Keep visiting this page, as we will be updating it regularly
We have moved some of our links to our YouTube Channel so that you can see all of them together. We have a culture and creativity playlist , a reading playlist and some favourite channels
You can view and book our Winter programme of online events for adults and children here
Events and Activities
- Amnesty International York Group is organizing a creative writing competition around the theme of Locked. The deadline is 31 March 2021. Go to their website for further details, do wait as the page is slow to load.
- York Mind has launched its Mental Health and Well-being Activities Programme 2020-21 with a range of virtual and in person activities.
- York’s Festival of Ideas went digital this year and recordings of some of the events are still available.
- York artist Mim Robson has created #CreativeDiaryClub on Facebook where people can share what they are creating, large and small, successes and failures.
- Join Chris Bartram at the virtual NCEM for feel-good Cuppa and a Chorus sessions every Monday.
- We have two online reading groups you can join,
- You can sign up to Goodreads and join Explore York Reading Group
- You can join our Share the Joy group on Facebook, just search for the group and ask to join.
- Watch Ilkley Literature Festival’s digital events on demand until 30 November
- Collective Acts from York Theatre Royal including a Lockdown Legends Challenge
- Our downloadable colouring pack is for young and old alike. Using images of stained glass and original drawings from the archives of J W Knowles & Sons, there is something for all abilities.
- My VLF has ongoing author events, including York Literature Festival, and a book club.
- Virtual book events and reviews from the Bookseller’s BookGig
- The Lockdow LitFest started on 6 April and is ongoing
- How to Academy ongoing events, podcasts and videos
- Tiny Revolutions of Connection are activities to do at any time from Fun Palaces
- The East Riding Festival of Words poetry competition is now open for entries. This year’s theme is ‘My companion, my best friend’ and the deadline is 28 November.
Free e-books or online reading
- From Explore e-books and emagazines & newspapers
- A short history of Literary York
- Classics and books published before 1924 Project Gutenberg
Free e-audiobooks
- From Explore e-audiobooks
- BBC Sounds – Click on the latest episodes to find the whole series BBC Sounds audiobooks
- Audiobooks from LibriVox
Podcasts
- Thrilling tales – Seattle Public Library’s Storytime for Grownups.
- Women’s Prize for Fiction
- Penguin podcasts
- Damian Barr’s Literary Salon
- British Library podcasts
- The Spectator book club
Culture
- Google Arts and Culture – lose yourself for hours, also available as an app
- The Guardian links to 10 of the world’s best museum and gallery tours
- The Guardian links to 10 virtual tours of the world’s most famous landmarks
Music
- Royal Albert Home – artists present exclusive sessions from their homes to yours
- The Shows Must Go On – full length live musicals every Friday at 7pm, available for 24 hours only.
- Ticketmaster’s guide to finding the best live-streamed gigs
Theatre and Dance
- National Theatre Home – full length live plays every Thursday at 7pm, available for one week.
- Sadler’s Wells Facebook Premieres – a full-length dance every Friday at 7.30pm , available for one week
- Northern Ballet – pay as you feel digital season
Learning
- Free online courses from the Open University, supported by free e-books on Kindle