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The home of science, arts and inspiration
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Image credit: Kate Moss, Fashion © Tim Walker. Marie Antoinette Style, V&A South Kensington. |
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Giant Apes and Autumn Adventures in South Kensington
South Kensington is buzzing with design, discovery and plenty of free events this month. The London Design Festival brings bold installations, workshops and talks to the V&A South Kensington, while the Design Museum hosts hands-on sessions and creative camps. Over at the Royal Geographical Society (With IBG), Australian artist Lisa Roet will unveil her striking 13-metre Great Ape installation - a powerful work connecting art, science and sustainability that coincides with the World Design Congress.
And that’s just the start... From IMAX screenings at the Science Museum and fascinating talks to spooky nights out at the Natural History Museum, your autumn culture fix starts here.
To top it off, we’ve teamed up with Chelsea Heritage Festival to give away two tickets to a Hidden Treasures Tour of Chelsea Physic Garden. Don’t miss your chance to explore one of London’s most enchanting green spaces.
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| Win 2x Tickets to a Hidden Treasures Tour of Chelsea Physic Garden |
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| We've partnered up with Chelsea Heritage Festival to offer you the chance to win two tickets to a Hidden Treasures Tour of Chelsea Physic Garden on Wednesday 24th September 2025! |
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| London Design Festival |
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V&A South Kensington
13th-21st Sept Various times |
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| Discover a series of contemporary installations, workshops, talks and more, exploring design’s response to crisis and urgent issues – from natural resource extraction, cultural heritage at risk, geo-political conflicts to AI. |
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| Coming Soon: David Hockney |
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Serpentine
12th March - 23rd August 2026 10am-6pm |
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| Serpentine is honoured to announce an exhibition of recent works by David Hockney. Presented at Serpentine North, the exhibition will showcase seminal works, shown in the UK for the first time. This event is free! |
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Image credit: Antoinetta, 2005 by Manolo Blahnik
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| Marie Antoinette Style |
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V&A South Kensington
20th Sept 2025 - 22nd March 2026 10am - 5:45pm |
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| A complex fashion icon, Marie Antoinette's timeless appeal is defined by her style, youth and notoriety. Explore the lasting influence of the most fashionable (and ill-fated) queen in history. |
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| Blitz: the club that shaped the 80s |
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Design Museum
20 Sept 2025 — 29 March 2026 10am-6pm |
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| Delve into the music, fashion, and design stories that shaped Blitz – the club, the people, and the movement that transformed 1980s London style. |
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| GREAT APE - Art, science and sustainability |
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Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
4th Sept - 14th Sept 10am-5pm |
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| A 13m Great Ape by artist Lisa Roet is coming to the Royal Geographical Society, with talks exploring art, science, and sustainability during London's Design Congress. |
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| Dunkirk (12A) |
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Science Museum
16 Oct & 27th Nov 7.15pm |
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| Christopher Nolan’s epic wartime thriller Dunkirk returns in stunning IMAX 70mm on one of the UK’s largest screens. |
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| Alicja Patanowska – The Ripple Effect |
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V&A South Kensington
13th Sept- 19th Oct 10am-5:30pm |
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| The Ripple Effect is a newly commissioned ceramic seating installation for the V&A South Kensington’s garden and pond, by artist and designer Alicja Patanowska. This event is part of London Design Festival. |
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| Digital Design Weekend 2025 |
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V&A South Kensington
19th - 21st Sept Various times |
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| Join artists and designers for a weekend of free workshops, immersive experiences and demonstrations exploring the intersection of art, design and technology. |
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| Experiments with Image / Exploring Food Culture |
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V&A South Kensington
27th Sept 10.30am – 4:30pm |
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| Join artist Chiizii for a free drop-in workshop to create a unique artwork to take home, inspired by your individual food culture. This event is free! |
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| October Design Camps |
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Design Museum
October Various times |
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| A programme of activities designed for children and young people to get creative, including our popular half-term Design Camps. |
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| Open House: The Institut français’ History – A Guided Tour |
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Institut français
20th Sept 2pm - 5:45pm |
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| Learn all about the Institut’s fascinating history and stunning Art Deco architecture including its Grade II listed library and recently renovated foyer with guided tours and an archives exhibition, as part of Open House London. This event is free! |
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| Star Wars: The Force Awakens in Concert (12A) |
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Royal Albert Hall
15th Nov 2:30pm or 7:30pm |
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| Experience Star Wars: The Force Awakens in concert with John Williams' score performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. |
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| Wish, Make, Celebrate! |
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V&A South Kensington
27th Sept – 1st Nov 11am-4pm |
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| Wish, Make and Celebrate is a new space for families to explore what brings you joy, through creating a wish, and celebrating the things that makes you happy! This event is free. |
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| Workshop: Make Seaweed Streamers with Bethan Laura Wood |
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Design Museum
13th Sept 11am-3pm |
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| Join designer Bethan Laura Wood as she guides you in creating swaying seaweed forms from laminated paper pieces and assembling your own designs. |
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| After:hours adult education |
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Imperial College London
Various dates and times |
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| Join adult education days and evening classes at Imperial. From humanities and science to art and creative writing. Open to everyone. |
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| Family Fun: Minibeasts and the Garden |
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Leighton House and Sambourne House
20th Sept 11am - 12:30pm & 2:30pm - 4pm |
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| Explore the Leighton House garden to see what minibeasts are living there, their habitats and how we can help provide places for them to live back at our own homes. Free museum entry for accompanying adult. |
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| Marina Willer x Pith: Sketching with Stickers |
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Design Museum
13th – 21st Sept 10am-5pm |
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| For this year's London Design Festival, Pith® and Marina Willer are collaborating to create an exhibition of expressive and playful sketchbooks, each containing an original artwork by Marina made of colourful stickers forming intricate compositions. |
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| Halloween at the Museum |
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Natural History Museum
31st Oct 7pm-12am |
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| Join the Museum for the most spooktacular night of the year! This Halloween we creak open our doors for an evening of beastly boogies and scary specimens. |
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| Courses for Children and Young Learners |
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Goethe-Institut
Various dates and times |
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| Vibrant, in-person German courses for children and teens aged 6-17. From beginner classes to creative options like Coding & German, young learners enjoy a hands-on, engaging approach to language learning – right here in South Kensington. |
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| Power Up Evening Session |
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Science Museum
16th Oct, 18th Nov & 12th Dec From 7pm |
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| The museum's sell-out adults-only Power Up evening sessions return this autumn with an out-of-this-world twist. |
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| Goethe-Kino: The Ordinaries by Sophie Linnenbaum |
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Goethe-Institut
24th Sept 7pm |
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| A lovingly dystopian cinema-fantasy as a parable about inequality, racism, and discrimination. Tickets are only £6! |
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| Gems of the Past: French Jewellery with Geoffray Riondet |
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Institut français
4th Sept 7pm |
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| Join acclaimed gemologist and jewellery historian Geoffray Riondet as he guides us through a glittering journey – from the delicate dormeuses earrings of the Napoleonic era to the bold geometry of the Art Deco period. |
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| Open House Festival at the Ismaili Centre |
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Ismaili Centre
21st Sept 10am-3:30pm |
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| Part of an international family of Ismaili Centres, this is a religious, cultural and social space for the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. This is an opportunity to join a free guided tour of the building, including the roof garden - a hidden gem. |
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| The Vault |
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Natural History Museum
Daily |
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| Some of nature's most unique and valuable treasures are on display in the Vault gallery. See the world's largest collection of coloured diamonds, discover gems that glow in the dark, and marvel at rare meteorites from out of this world. |
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| Fabricating futures: textiles, sustainability, and the cultural fabric of tomorrow |
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Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
10th Sept 7pm-8.30pm |
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| Inspired by Lisa Roet’s dramatic 13m great ape installation on the Society’s building, this series of talks will explore how fabric, one of humanity’s oldest technologies, is being reimagined through art, fashion and design for regenerative futures. |
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| Science Afternoon Tea |
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Science Museum
Available Thurs-Sun 12pm and 3pm |
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| Enjoy a luxury afternoon tea with a science-inspired twist. |
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Discover South Kensington is an initiative of the Exhibition Road Cultural Group, a partnership of the cultural and educational organisations in and around Exhibition Road, South Kensington.
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Our partners include:
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The Design Museum
Goethe-Institut
Imperial College London
Institut franҫais
The Ismaili Centre
Kensington Palace
Natural History Museum
Royal Albert Hall
South Kensington Estates
Royal College of Art
Westminster City Council
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Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Royal Brompton Hospital
Royal College of Music
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
The Royal Parks
Serpentine Galleries
The Science Museum
V&A South Kensington
The Royal Society of Sculptors
Japan House London
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