The York Dungeon runs two thousand years of the city's worst moments past you in about seventy-five minutes, performed by live actors across a series of interactive shows with full sets, special effects and a lot of very dark jokes. Eboracum drags you back to Roman York. The Vikings arrive, and their Saxon enemies fare badly. The Plague House is exactly as unpleasant as it sounds. You'll meet Guy Fawkes on home turf, encounter the local witch Isabella Billington, and find that the highwayman Dick Turpin is once again prowling the area and eyeing your valuables. The Torture Chamber gets a demonstration. There's no ride here — the pull is the cast and the storytelling. It's genuinely dark but consistently funny, and the actors never chase or touch you. Groups enter on fifteen-minute timed slots. York also runs seasonal programming through the year, including Halloween events, Guy Fawkes shows, a family walking tour, and Dungeon Lates, an adults-only Saturday-night edition. Check the ticket link for what's running when.
Audience Role
You are cast as a condemned peasant — York's own word for its visitors. Your group is led through in sequence, questioned and singled out by actors, threatened with torture and robbed by a highwayman. Participation is invited rather than compulsory, and anyone who would rather not be picked on can hang back.
Ages: 10 +
Content Advisories
Interaction Advisories
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7
Events
1
Years on EI
About Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments is a global attractions operator and the company behind The Dungeons — a family of actor-led immersive attractions that dramatise the darkest chapters of a city's history through live theatrical shows, 360-degree sets, special effects and thrill rides. Dungeon sites run in London, Edinburgh, Blackpool, York, Amsterdam, Berlin and Hamburg, with additional Dungeon attractions inside Alton Towers and Warwick Castle. Merlin's wider portfolio includes Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE, LEGOLAND Parks and Alton Towers Resort.