax House, Holy Trinity Church Goodramgate, Barley Hall and York Castle Museum.
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You shall go to the ball!
Start planning your disguise for the event of the season: York Georgian Masquerade Ball at the Grand Assembly Rooms...
Tickets include a welcome drink from York Gin, a three-course meal from Ask Italian, beautiful period music from Eboracum Baroque and many chances to grace the glittering dancefloor, with gentle guidance from Dance the Past.
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Summer fun for families
Children can take part in their own Georgian dance lesson during the festival, free with admission on Thursday 6 August!
Our Georgian children's trail runs throughout the school holidays: find our hidden Hobs to discover fascinating facts.
Plus our regular cookery demos in our historic kitchen continue daily.
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Take a closer look at hidden histories in fascinating talks
Away from the glamour of society promenades and balls, new stories from the 18th Century continue to be discovered. We're sharing these in a special day of talks by guest speakers on Monday 10 August - admission for each is just £6 including a complimentary drink.
- Find out how the writings of travellers helped anti-slavery campaigners build their case, in An Unnatural Trade, by academic Brycchan Carey.
- Discover the friendship between writers Ignatius Sancho, one of the first Black Britons to have voted in a parliamentary election, and Laurence Sterne, author of Tristram Shandy, through a series of letters being published by York St John students.
- What can we learn from studying historic shoes about the lives of their wearers? Find out in Shoes and the Georgian Man, from author and academic Matthew McCormack.
- And revel in the behind-the-scenes scandal and gossip to be found in the letters of Theresa Lister/Villiers, whose parents were close to George III and his daughters in a talk by festival favourite Mary Lister.
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New for 2026 festival
Three new events for this year's festival have already proved very popular.
These are a Georgian Wine and Cheese evening at the Mansion House, a Georgian House papercraft workshop at The Guildhall and a riverside walk, inspired by a painting hanging in our Dining Room, The New Terrace Walk, York, by Nathan Drake.
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Drawing Room first!
We were delighted to host the first wedding ceremony in our Drawing Room recently, perfect for very small weddings.
Denise and Shane said: "We had an absolutely wonderful day and found the Drawing Room to be exactly what we were looking for; such a personal and intimate location, which made the day feel even more special."
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Museum Week favourites
Our team chose different rooms and objects to talk about in a series of videos which we shared on our social media channels for the annual international Museum Week in June.
If you missed them, catch up on our Facebook and Instagram accounts - click on photo or below to find out more about our 1914 tin of Christmas chocolate...
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Remembering Geoff
We were all hugely saddened to hear of the death of Geoff Turner, our longest serving volunteer at the Mansion House.
Geoff had worked with us for 15 years in a variety of roles, most recently as a Room Guide. He led tours around the house and even played the Lord Mayor three times in public events.
We will always be grateful for the contribution he made to the life of the house and will all miss him very much.
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