London’s home of science and arts
The Royal College of Music will, as ever, have a wide variety of amazing musical performances throughout the year. During Spring, catch acclaimed Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink conducting Mozart and Strauss concerts, a festival celebrating the launch of the RCM's brand-new organ, RCM alumnus Benjamin Britten’s much-loved opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream, or one of many other exhilarating and inspiring musical events.
Over at the V&A, the family-friendly Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring the Classic exhibition will be running until the start of April. From the end of April through to 2019 the Fashioned from Nature exhibition will explore the relationship between fashion and nature from 1600 to the present day, with more fashion following in Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up running from June to November. Other exciting events include the Future Starts Here and Videogame exhibitions, as well as the opening of a new photography centre in the Autumn.
The Science Museum’s fascinating Illuminating India exhibition will be running until March, joined by Superbugs: The Fight for our Lives running through to 2019. Also continuing this year will be the hugely popular Science Museum Lates, starting with Food and Drink on the 31st January, for over-18s only. For younger visitors, the Icy Cool Adventure storytelling event will take place throughout January and February, plus teenagers can visit the continuing interactive Engineer Your Future gallery to celebrate 2018 Year of Engineering.
Several exhibitions at the Natural History Museum will be running into 2018, including Venom: Killer and Cure, Whales: Beneath the Surface and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Additionally, there will be plenty of talks and lectures throughout the year, as well as an exciting selection of evening events including Crime Scene Live, Movie Nights at the Museum and even Dino Snores sleepovers for both kids and grown-ups!
At the Design Museum, a major exhibition on late fashion legend Azzedine Alaïa will take place in May, with Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008 – 2018, an exhibition focussed on political messages, starting in March. Entries to the Beazley Designs of the Year Contest are on view until February and next year's entries will be on view from September, and the HOME exhibition will be taking a look at the future of our domestic lives from November. Plus, free displays will include work from the Museum’s 2018 designers in residence, and the LOEWE Craft Prize nominees.
The Royal Albert Hall will be filling 2018 with a spectacular variety of events and performances including Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in Concert and the Festival of Science: Space, which will include talks, concerts and SciFi films in concert. There will also be some more casual (and unusual!) events including Classical Coffee Mornings, Live Music Brunch and Late Night Jazz and there's plenty to do for younger visitors as well, such as Jazz for Kids and Storytelling & Music Sessions.
A jam-packed art exhibition schedule awaits you at the Serpentine Galleries in 2018. Featured artists include Ian Cheng’s “live simulations”, a site-specific installation from Sondra Perry and the first Christo & Jeanne-Claude exhibition in a public London institution since 1979. Also see work from Tomma Abts and Pierre Huyghe, and an examination of art, design, commerce and display from Atelier E.B.
Hyde Park will also have plenty going on in 2018 – head over for craft workshops including natural dyes and willow animal sculptures, or build your survival skills with wild food and foraging, or campfire building. For the kids, try Discovery Days, Nature Explorers, or Hartbeeps sensory workshops for babies. And don’t forget Barclaycard presents British Summer Time Hyde Park in July!
Finally, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the wide variety of other events going on in South Kensington! From the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition at Kensington Palace, to events and cinema showings at the Institut Français, to music and lectures at Ognisko Polskie, there’s plenty to do in 2018 whatever your interests!
