A year of celebrations has been planned for 2012 to mark York’s 800th anniversary of self government.
The celebrations, entitled York 800, mark the anniversary of a charter, signed in 1212 by King John, allowing residents to collect and pay their annual tax to the Crown, to hold their own courts and to appoint a mayor.
As part of the festivities, the famous York Cycle of Mystery Plays will be held in August in the Museum Gardens. The outdoor plays, which have not been staged in the city since the 1980s, tell stories from history and will take place at a specially constructed 1,400-covered seat theatre.
A weekend of events will take place in July to mark the exact anniversary of the charter, and a New Youth Charter will be created.
Other events planned include York Stories, when residents will be able to record their own personal stories about the city; a Medieval Summer of events; Big City Read, featuring a medieval murder mystery set in The Minster and a community New Year’s Eve celebration.
Kersten England, chief executive of City of York Council, said: “I believe that York 800 is the most exciting reason for this city to be celebrating for a very long time, and we want as many people as possible to get involved in 2012.
“York people were given their voice in 1212 and we want them to use it to full effect this year. There will be so much happening that we hope that every resident will experience something related to York 800, that visitors will take away special memories of our city, and that businesses elsewhere will consider relocating to such a vibrant city.”