York Maze has revealed its 2026 maze design, and this year it is built as a giant tribute to Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. Tom Pearcy has cut more than 5km of pathways through his 15-acre field of over a million maize plants to make the design, which opens to visitors from Saturday 11 July.
The maze’s centrepiece is a 100m-wide image of David Attenborough, framed by an elephant, a tiger and a gorilla. Pearcy said he grew up watching Attenborough’s nature programmes and called him an icon of British broadcasting, adding that he is honoured to contribute to the birthday celebrations.
The scale is hard to miss. York Maze says its site covers an area the size of eight Wembley football pitches and is believed to be the biggest maze in Europe and one of the largest in the world. This is Farmer Tom’s 24th maze design, following previous themes including Toy Story, The Gruffalo, Lego, Star Wars, Doctor Who and The Lion King.
Visitors will have to work for the full experience. The Sir David Attenborough 100 years on Planet Earth Maze includes six viewing platforms, special photo points with life-size animal models and seven animal sculptures hidden among the maize plants for those who want to follow their own animal adventure.
The tribute was first announced in May 2026, but the completed design has only now been unveiled ahead of opening day. The timing leaves one practical question hanging over the celebration: the maze is presented as a 100th birthday tribute, yet its run begins on 11 July and continues until Thursday 3 September 2026, when the crop is harvested after the public season ends.
For York Maze, the headline feature is not just a name on a field. It is a short summer window to see a record-sized portrait before the maize is cut down, and the hidden animals and platforms mean the maze is meant to be explored from above and on foot. By the time it closes, the tribute will have done its job exactly once.
