Make it York looks back over its winter events for 2025-26

The destination management organisation said the events were popular with visitors and gave the city economy a winter boost during a quieter period.

Make it York says such events help make York an all-year attraction as well as strengthening community participation.

The York Ice Trail during February 6-7 featured 36 ice sculptures across the city centre with an ‘Enchanted City’ theme.

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Created by Icebox, a leading ice sculpturing company, each sculpture was sponsored by a local business, highlighting local support.

New for 2026, the Ice Village introduced a marketplace of handcrafted gifts, artisan products and seasonal treats, to improve the visitor experience and encourage people to stay longer.

The Ice Festival (Image: Kevin Glenton)

The event recorded over 63,770 footfall counts across Micklegate and Parliament Street during the weekend. Despite overall city centre footfall being 26% lower than 2025, Make it York says visitor satisfaction remained exceptionally high.

Some 94% of visitors said they were satisfied with their overall experience, with 97% stating they would attend again. The event achieved an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 from 272 surveyed attendees  

Most visitors (82%) travelled to York on a day trip, while 18% stayed overnight.

Traders, sponsors and volunteers were happy, with strong takings reported.

Visitors described the sculptures as “brilliant”, “beautiful” and “a fabulous family day out”, with many calling for the event to continue. 

The York Residents Festival, held over the weekend of January 31 and February 1 was the most successful to date.

It featured a record 86 exclusive offers- a 23% increase on the 70 of last year, giving residents free access to various York attractions.

Make it York reports a strong take-up of pre-booked tickets for a second consecutive year, resulting in a significant growth in online engagement and an 8.6% increase in click-throughs from Visit York to partner websites. 

York Christmas Market (Image: Make it York)

Those taking part enjoyed higher footfall and strong January trading.

York’s 2025 Christmas Market ran from November 13 to December 21, supporting regional traders and strengthening the winter economy, Make it York said.

Though footfall fell almost a quarter to less than a million in Parliament Street, Make it York cites success with new traders and 85% being from Yorkshire.

Daily Quiet Time sessions and a Quiet Oasis also helped make the event accessible to all, it said.

To boost sustainability, visitors were also encouraged to use public transport, park & ride, or cycles, with storage available.

Sarah Loftus, Managing Director of Make It York, said: “From the continued success of York Ice Trail to the growing impact of York Residents’ Festival and another outstanding York Christmas Market, it’s been fantastic to see such strong support from both residents and visitors. 

“We’re already looking forward to welcoming everyone back!” 

Further information about upcoming events can be found at visityork.org