Your York BID 
York Nutcracker Trail
12th November 2026 - 3rd January 2027
Your York BID
York Nutcracker Trail
12th November 2026 - 3rd January 2027
A much-loved Christmas song is coming to the streets of York as the city’s Nutcracker Trail returns.
York Nutcracker Trail
The York Nutcracker Trail returns from 12th November 2026 to 3rd January 2027, with 12 giant nutcrackers waiting to be discovered.
This year, the collection is inspired by The Twelve Days of Christmas, from a partridge in a pear tree to twelve drummers drumming.
Funded by Costa Coffee, and delivered in partnership with Make It York, the trail invites families to wrap up warm and set off on a festive adventure.
How to Take Part
To get started, pick up your trail map from the Visitor Information Centre on Back Swinegate or from any business close to a nutcracker with a Nutcracker Trail window sticker. Find all 12 nutcrackers and collect their names on the trail map for your chance to win a £250 York Gift Card.
Count the musical notes painted across all 12 nutcrackers and answer the bonus question for a chance to win an art hamper filled with goodies from the artist MarcoLooks.
Submit your completed trail map to the Visitor Information Centre or post it in Santa's Post Box in York Museum Gardens to enter the prize draw.
About the Artist
This year's vibrant nutcrackers have been painted by local artist, Marc Godfrey-Murphy. Also known as MarcoLooks, he is well known for creating colourful and engaging illustrations, especially of our beautiful city of York.
You can go and buy his work right now at Fabrication on Feasegate, or from his website www.marcolooks.com.
Prize Draw T&Cs
The winners will be chosen at random by Monday 18th January 2027. Only entries with correct answers will be eligible. If no contact is made within 7 days, the winner will be redrawn.
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