South Kensington
Natural History Museum London: Exhibitions and Events
Natural History Museum London exhibitions, talks and events. Free entry to the permanent collection, paid special shows. Updated daily.
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After the Fire: a Museum late
After the Fire: a Museum late at Bank of England Museum
Power Up evening session
Richmond Sustainability Forum: Climate Resilience (October 14 2026)
Jazz Dance in British Culture Exhibition Opening Event at St Margarets House
A. N. Wilson: The Wise and Their Works - The Legacy of the Great Exhibition of 1851
Once Upon an Invention (Ham)
An Introduction to Earthly Paradise
Introduction to Framing
Parent and Community Views on ADHD / Live Panel and Q&A
Light and Magic
Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography
Basic Forms: Reimagining Public Space
Creative encounters: Queer archives and zine making
STORIES
Black Coffee and Red Lipstick: Notes on Living
William Eggleston: All that goes unnoticed
Snap Happy! How Children Became Photographers
People's Emergency Briefing - On the Nature and Climate Crisis
Youth Arts Crafting Change
Yinka Shonibare and Thomas Gainsborough: A Conversation
Neoclassicism: Art, Ideas, and Influence
Altogether Without
Music is the Weapon: From Fela to Fuse
3 Evenings: Friday. Gazelle Twin, Lawrence Lek, Jenkin van Zyl, and more
Cindy Sherman
Lorna Simpson
Glenn Ligon: Prompts
Georg Baselitz: The Heroes 1965-66
Rosalind Nashashibi
Paul Pfeiffer: Pasodoble
Yuko Mohri: In Concert
How to understand Contemporary Art
Hyundai Commission: Tarek Atoui
The Constable bequest: A legacy of inspiration
The secret life of sewers
Black British Ballet
Marcel Broodthaers and Agnieszka Kurant
The Mayor Gallery at Frieze Masters 2026. Spotlight: William Klein
Paul Jenkins: As Above so Below
John Deare’s Edward and Eleanor marble relief
Richmond CVS Trustee Recruitment Event
Pub Quiz
Legacy Week: Free Guided Bequests Tour (15 Oct 2026)
Best of Halloween
Teddington & Hampton Wick Police Liaison meeting
Shonibare And Gainsborough
Sophie Birch
The Natural History Museum sits at the end of Cromwell Road in South Kensington, a terracotta Romanesque building that was designed to feel like a cathedral to science. That intention still lands. Walking through the central hall under the blue whale skeleton, you get a sense of scale that very few buildings in London can match.
Entry to the permanent galleries is free. That includes the dinosaur collection, the mineral vault, the Darwin Centre, and the human evolution rooms. Special exhibitions run alongside and usually carry a ticket price. Worth checking what is on before you go, because the temporary shows vary considerably in quality and subject.
South Kensington clusters three major museums within a short walk of each other: the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, and the V&A. If you are planning a day around the area, you can realistically move between two of them without feeling rushed. The tube station is directly outside, and the surrounding streets have plenty of cafes if you need to break between visits.
The museum also runs evening events, talks, and family days that sit outside the standard opening hours. These tend to draw a different crowd than the daytime visit and can be a good way to see the building and collections without navigating around school groups. The live feed below shows what is currently on near the museum and across London's wider exhibition and event calendar.
Venues to know
- V&A South Kensington 6 events this week
- Tate Modern 3 events this week
- Hauser & Wirth 2 events this week
- Thomas Dane Gallery 2 events this week
- The Photographers' Gallery 2 events this week
- Richmond Library Annexe 2 events this week
How this list is made
Listings are gathered from venue, organiser and ticketing sites and refreshed nightly. The list favours events with confirmed dates and real venues you can find on a map. Summaries are written with AI assistance and checked against the source listing, and prices and dates always come from the listing itself; we never guess.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Natural History Museum London free?
Entry to the permanent collection is free, including the dinosaur gallery, the blue whale hall, and the Darwin Centre. Special temporary exhibitions usually carry a separate ticket price. Check before you go as the paid shows change throughout the year.
What is the best time to visit the Natural History Museum?
Weekday mornings are quieter than weekends, and school holiday periods bring significantly larger crowds. The museum also runs evening events that offer a calmer way to see the galleries outside standard hours.
What events does the Natural History Museum run?
The museum hosts a regular programme of talks, family events, late-night openings, and temporary exhibitions. These sit alongside the permanent galleries and vary across the year. The live listings below surface current events at and around the museum.
How do I get to the Natural History Museum in London?
South Kensington tube station on the District and Circle lines puts you directly outside the museum. It is also walkable from Gloucester Road. The museum sits on Cromwell Road in SW7.
What else is near the Natural History Museum?
The Science Museum is immediately next door, sharing the same site boundary. The V&A is a short walk along Exhibition Road. Hyde Park is a few minutes north. South Kensington has a dense stretch of restaurants and cafes along Old Brompton Road.