Here’s what’s going on in York this week.
This week sees the return of York Literature Festival and York Community Choir Festival, celebrations for International Women’s Day, comedy at the Crescent with Rob Auton and Lucy Porter, and mire.
Take a look at our full guide below.
What’s on in York this week: Sunday 2 – Friday 7 March
All week
York Community Choir Festival 2025
Celebrating its tenth year, the Joseph Rowntree Theatre’s annual festival features choirs of all ages, with a wide variety of singing styles coming together in a unique concert each night. Across the week, at least four different choirs will sing in concert each night, performing well-known classical and modern popular songs with some show tunes, world music, folk song, gospel, jazz and soul all thrown into the mix. Listen out for songs linked to the theatre’s 90th birthday later this year!
- Joseph Rowntree Theatre, Haxby Road, York, YO31 8TA
- Sun 2 – Sat 8 Mar
- Various times
- More info
York Literature Festival
York Literature Festival is back for a whole month of literary event delights. Special guests for 2025 include Susie Dent, Matt Haig, and Susanna Clarke. Check out our guide here to see some of the highlights for this year’s festival.
- Various locations
- Thu 6 – Sat 29 Mar
- Various times
- More info
Tuesday
Myra’s Story
Direct from London’s West End and the four-time smash-hit at the Edinburgh Fringe, Myra’s Story tells the unforgettable tale of a middle-aged homeless alcoholic struggling to survive on the streets of Dublin as she begs from passers-by on the famous Ha’penny Bridge.
- Grand Opera House York, Cumberland Street, York YO1 9SW
- Tue 4 Mar
- 7:30pm
- More info
Wednesday
Wicked Women Printpoetry Workshop
In this Print Poetry workshop for York International Women’s Week, have a go at printing your own poetry broadside! Join poets Chloe Hanks and Becca Drake to explore the lives of historical women in York through poetry, before working together to write and print an illustrated broadsheet poem. How can we learn from the deeds of ‘wicked’ women in York’s history to move forward with strength and creativity?
- Spark:York, 17—21 Piccadilly, York YO1 9PB
- Wed 5 Mar
- 7-9pm
- More info
Burning Duck Comedy: Rob Auton
Award winning writer, comedian and actor Rob Auton brings his latest show ‘The Eyes Open and Shut Show’ to the Crescent. The Eyes Open and Shut Show is a show about eyes when they are open and eyes when they are shut. With this show Rob wanted to explore what he could do to himself and others with language when eyes are open and shut. After writing ten shows on specific themes, he wanted to think about what makes him open his eyes and what makes him shut them.
- The Crescent York, 8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
- Wed 5 Mar
- 7:30pm
- More info
QUEENZ: Drag Me To The Disco!
Join the gals for an electrifying, live vocal, drag-stravaganza, where Dancing Queenz and Disco Dreams collide for the party of a lifetime. After two trailblazing years of touring the country, a run in London’s West End, and accumulating countless 5-star reviews, Queenz has rapidly ascended as one of the world’s most successful drag shows.
- Grand Opera House York, Cumberland Street, York YO1 9SW
- Wed 5 Mar
- 7:30pm
- More info
Thursday
YorkMix International Women’s Day Networking Event
It’s the week of International Women’s Day and YorkMix are yet again celebrating this with a fun Networking event. This year we are very excited to be holding the event at The Hospitium in Museum Gardens, from 1pm until 3pm. There will be free refreshments, goody bags and the chance to get involved with a little quiz and win a great prize – above all else the room will be filled with inspirational and wonderful women in North Yorkshire to chat and connect with.
Take a look at what else is happening in York for International Women’s Day in our guide here.
- The Hospitium, Museum Gardens, Museum Street, York YO1 7FR
- Thu 6 Mar
- 1-3pm
- More info
Karen Hauer & Gorka Marquez – SPEAKEASY
Strictly Come Dancing professionals Karen Hauer and Gorka Marquez are thrilled to bring their all-new show SPEAKEASY to York Barbican in 2025. Unlock the door to an undercover world of elegance and iconic dance flavours. From the clandestine New York Speakeasy to the sultry Havana dance floors and from the Burlesque Cabaret Clubs of the mid-1900s to the glittering mirror balls of Studio 54, SPEAKEASY will be a delicious dance experience. Mamba, Salsa, Charleston, Foxtrot, and Samba the night away with our electrifying cast of world-class dancers, vocalists, and musicians.
- York Barbican, Paragon St, York, YO10 4AH
- Thu 6 Mar
- 7:30pm
- More info
Friday
Burning Duck Comedy: Lucy Porter
The irrepressible Lucy Porter bounces back into action with a show all about regrets. Frank Sinatra had too few to mention, but Lucy’s got hundreds, and she’s prepared to go into graphic detail about all of them. Disastrous dates, professional calamities, ruined friendships and parenting fails. Lucy describes all the mistakes she’s made, works out why they happened, and ponders how her life would have turned out if she’d acted differently.
- The Crescent York, 8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
- Fri 7 Mar
- 7:30pm
- More info