October Half-Term at York Art Gallery

Saturday 24 October – Sunday 1 November 2026 | Book Tickets

Discover the amazing artworks on display at York Art Gallery through storytelling, creative activities and play, inspired by over 600 years of art and our latest exhibition, Turner, Wedgwood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman. 

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What’s On

Special activities:

Gallery Tales  
Wednesday 28 October 2026
Session 1: 10.15am – 11am, Session 2: 11.30am – 12.15pm  
£7 per child* | Book Now
Recommended for ages 2-8  
Join the award-winning Story Craft Theatre and step into a world of imagination. This Half-Term, there’s a new interactive storytelling adventure which takes inspiration from our exhibition Turner, Wedgewood & Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman, designed to spark curiosity, creativity and joy.   

*Tickets include entry to the exhibition and our wider permanent collections.

Creative Families: Sculpt & Shape 
Thursday 29 October 2026
Drop in between 10.30am – 3.30pm  
Included in general admission  | Pre-book admission tickets
Suitable for all ages  
Experiment with sculpting techniques in this family-friendly workshop, inspired by our exhibition Turner, Wedgewood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman.  

Family Life Drawing  
Friday 30 October 2026
2pm – 3.30pm  
£10 per person* | Book Now
Suitable for ages 5+
Draw from a live model, exploring gesture, movement, shape and storytelling in this special life drawing class for families. Turn what you see into expressive drawings with quick sketches, big movements, curious observations and plenty of imagination. Led by York based artist and tutor Rob Oldfield, this session is set in our exhibition Turner, Wedgwood and Beyond: Inspired by Flaxman. 

Please note: Workshops are suitable for all abilities. Basic drawing materials will be supplied, but please feel free to bring your own too. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. The model will be fully-clothed during this session.

*Workshop tickets include entry to the exhibition and our wider permanent collections. 

Daily activities:  

Draw and Discover 
Daily 
10am – 4.30pm 
Included in general admission 
Suitable for all ages 
Discover our new Draw and Discover station, where budding artists can collect materials to draw and sketch with during their visit, using the artwork on display as inspiration for their own masterpieces.  

Art Shot Talks  
Daily  
11am and 2pm  
Included in general admission 
Suitable for all ages
Join a member of our Visitor Experience team for a short, insightful talk on their favourite artwork from the collection.  

Don’t miss our Not a Pot dressing up area, sensory toolkit and handling collection too!

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York Art Gallery is open Wednesday – Sunday.

Family saver tickets available and York resident children under 16 go free!  

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Looking for more ways to entertain the family throughout the half-term? Find out more about what’s on at our other sites.

What’s on this October Half-Term at the York Castle Museum

What’s on this October Half-Term at the Yorkshire Museum