the home of science, arts and inspiration

What's On

Christmas 2025

Opens 1st Dec
Various times
V&A South Kensington
Map
Visit Website

Experience the magic of Christmas at the V&A South Kensington with a month of spectacular displays, installations, family activities, film screenings, performances and more.

Christmas at the Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall
Map
Visit Website

Find out what's on at London's most iconic music venue this Christmas! A feast of entertainment with all the trimmings!

Christmas Late Opening

12th Dec
5:15pm-10pm
Science Museum
Map
Visit Website

Join us for awe-inspiring shows, festive treats and, of course, Christmas shopping.

Christmas quiz: London

18th Dec
7.30pm-10.00pm
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Map
Visit Website

Get ready for a holly, jolly evening filled with festive cheer and brain-teasing fun at our Christmas quiz organised by the London regional committee!

Christmas Shopping in South Kensington

South Kensington
Visit Website

This festive season, make your Christmas shopping an experience to remember! South Kensington’s iconic museums and galleries are brimming with one-of-a-kind treasures. Gifting a museum membership is a thoughtful way to share access to world-class exhibitions, exclusive events, and year-round inspiration.

Christmas with the Royal Choral Society

15th Dec
2:30pm & 7:30pm
Royal Albert Hall
Map
Visit Website

Join the Royal Choral Society for a concert of festive songs, carols old and new and, of course, traditional favourites for you to join in with!

Ciné Lumière

Various
Institut français
Map
Visit Website

Showcasing the best of foreign film - it screens a mix of French, European and Global films - with subtitles.

Ciné Lumière for under 25's

Institut français
Map
Visit Website

If you love cinema, and you’re 25 years old or under, Ciné Lumière For A Fiver is for you! Whether you want to see the latest releases or discover French classics, attend special Q&As or explore world cinema, enjoy discounted tickets with no booking fees.

Cirque du Soleil's OVO

9th Jan - 1st March
Various times
Royal Albert Hall
Map
Visit Website

The bugs are back in town. The critically acclaimed OVO by Cirque du Soleil returns to the Royal Albert Hall in January 2026. An exhilarating experience for the whole family, the classic is back and better than ever.

Climate Change Action Through Dance: Aziza Jaffer

Online
Ismaili Centre
Map
Visit Website

Aziza Jaffer is a Bollywood choreographer and dance instructor in Bujumbura, Burund, who teaches dance, and through dance hopes to create awareness of the consequences our actions have on the environment.

Cocoon

Daily
Monday-Sunday 10am-5:50pm (last entry 5pm)
Natural History Museum
Map
Visit Website
Free

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

Coming Soon: David Hockney

12th March - 23rd August 2026
10am-6pm
Serpentine
Map
Visit Website

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!

Courses for Children and Young Learners

Various dates and times
Goethe-Institut
Map
Visit Website

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.

Create and Make At Home

Online
Design Museum
Map
Visit Website
Free Online

Enjoy a family Create and Make workshop at home. Colour, cut and build to create your own Design Museum exhibition. Colour, cut and build to create your own Design Museum exhibition. Bring the Design Museum to you by building your own furniture exhibition.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: THE DELUSION

30th Sept 2025 - 18th Jan 2026
10am-6pm
Serpentine
Map
Visit Website

Artist and game designer Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley invites visitors into a post-apocalyptic world shaped by a catastrophic event—the Day of Division. Visitors will be welcomed into an immersive installation that blends history, religious and spiritual symbols and elements of horror. This event is free!

Dawnosaurs Online: Minibeasts

Online
Natural History Museum
Map
Visit Website

Dawnosaurs Online is a set of free online activities aimed at children with neurodiverse conditions including autism and other sensory processing difficulties. Enjoy fun, educational resources, including a special visit to Ranger Stu's zoo

Design 1900-Now Gallery

Wednesday–Sunday, 10.00–17.45
V&A South Kensington
Map
Visit Website
Free

A gallery exploring how design shapes how we live, work, travel, communicate and consume. The gallery includes Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir’s iconic British road signage system, Kim Kardashian’s Selfish book and Nike’s Nigeria football shirt for the 2018 World Cup.

Image credit: ‘Rebirth’ Garments. Sandra Oviedo (a.k.a.) Colectivo Multipolar

Design and Disability

7th June 2025- 15th Feb 2026
10am - 5:45pm
V&A South Kensington
Map
Visit Website

Both a celebration and a call to action, this exhibition showcases the radical contributors of disabled, Deaf, and neurodiverse people and communities to design history and contemporary culture. Tickets are now on sale.

Design at the Design Museum

Design Museum
Map
Visit Website

For the Design Museum, design is a continually evolving subject which it explores through its exhibitions programme, publishing, permanent collection, learning and research activities. Find out more about the design of some of the most iconic objects from Concorde, to London Transport.

Design Museum Shop Christmas Gift Guide

Design Museum
Map
Visit Website

Channel your inner interior designer and transform your space into a winter wonderland with classic and contemporary decorations from all the wonderful designs that are on offer at the Design Museum Shop this Christmas!

Designer Maker User

Open daily
10am– 5pm Mon to Thurs, 10am – 6pm Friday to Sun
Design Museum
Map
Visit Website

Designer Maker User, the Design Museum's only permanent exhibition, features almost 1000 items of twentieth and twenty-first century design viewed through the angles of the designer, manufacturer and user, including a crowdsourced wall.

Dining at The Kensington

The Kensington
Visit Website

The natural charm of the hotel’s Drawing Rooms with their open fireplaces, colourful artwork and pretty objects d’art, provide the ultimate in luxurious yet relaxed living. The Drawing Room offers hotel guests and visitors an enticing selection of fresh, seasonal, locally-sourced menus throughout the day, including a quintessentially English Afternoon Tea.

Dino Disco for Kids

19th Dec
7am-9pm
Natural History Museum
Map
Visit Website

What could be better than a dino disco? Join us for the best party in town! Bring along the kids, show off your Jurassic jive and listen to your favourite tunes at our family-friendly headphone disco.

Dino Snores for Grown Ups

10th Jan & 20th Feb 2026
6:30pm-10am
Natural History Museum
Map
Visit Website

Enjoy a night of fun, food, science, movies and music at the Natural History Museum's sleepover, Dino Snores for Grown ups.