York city guide

Venues across the city showcase everything from national names to local talent.

• Listen or play! There are acoustic and open mic nights happening most days of the week including Monday night at the Golden Ball and Ruby Tuesdays open mic night at Sotano.
• If it's local artists and DIY/punk bands you're after, The Fulford Arms is the place to be. These bands often perform at other small venues in the city such as City Screen's The Basement.
• Practice your jazz hands at The Phoenix Inn. They have live jams on Wednesdays and Sundays which are usually free!

• For grassroots music, tribute acts and more, try The York Vaults.
• If you're into roots, reggae, dancehall and dub, check out the Irie Vibes Sound System nights at The Crescent.
• The biggest venue in the city, York Barbican, puts on mainstream and nationally acclaimed artists.
• And you're only 20 minutes away from Leeds (by train) which has a number of larger venues including the O2 Academy and the First Direct Arena.

With a major event happening every month, there is always something unique and exciting to discover in York. Whatever your interests, you’ll find plenty of entertaining cultural events to enjoy.

• A city-wide celebration of our rich Norse heritage, JORVIK Viking Festival sees York transported back to the Middle Ages with living history encampments, markets, workshops, talks and dramatic combat performances.
• For film fans the Aesthetica Short Film Festival is an annual celebration of independent film from around the world. Featuring emerging talent and established filmmakers, you can even submit an entry yourself.
• Featuring inspiring speakers from all over the world, exhibitions, theatre, music, films and family-friendly activities, York Festival of Ideas offers a huge range of events at venues across campus and the city.

• There's something particularly magical about York at Christmas. Soak up the festive spirit at St Nicholas Christmas Fair for unique crafted gifts, or get cosy at a pop-up alpine bar with a warming mulled wine and roasted chestnuts.
• The annual York Pride celebrations paint the town all the colours of the rainbow with a parade and musical performances to celebrate and support the LGBT+ community.
• Nearby Leeds is well known for big music festivals such as Leeds Festival, Live at Leeds and Slam Dunk fest.

York offers some of the most distinctive and stylish shopping in the UK. Major retail chains and independent stores share York’s iconic medieval streets.

Get your fashion fix at all the major high street chains including New Look, H&M, Primark and Urban Outfitters. Or catch the regular bus up to the York Designer Outlet for discounted prices on designer products.

• Music fans can build their vinyl collection and swap music intel at Earworm Records.
• There are several quirky clothing stores such as Dog and Bone Vintage to keep you kitted-out throughout the seasons.

• York is a city filled with excellent indie bookshops like Ken Spelman Books or The Little Apple Bookshop.
• The Shambles Market in the heart of the city is the bustling home of York’s largest group of independent traders.
• There are plenty of Harry Potter-themed shops, including The Shop That Must Not be Named, which lives on The Shambles, one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe.
• Buying gifts or indulging in local products is an absolute pleasure in York, where there are intriguing speciality stores like York Cocoa Works, York Gin and Love Cheese.

Read more about independent shops in York

You can travel between campus and the city centre using our bus service which takes 20 minutes (outside peaks times). You can cycle which takes about 15 minutes and by foot it's around 30 minutes.

Lots of York students use bikes. There are plenty of cycle paths and bike lanes, and not many hills! You can buy a second-hand bike on campus or from many cycle shops in the city. Our on-campus Bike Doctor offers free bike safety checks once a month, and there are lots of places to lock up.

York is also home to an e-scooter scheme from TIER. You can rent an e-scooter or e-bike for as little as 18p per minute (£1 to unlock) and shuttle around campus or the city.