York Chocolate Festival 2026

About

The York Chocolate Festival returns to the city centre this Easter, offering five days of chocolate-themed activities, demonstrations and family-friendly experiences. Organised by York Food Festival, the event celebrates York’s rich confectionery heritage while providing a wide range of interactive and engaging attractions. Entry to the festival is free, making it accessible to visitors of all ages.

Dates: 1st to 5th April 2026

Artisan Chocolate Market and Taste Trail

Parliament Street will host a vibrant artisan chocolate market throughout the festival. Visitors can explore a diverse selection of stalls featuring chocolatiers, confectioners and food producers, offering a variety of handcrafted chocolate products.

• A wide range of artisan chocolates and sweet treats
• Opportunities to meet local producers
• Relaxed atmosphere with a festival bar and tasting experiences

The popular Chocolate Taste Trail will also return, inviting visitors to explore York’s independent businesses while sampling unique chocolate creations across the city.

Live Demonstrations and Interactive Experiences

St Sampson’s Centre will serve as a central hub for live demonstrations, tastings and hands-on activities. Skilled chocolatiers and pastry professionals will showcase their expertise, offering insight into chocolate-making techniques and industry knowledge.

• Live demonstrations from experienced chocolatiers
• Educational sessions on chocolate production
• Interactive tastings for visitors

Featured professionals include Michael Hjort and Sophie Jewett, who will share their skills and knowledge with festival audiences.

Family Activities and Workshops

The festival provides a variety of activities designed specifically for families and younger visitors. Free children’s sessions at St Sampson’s Centre offer a creative and educational introduction to chocolate.

• Free children’s activities and workshops
• Hands-on learning experiences
• Creative chocolate-themed sessions

On Parliament Street, children can take part in the Chocolate Egg Bar Making workshops, where they can create and decorate their own chocolate bars to take home.

Chocolate and Sugar Sculpture Gallery

This year’s festival will feature a dedicated Chocolate and Sugar Sculpture Gallery, showcasing detailed creations from leading pastry professionals. Award-winning chocolatier Ashley McCarthy will present a selection of chocolate showpieces and create a live sculpture inspired by horse racing during the event.

The gallery will also include sugar artistry from internationally recognised pastry chef Florian Poirot, winner of the Best Sugar Showpiece award at the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. Sugar work is a specialised craft in which cooked sugar is shaped into decorative forms using techniques such as moulding, pulling and blowing.

Celebrating York’s Chocolate Heritage

The York Chocolate Festival highlights the city’s longstanding connection to chocolate production while offering visitors the opportunity to engage with modern craftsmanship and innovation. According to Sophie Jewett of York Cocoa Works, the festival provides an opportunity to share knowledge of chocolate-making and inspire visitors to learn more about the industry.

With markets, demonstrations, workshops, sculpture displays and family activities taking place across five days, the York Chocolate Festival offers a comprehensive programme of events in a welcoming city-centre setting.