We’ve got some excellent eerie news if you’re looking for something fun and free to do in York during October half-term. The Little York Ghost Hunt is back, and this year there will be even more ghosts to find!
The hunt is part of York Ghost Week 2026, which runs from Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November. This year’s programme is the biggest yet, with ghost hunts, family trails, storytelling, printing activities and plenty of free things to do. Here are our family highlights.
York Ghost Week
The Little York Ghost Hunt
The hugely popular Little York Ghost Hunt returns for three evenings during October half-term.
Join the search for Little York Ghosts hidden among the atmospheric streets surrounding York Minster. This is a seek-and-keep hunt, so if you’re lucky enough to find a genuine ghost, you can take it home!
There will be 250 ghosts hidden each evening, including 30 rare Willo Ghosts that glow softly when exposed to light. Most will be Ragamuffins, handmade ghosts with small imperfections that are ready to find new homes.
The hunt is completely free and no tickets are required. Maps will be available from York Ghost Merchants shops, participating venues and selected city-centre businesses from mid-October.
We go every year, and it’s lovely, although we’ve never managed to find a ghost! It’s a lovely excuse to explore York after dark and maybe go out for a family dinner too. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Ghosts are not suitable for children under three, and visitors are asked to take no more than one ghost each.
📅 Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October 2026, 6pm to 8pm
📍 Streets surrounding York Minster
🎟️ Free, no booking required
The Seed Ghost Search – Free!
Keep your eyes peeled for one of 400 tiny Seed Ghosts hidden around York throughout Ghost Week. Measuring just 15mm tall, they will be tucked into ledges, cracks and other little spaces within the official Ghost Week map area.
The ghosts will be hidden at different times of the day and night, and if you find one, it’s yours to keep. They are very small and are not suitable for young children.
📆 Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026
📍 Within the Ghost Week events map area
🎟️ Free, no booking required
Candlelit Mouse Hunt – Free!
Taking part in the Little York Ghost Hunt with younger children? Pop into Holy Trinity Church on Goodramgate for a slightly easier challenge. The historic church will be illuminated by candlelight, and children can borrow a torch to search for its famous church mice. Find them all to win a chocolate prize before heading back out to continue the ghost hunt.
📆 Monday 26 October 2026, 6pm to 8.30pm
📍 Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate, York, YO1 7LF
🎟️ Free, with donations welcome
Haunted Hall: Ghost Hunters at Barley Hall
Barley Hall needs some brave new recruits to help track down troublesome spirits from more than 2,000 years of York’s history. Young ghost hunters will join paranormal investigators on an interactive 45-minute adventure through the medieval hall. Expect mysterious happenings, historical ghosts and plenty of family-friendly fun. The experience is recommended for children aged six and over. Children must be accompanied by an adult, with a maximum of one adult per child.
📆 Saturday 24 to Saturday 31 October 2026
📍 Barley Hall, 2 Coffee Yard, York, YO1 8AR
🎟️ Children £15.50, adults £5.50
Ghosts of Station Hall at the National Railway Museum
Thirty handmade York Ghosts have taken up residence among the trains, carriages and displays inside the National Railway Museum’s restored Station Hall. Follow the family trail to find them and discover stories of railway folklore, remembrance, unusual cargo and extraordinary journeys, including Queen Victoria’s final railway journey.
Families can also enjoy daily storytelling, creative activities in the STEM Sheds and hands-on Halloween science in Wonderlab as part of the museum’s Echoes on the Line programme.
📆 Saturday 24 October to Sunday 1 November 2026, 10am to 5pm
📍 National Railway Museum, Leeman Road, York, YO26 4XJ
🎟️ Free museum admission. Wonderlab costs extra
The Little York Ghost Hunt is one of a few FREE activities running in and around York this October half term – take a look at our October half term guide for the best things going on around the city.
