The Little Vikings Awards 2024 shortlists announced! Voting is now open
Drumroll, please……We’re delighted to reveal the shortlists of the Little Vikings Awards 2024, sponsored by The Yorkshire Museum! Now in its ninth year, the Little Vikings Awards is the only awards scheme to reward the very best of family-friendly York, from the best family-friendly attractions in York to the best days out, tours, birthday parties, classes and places to eat.
As always, we’ve handed over the hard part – nominating and voting – to the people who count: you, the families. Thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to nominate your favourites: we had more nominations this year than ever before, which is amazing. Those with the most nominations have made it through to the finals – read on to find out who’s made it to the shortlists.
Now it’s back over to you to vote for the winners. The voting ends at midnight on New Year’s Eve, and we’ll announce the businesses that have been crowned York’s best for families in January. Huge thanks to this year’s sponsor, The Yorkshire Museum, and to each of our category sponsors Queen Ethelburga’s, Middletons Hotel, The Mount School, Delta Hotels by Marriott York, Bill’s York, Terrington Hall Prep School, Yorkshire Air Museum and York Leisure Centre.
THE 2024 FINALISTS
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD – Sponsored by Delta Hotels by Marriott York
These are the people and places that have been nominated by you for going the extra mile this year.
- – Wacky Warehouse Flying Legends for providing SEN sessions for children living with a disability in York and their families.
- – Lucy Corbally Yoga for providing a nurturing and supportive environment for mothers-to-be
- – Abigail Gaines, Charity Manager at Rowntree Park, for her Make Space for Girls campaign
- – Pure Swim York – despite some very difficult personal circumstances for owner Paula Stewart, who lost her husband to cancer, her team rallied around and continued to provide brilliant swimming lessons for all their swimmers.
BEST ATTRACTIONS – Sponsored by Middletons Hotel
BEST FAMILY ATTRACTION IN YORK
Piglets Adventure Farm
York Castle Museum
National Railway Museum
Murton Park
The Web Adventure Park
BEST FAMILY ATTRACTION (YORKSHIRE COAST)
Sewerby Hall
Whitby Abbey
Sea Life Scarborough
North Yorkshire Water Park
BEST FAMILY ATTRACTION (YORKSHIRE DALES)
Fountains Abbey
Mother Shipton’s
Forbidden Corner
Bolton Abbey
BEST FAMILY ATTRACTION (NORTH YORK MOORS)
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Dalby Forest
Woldies’s Lavender and Nature Farm
Castle Howard
Flamingo Land
BEST EXPERIENCES – Sponsored by York Leisure Centre
BEST RAINY DAY EXPERIENCE
National Railway Museum
The Web Adventure Park
York Leisure Centre
Rainbows Ceramics
The Hole in Wand
BEST CHOCOLATE EXPERIENCE
York’s Chocolate Story
York Cocoa Works workshops
Cocoa Joe’s
Hot chocolate at Wild Things Forest School
BEST SPOOKY EXPERIENCE
York Maze Hallowtween
The Bloody Tour of York
Deathly Dark Tours
York Dungeon walking tours
BEST FAMILY FESTIVAL
Deer Shed
Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta
JORVIK Viking Festival
York Pride
BEST CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE
Santa’s Sleigh Ride at Piglets Adventure Farm
Christmas at Castle Howard
North Yorkshire Moors Railway – Santa Special
Christmas at Murton Park
City Cruises’ Santa Cruise
Christmas Adventure at Stockeld Park
BEST MAGICAL EXPERIENCE
The Hole in Wand
The Wizard Walk of York
Cauldron experience at The Potions Cauldron
Northwood Trail
BEST TOUR OF YORK
The Wizard Walk of York
City Cruises
Deathly Dark Tours
The Bloody Tour of York
York City Sightseeing
BEST CLASSES FOR KIDS IN YORK – Sponsored by Terrington Hall Prep School
BEST BABY/TODDLER SWIMMING CLASS
Water Babies
Puddle Ducks
Swimming with Linzi
Pure Swim Yorkshire
York Swimming Academy
Baby Swimmers
BEST SWIMMING CLASS (4+)
Brightwater Swim School
York Sport
Coral Magson Swim School
Bootham Swim School
York City Baths Club
BEST ACTIVE CLASS
Gymnastics at The Little Gym
Kixx Football
Clip’n’climb at York Leisure Centre
Wild Things Forest School
BEST DRAMA CLASS
Story Craft Theatre
York Stage School
York Theatre Royal Youth Theatre
PQA York
BEST DANCE CLASS
En Pointe
Yorkshire Rose Academy of Dance
Jazzy J’s
Katie Ventress School of Dance
BEST PREGNANCY CLASS
For Modern Mothers – Pregnancy yoga
Lucy Corbally Yoga
For Modern Mothers – Hypnobirthing
Puddle Ducks aquanatal
BEST MUSIC CLASS
My Baby Can Dance York
Sing and Sign York
York Stage School – Yorkie Puds
Tiny Toes Music
BEST CREATIVE CLASS
Wild Things Forest School
Thunk-it Theatre
Story Craft Theatre
PQA York
BEST HOLIDAY CLUB OR CAMP
Camp QE
York Sport multisport camp
Yorkshire Rose Academy of Dance
York City Knights Foundation
BIRTHDAY PARTIES – Sponsored by Yorkshire Air Museum
BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY PROVIDER
The Web Adventure Park
York Leisure Centre clip’n’climb
Rainbows Ceramics
The Woodland Adventure Co.
BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY ENTERTAINER
Just Josh
The Wizard Walk of York
Janet & Cassie, Story Craft Theatre
Helen at Rainbows Ceramics
ENTERTAINMENT – Sponsored by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
BEST CINEMA
Vue
Everyman
City Screen
Cineworld
BEST THEATRE
York Theatre Royal
Grand Opera House York
Joseph Rowntree Theatre
BEST SHOP
Totally Awesome
The Potions Cauldron
Cots to Tots
The Blue House Bookshop
PLACES TO STAY – Sponsored by Queen Ethelburga’s
BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATION
Middletons
Delta Hotels by Marriott
No1 by Guesthouse
The Grand, York
Novotel York
BEST CAMPING/GLAMPING
Baxby Manor
Humblebee Farm
Jollydays
Allerthorpe Lakeland Park
Catgill Campsite
EATING OUT – Sponsored by The Mount School
BEST BREAKFAST
The Balloon Tree
Bluebird Bakery Acomb
Robinsons
The Pig & Pastry
BEST LUNCH
The Balloon Tree
Laughing Llama
Spark:York
Partisan
BEST SUNDAY ROAST
The Fat Badger
No1 York by Guesthouse
The Balloon Tree
Drovers Arms
BEST ICE CREAM
LICC
Trinacria
Roberto Authentic Italian Gelato
Two Hoots ice cream boat
BEST DATE NIGHT DESTINATION
Spark:York
Pairings Wine Bar
Sora, Malmaison
Everyman York
BEST STREET FOOD
YUZU street food
Shambles Kitchen
The Boatyard, Bishopthorpe
Shambles Market
BEST CAFE
The Dark Horse Espresso Bar
Brew & Brownie
Bluebird Bakery, Acomb
Robinson’s
CHILDCARE
BEST NURSERY
Dinky Groves Day Nursery
Little Green Rascals
Queens Kindergarten and Chapter House Nursery
York Campus Nursery
York Childcare
