Free Events in South Kensington

Visit the V&A's amazing collection of ceramics, first opened in 1868. The galleries include the stunning Ceramic Staircase which was designed by Frank Moody, a master in the Schools of Design, together with his students.

This display shines a light on the diverse kinds of energy in photography, from the hidden processes intrinsic to creating a picture, to the subjects in front of the camera.

If you’re planning your trip to South Kensington, why not take a look at our brand new walking map, created in collaboration with Footways. Get off the tube a stop early and explore London’s home of arts, science and inspiration by foot.

Inside the Cocoon see hundreds of Museum specimens. Marvel at beetles and butterflies, metre-high plants, huge tarantulas and historic herbaria.

Fun, free things to do in a park, on the street, or anywhere outdoors.

Rediscover the newly refurbished V&A’s Raphael Court - home to the iconic Raphael Cartoons. Commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X for the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, they depict the lives of the apostles, Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

Follow this self-led trail to discover some of the objects on display at the Science Museum that tell stories of queer communities, experiences, and identities.

Each summer, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 holds an Albertopolis event in partnership with the BBC World Service bringing together three ground-breaking engineers and a public audience.

The Royal College of Music's Museum offers a unique opportunity to interact with over 500 years of musical history. Items include the world’s oldest guitar and earliest keyboard instrument with strings. Enjoy a tour of the Museum, led by their knowledgeable team on Wednesdays at 12:30pm.

The collections document current practice and the history of all areas of performing arts in the UK, including drama, dance, opera, circus, puppetry, comedy, musical theatre, costume, set design, pantomime, popular music and much more...

This first major exhibition of Frederic Leighton’s work, following the reopening of the museum in October 2022, will focus on the artist’s production of small en plein air landscape sketches, created between 1850 up until his death in 1896.

The V&A will be holding free, open sessions every Monday (except bank holidays) in the National Art Library. A member of the Library or Archives staff will introduce the history and purpose of the Library and talk about an item from their collections.

Contemporary metalworking is a dynamic field and today’s metalsmiths continue a long tradition of experimentation in a range of metals to create exciting and innovative work. This display highlights a selection of work by metalsmiths from across the world that have been collected by the V&A since 2010.

Accompanying the retrospective exhibition 'Enzo Mari Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli', this free display will showcase the work of 14 London-based designers, studios and collectives whose work shares an affinity with Mari's work.

Discover how the world can generate and use energy more sustainably to limit climate change in the Science Museum’s new, free gallery. Energy Revolution looks at the past, present and future of sustainable energy and how we can achieve a low carbon world.

Last Saturday of the month, except December. Join the V&A Volunteer Guides to explore gender and sexual identities through a selection of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus objects in the V&A’s rich and surprising collections.

Discover the world’s oldest collection of timepieces at the Science Museum. See over 600 watches and clocks charting the history of clock making in London.

Discover the world’s oldest collection of timepieces at the Science Museum. See over 600 watches and clocks charting the history of clock making in London.

Five townhouses in South Kensington hosts a year-round free programme of diverse, interdisciplinary exhibitions and events across beautiful gallery spaces, open to all.

Fables for our Time is a triptych of stories about environmental urgencies, that uses folktales and a new collection of emoji to examine humanity’s relationship with the natural environment.

Come and join the Parks and take part in a host of free creepy crawly Autumn and Halloween-themed activities.

Take a mouth-watering journey through the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of shokuhin sanpuru – the unexpectedly realistic food replicas displayed in front of restaurants across Japan.

Marking 100 years since Gabrielle Enthoven founded the theatre and performance collection, explore an A–Z of themes to show how performance continues to entertain, provoke and inspire

Equipped with a mixed reality headset, be transported a century into the future to explore what could lie ahead for the planet.