June
June is going to be a busy month in the run up to the Charter day celebrations in July there are plenty of events and activities for York residents and tourists alike.
York Science and Innovation grand tour
June through to September will host the York Science and Innovation grand tour.
This summer sees York being taken over by the Science and Innovation Grand Tour. From May 30th to August 31st 2012 there will be many events celebrating the City’s achievements in all things science and innovation. Delving into the past to explore the achievements of people from York and how they have affected our lives today. The grand tour is launched on Parliament Street, Wednesday 30th May 12- 3pm where there will be many exhibitors and sponsors there:
Flamingo Land – Get up close and personal with our mini-beasts!
York St John University – Psychology exhibit about ‘brain tricks’
Make your own science inspired artwork with Sally Lane-Morgan
University of York Dept of Biology – fantastic microscopes with all sorts of biological samples to look at, plants as you have never seen them before, bugs and much more!
NYBEP – hands-on, airplane design, make and test activity.
St Peter’s School – Demonstration of projectile motion showing that firing guns upwards might result in unintended consequences!
As well as a spectroscopy demonstration with neon stars and solar telescope.
University of York Dept of Physics – Hands-on Physics experiments like balloon kebabs, Chinese resonating bowl, solar telescope
MyScience – Science, technology, engineering and maths. Hands on activities to inspire all.
University of York Dept of Chemistry – Spectroscopy in a suitcase!
York Museums Trust – Hands on activities and slide show.
Bootham School – Demonstration of augmented reality app on smart-phones!
Nestlé – The science behind confectionery.
York Cocoa House – The evolution of the chocolate industry.
Yorkshire Air Museum – What’s inside the geodesic structure?
Throughout the summer you will be able to see 60 large scale images around the City all based around the theme of science and innovation. It caters to all levels of enthusiasm and is fun for all the family. Can you find all 60 images?
For more details please see the website.
Railfest
Join in the 9 days of activities which will take place at the National Railway Museum in York to celebrate Railfest.
Rail Fest is Britain’s biggest celebration of all things rail. Starting 2nd June 2012 – 10th June 2012 it takes place at the National Rail Museum in York. There are activities suitable for all ages and all levels of rail way enthusiasm. There will be exhibitions of big trains, small trains, new ones, old ones including the world famous flying Scotsman. During the day there will be opportunities to see innovative designs, watch live theatre performances, look around the trains, watch demonstrations and listen to talks. There will also be special exhibitions 4th June 6:30 – 8:30pm and 5th June 7am – 9am which will be exclusive opportunities for photography. There will be less people at these events and so it will be an ideal opportunity for photographing the exhibits of Rail Fest. There will be special evening openings on 8th and 9th June 6:30pm – 9:30pm to enjoy the display. People attending Rail Fest are advised to take public transport as there is no car parking at the National Railway Museum, during the festival. Tickets for Rail Fest can be bought online which is cheaper than buying them on the day at the Museum.
Adults £13 (online) £15 at the museum
Children £8 (online) £10 at the museum
See their website for more details
Buskival
June 2nd and 3rd will see the first ever buskers festival to be held in York.
Buskival is a weekend of celebrating and showcasing York’s successful busking scheme operated by York City Council. Taking place at 12 different city centre locations on Saturday 2nd June and Sunday 3rd June 2012 between 11am and 4pm. There will be fifty buskers, entertainers and musicians taking part some of whom have been especially invited. A trail of busking pitches will be created so that you can move around the city to listen and watch the wonderful display of talent. Buskival will be taking place over the Diamond Jubilee weekend and is one of many celebrations of York 800, celebrating 800 years of York being a self-governing body. There will be a competition for members of the public to choose their favourite amateur busker. The winner will receive £200 and there are also runner up prizes for 2nd and 3rd places, so look out for details of how to vote over the weekend.
Please find further details on the website
If you are interested in taking part and have a valid York City Council busking permit please contact Debbie Bell on Debbie.bell@york.gov.uk 01904 552270
Diamond Jubilee celebrations
June 4 & 5 Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
The long weekend of celebrations began on Saturday 2nd June with a 21 gun salute in the Museum Gardens. Attended by a crowd of thousands plus the Lord Mayor of York.Following this the crowds made their way to York Minster to view a fly past by several aeroplanes. Then Buskival began, a festival of street entertainers, entertained the residents and tourists in York City Centre on Saturday and Sunday - despite the awful rain on Sunday.
Independant street parties took place over the long weekend with local communities coming together to celebrate the Queens Jubilee.
On Monday evening the Lord Mayor of York lit the official City beacon as part of a national chain of beacons stretching across the Commonwealth, beginning in Tonga and ending with Her Majesty the Queen lighting the final beacon at the end of a fantastic Music concert which took place in front of Buckingham Palace in London.
York Carnival
June 16 York Carnival Parliament Street and St Sampsons Square
York Carnival is an annual event of music and the arts, organised by students from York University designed to unite students and the local community together through a day of family fun and musical entertainment. Events take place all around the city, most notably St. Sampson’s Square where there will be interactive workshops for children and adults. Parliament Street is where most of the music will be, as the Carnival is promised to be bigger and better than ever before, including ‘My Forever’ who have been played on BBC Radio 1. There will be a parade commencing at 12:15pm headed by ‘York Samba’ and the music will continue until 8pm. There will also be a boutique fair ‘popping up’ in the city centre, with 15 stalls all selling vintage wears. This is a free event, with something for everyone and a real family fun day. Children at York schools and youth clubs are involved with the making of masks and decorations for the York Carnival, so see if you can spot your design. see link here for more details.
Festival of ideas and innovation
York Festival of Ideas 2012 is taking place between 14th and 30th June celebrating the vibrancy, diversity and heritage of York. The theme of the festival this year is Metamorphorses bringing together a range of speakers, exhibitions, performances and a variety of interactive experience for people of all ages. There are a number of talks with a wide range of subject matter from talks about apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the transatlantic slave trade to talks about art work. There will be debates and discussions about University funding, social media and political debates to name a few. There will be music from around the world as well as film and TV master classes and exhibitions on history and literature. There really is something everyone over the sixteen day period, so why not join in with the festival of ideas this June.
Some events may cost and some events are ticketed so please see the website for more details
19th and 20th June Olympic Torch Relay celebrations
The Olympic Torch will arrive in York on the evening of 19th June. In celebration of this momentous occassion there is a whole day of activities and entertainment provided free of charge on the Knavesmire. Starting at 10am there will be a Sporting Giants Games featuring huge puppets made and manipulated by school children from 23 different schools across York so come and see them battle against each other as part of a day of pre olympic celebrations. Other events throughout the day include sports demonstrations and taster sessions. The main event will be a fantastic free concert that will begin at 5pm on the knavesmire. The concert will feature the winners of Sky's smash hit dance show 'Got To Dance' Chris & Wes and 'Britain's Got Talent' finalists Twist & Pulse as well as rap star Katy B. Hosted by ex Blue Peter presenter, Andy Akinwolere, the concert will also include York Arts Academy African drummers Umbu and Calabash and the Zamar Gospel choir from the University of York.
Following the arrival of the torch in York at approximatley 5:20pm a torch relay will take place throughout the streets of York City Centre and the Torch will finally arrive at the Knavesmire at 6:50pm with the journey and it's arrival covered by the BBC news. The route the Torch will take through York on the 19th is available here. Following an early start from York Minster at 7:45am the Torch will leave York on the Scots Guardsman Steam Locomotive from the National Railway Museum and continue its journey to Thirsk.
Golf open tournament
30 june Heworth 800 Golf open tournament see here for more details about the Golf Club.
This is a York 800 open tournament to celebrate over 100 years of golf at this wonderful course.
Brassed On
Saturday 30th June and Sunday 1st July, the Museum Gardens will be filled with the sound of brass bands as Brassed on York festival returns for the third year running. Each day will feature four brass bands on the main lawn of the gardens with the finale being all four bands playing together as one. Saturday sees the Shepherd group brass bands take to the stage including the beginner’s band, the youth band and the concert band. Whereas on Sunday, the York Railway institutes bands will take to the stage. The weekend will be linked by an Olympic theme, with all the bands participating in ‘Brass the Baton’ as part of the cultural Olympiad, which involves different coloured batons being passed around the country as part of a relay.
Please note: The weekend is free of charge but donations are appreciated, please bring a rug and a picnic as there is no formal seating. The performances are on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. see link here for more details.
