As well as a six-acre site and over 20 heritage buildings to explore, we have a varied and creative programme of events and activities throughout the year, so do revisit this page as we are adding new events and activities all the time.
Making a Meal of it
OPEN NOW until 29 November 2026 (open Saturday to Thursday, closed on Fridays)
From the humblest cottage bakers, to the farmers and growers, how our ancestors fed themselves is a story of hard graft. Join us on a tantalising journey through the resilience, innovation and culinary creativity of the people of the past. Behind every bite and morsel, there is a story.
Discover… the story of the Sonley bakers from Kirkbymoorside, baking recipes of Museum founder Hannah Crosland, old beer brewers and bottlers of Ryedale, pig, poultry and beekeeping of the past and ways to cook and eat your Yorkshire Pudding – plus more!
This exhibition is included with admission to the Museum.
Simon Palmer - Yorkshire Landscapes
Saturday 16 May – Sunday 12 July (extended from the previously stated date of 5 July)
Open Saturday to Thursday, 10am-5pm. Closed on Fridays.
Free to visit (not within the paid area of the Museum).
You can also see Simon Palmer’s exhibition Back to Home Territory from 9 – 30 May 2026 at the Zillah Bell gallery in Thirsk.
Hob trail
Saturday 4 July – Sunday 13 September
Hobs have taken over the Museum! Hobs can be helpful and do your chores, but if you leave them unthanked they get up to all sorts of mischief…
Come along and see if you can spot them all. You’ll need to keep your eyes peeled and look up high and down low – they’re everywhere!
Sue Slack - Finding the Dramatic
Sue Slack is a landscape painter based in the North York Moors, where her work is inspired by a deep connection to the surrounding landscape. A keen runner and hiker, she draws creative energy from exploring the area close to home. Working outdoors, Sue embraces the immediacy of being in the landscape and the direct influence this has on her painting and drawing. In this exhibition, she presents a series of mixed-media works inspired by the hills, dales, and coastline of the North York Moors.
Wonder Wednesdays
Wednesdays 22 and 29 July, 5, 12, 19 and 26 August
Get stuck in with jobs around the Museum. Try your hand at butter making, wash day and Iron Age pottery on Wednesdays in the school holidays.
Check back later for the full timetable.
Arbeau Dancers
Saturday 8 August
Arbeau Dancers are a historical dance group based in West Yorkshire who perform dances from the fifteenth through to the nineteenth centuries.
There will be performances throughout the day – please check back later for a full timetable.
Reenactors at the Museum
Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August
Come and say hello to the reenactors – they’ll be pitching up outside the Manor House all weekend.
Explore their camp as you travel back in time, experiencing the sights, sounds and, yes, even the scents, of yesteryear.
Simon Crawford - Shining Lights of the North
Saturday 12 September – Sunday 1 November (open Saturday to Thursday, 10am – 5pm, 4pm in October and November. Closed on Fridays)
The Shining Lights of the North Way is a walking route that connects the Cistercian abbeys of Rievaulx, Byland and Fountains, following in the footsteps of the monks who once travelled between these significant religious sites. Over the last 12 months, Knaresborough-based artist, Simon Crawford, made his own ‘artistic pilgrimage’, sketching and painting each of the abbeys through the seasons. Inspired not only by the abbeys themselves, Simon revisited the same scenes captured by artists such as JMW Turner, John Sell Cotman and Thomas Girton.
“This exhibition is an exploration of the landscape in front of me, and my own feelings about a place, whilst being very aware of the ghosts of the artists who came before me.” Simon Crawford, 2026
Free to visit (not within the paid area of the Museum).
Bee Skep Making Workshop
Saturday 19 September – 10.30am – 4.00pm
Join Museum volunteer and skep-maker, Jim Wood and learn how to make a bee skep in this one day workshop. You’ll find how to soak and bind long straw and learn how to create a skep’s continuous coil (known as lipwork), using cane lapping to keep the coil together.
Skeps have been used for hundreds of years for keeping colonies of honey bees, but diminished in popularity with the growth of moveable frame hives. Skep making is now considered an endangered heritage craft in the U.K.
All materials and tools will be provided, and you will be able to take away your skep at the end.
Arrival from 10.00am, with tea/coffee (included). Workshop begins at 10.30am. There will be a lunch break of approximately 45 minutes. The workshop will end at 4.00pm.
Lunch is not included. Please bring a packed lunch. Please wear appropriate clothing.
£75.00pp – book using the link below. Course limited to six participants.
Autumn
Saturday 26 September – Thursday 5 November
The change of seasons from the end of summer and harvest and the beginning of winter was marked by the Celtic festival Samhain, which evolved into Hallowe’en.
Join us as we mark the start of autumn with seasonal displays around the museum and explore the folklore and traditions surrounding Hallowe’en
- discover ‘apotropaic’ or protective markings that were used to protect the home against evil
- learn about the importance of orchards and apples
- explore the traditions of trick or treat
A Haunting at the Museum
Saturday 17 October – Thursday 5 November
The Museum’s haunted! Are you brave enough to go ghost hunting?
Hallowe’en is the time of year when the veil between the world and dead is at its thinnest. Ghosts have appeared all around the museum in all shapes and sizes. Can you count them all?
Museum After Dark
Tuesday 27 October & Wednesday 28 October, 4pm-7pm
A special late opening at Ryedale Folk Museum, where you can experience the Museum after dark. A selection of the museum’s buildings will be open for you to explore. Wander through the museum spaces after dark this autumn and savour the atmosphere of this special time of year.
Annual passes are valid for this event or you can purchase an After Dark ticket for £6 on the night, valid from 4pm.
Trick or Treat
Friday 30 October
On Friday 30 October, our historic homes will awaken for All Hallows’ Eve…
Step into the lamplight, knock if you dare, and meet our kindly hosts with treats on offer… and of course, the odd little trick. (You wouldn’t have it any other way!)
Join us for this very special, family event, perfect for children aged 4 to 11. The ‘Trick or Treat Experience’ lasts approximately 45–60 mins, but make sure you leave extra time for a hot drink and cupcake too (included in all tickets).
Please note: the Museum is closed on Fridays and will only be open for this event. There will be no other access to the museum that day. Annual passes are not valid for this event.
Tickets and further details available soon.
