2024: 40 Years of Wows
2024 marked 40 years since JORVIK opened its doors. The year was filled with celebrations, including a new logo, walking tours, lectures, and a memorable winter adventure.
Marking the Milestone
JORVIK kicked off the anniversary with a rebrand of its main logo, modernizing the classic design for the 21st century. A special anniversary logo celebrating 40 years of ‘wows’ also appeared along Coppergate Walk and outside JORVIK.
For the first time in 40 years, the legendary queue around St Mary’s Square was gone, thanks to a move that required visitors to prebook time slots for their visit. Inside, visitors enjoyed additional talks, presentations, new displays, and even a replica Viking house built in the gallery!
As part of the celebration, JORVIK launched a free audio tour, A Journey Through Viking York. The immersive experience highlighted key locations in the 10th-century Viking city. Participants walked through York’s city centre, listening to stories from Viking characters, including a warrior from the Great Heathen Army, a trader, a skald (Norse storyteller), and a priest who explained the shift from paganism to Christianity.
40 Years of JORVIK
To commemorate the anniversary, York Archaeology recorded interviews with original project team members in 2023 and 2024. The resulting short film, first shown at the 2025 JORVIK Viking Festival, featured excerpts from these interviews alongside newly digitized archive material. Together, they shared the story of how this groundbreaking attraction came to life.
The full interviews are now part of the York Archaeology archive. They offer a valuable resource for researchers exploring the museology of the 1980s and the growth of the heritage industry.
A Winter Adventure
The ride at JORVIK is typically set during spring in AD 960, but in November 2024, snow fell for the first time on the experience. Inspired by archaeological finds, such as bone ice skates, the ride recreated what York might have looked like during a Viking winter.
Before embarking on their frosty journey, guests were introduced to the archaeology of the Coppergate site. They discovered how Viking-age residents cared for livestock, sourced food, and stayed warm during harsh winters.
Visitors then boarded the Time Sleighs for an unforgettable trip back to a winter morning in AD 960. Snow blanketed every roof, from the quayside to the market stalls, while a new lighting scheme of blue and turquoise created a cool, atmospheric backdrop as Viking-age residents went about their daily routines in the chill.
After experiencing the cold streets, visitors found warmth in the gallery, where a reconstructed 10th century house with a crackling fire provided the perfect setting for winter-themed tales of gods and monsters. Here, a Norse skald shared stories and insights about the skills and tools needed to survive the colder months.
By the end of the anniversary year, it was clear: JORVIK’s mission to innovate, discover, experience, and explore was still going strong.
