| |
| |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
Image credit: Serenditpity Arts |
|
| |
Explore June Highlights Across South Kensington
South Ken is set for a vibrant start to summer, with architecture, design, performance and playful family adventures unfolding throughout June.
The month begins with the London Festival of Architecture (1st - 30th June), bringing walks, installations and fresh ways to see the city’s built environment. As part of the programme, we'll be leading our South Ken Climate & Biodiversity Walk, exploring how local institutions are working together to tackle climate and biodiversity challenges.
Creativity continues across the neighbourhood as Serendipity Arts arrives in South Ken (5th - 7th June), including a special appearance at the Science Museum Lates and a lively puppet performance along Exhibition Road.
On 6th - 7th June the Great Exhibition Road Festival returns for a free weekend packed with talks, performances, workshops and hands-on experiences. Marking 175 years since the Great Exhibition of 1851, this year's programme features many highlights, such as live sand sculpting of the Crystal Palace, Main Stage performances and themed zones, including the Family Fun Zone in Kensington Gardens.
We also have another fantastic competition this month, with two tickets to be won for Lewis Capaldi at American Express presents BST Hyde Park. Don’t miss your chance to enter!
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| WIN tickets to see Lewis Capaldi at BST Hyde Park |
We’ve teamed up with The Royal Parks to give one lucky winner a pair of general admission tickets to Lewis Capaldi’s sold out show on Saturday 11th July 2026 in Hyde Park. Known for his powerful vocals and emotional anthems, Capaldi will take to the Great Oak Stage for what promises to be one of the standout nights of the summer. |
read more 
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| The Great Exhibition Road Festival |
| |
| 6th - 7th June 2026 12 pm - 6 pm |
Join us on 6-7 June 2026 to celebrate science and the arts! Expect a weekend packed with free exciting events for all ages: from hands-on workshops and inspiring talks to immersive performances and art installations. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| London Festival of Architecture 2026 |
| |
| 1st - 30th June 2026 |
South Ken Culture Quarter and High Street Kensington join together as an LFA Neighbourhood in this year's London Festival of Architecture. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| Innovation Lates at the Science Museum |
| |
Science Museum
5th June 2026 6.30 pm - 10 pm |
| |
| Join a free special Lates bringing together music, making and ideas inspired by innovation from India, in collaboration with Serendipity Arts and part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival celebrating creativity, innovation and exchange. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| The Crystal Palace Sandcastle |
| |
Great Exhibition Road Festival
6th - 7th June 2026 12 pm - 6 pm |
| |
| To mark 175 years since the Great Exhibition of 1851, a monumental sand sculpture of Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace will be built live across the Festival weekend. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| South Ken History Tours |
| |
South Ken Culture Quarter
6th - 7th June 2026 Sat: 12 pm & 2 pm; Sun: 3 pm |
| |
| Join us at the Great Exhibition Road Festival to discover some of the secrets behind the brilliant facades of Exhibition Road in London’s famous arts and science district! |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Image credit: © Canva / Dickinsons
|
| |
| Experience the Great Exhibition of 1851 in the Crystal Palace in VR |
| |
Goethe-Institut
6th - 7th June 2026 12pm - 6pm |
| |
| To mark 175 years since the Great Exhibition of 1851, researcher and digital designer Keith Wood is bringing his VR simulation of the event to the Goethe-Institut in London. Drop in to the library on the first floor and visit the 1851 exhibition in person! |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| Friday Late: Rituals of Becoming |
| |
V&A South Kensington
26th June 2026 6.30 pm - 10 pm |
| |
| Rituals are portals to ancestral wisdom, collective resonance, and belonging. Drawing on diasporic memory, colonial histories, and contemporary culture, this Friday Late gathers artists reinventing what spirituality might become. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| The Invisible Connections Between Distant Places |
| |
Japan House London
5th June 2026 6.30 pm - 7.45 pm |
| |
| Discover connections that transcend space and time through the lens of Iwane Ai, one of the two featured photographers in Japan House London's new exhibition Kyotographie: Kawada Kikuji x Iwane Ai. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Image credit: Portrait copyright NIGO®
|
| |
| NIGO: From Japan with Love |
| |
the Design Museum
1st May – 4th Oct 2026 Mon to Thur: 10 am – 5 pm; Fri to Sun: 10 am – 6 pm |
| |
| Explore the vision and legacy of Japanese designer and creative director NIGO – from street style to music and beyond, in the first UK exhibition showcasing his multifaceted creative work, alongside vintage objects and traditional crafts from his personal collection. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| Oceanic Global Short Film Festival: London Premiere |
| |
Institut français
22nd June 2026 7.30 pm |
| |
| A showcase of award‑winning short films from the Oceanic Global Short Film Festival, exploring human connections to the ocean through powerful storytelling. The screening is followed by a discussion with filmmakers and special guests. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Image credit: The Bald Eagle, Mark Catesby, 1722–26 © Royal Collection Trust
|
| |
| Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation |
| |
Science Museum
23rd Oct 2026 - 25th Apr 2027 10 am - 6 pm |
| |
| Marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation, supported by Griffin Catalyst will uncover the science that shaped and was shaped by land, peoples and power towards the emergence of the United States. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Image credit: © LANZA atelier. Photo Iwan Baan. Courtesy Serpentine.
|
| |
| Serpentine Pavilion 2026 by LANZA atelier |
| |
Serpentine
Until 25th Oct 2026 |
| |
| This year's Serpentine Pavilion has been designed by the Mexican architecture studio LANZA atelier, founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo. The crinkle-crankle wall derives its stability from its curving form, requiring fewer bricks than a straight wall. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Image credit: The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Image courtesy of Will Price
|
| |
| Building Leighton House |
| |
Leighton House and Sambourne House
11th June 2026 1 pm - 2 pm |
| |
| Join Senior Curator Daniel Robbins for a tour of Leighton House and discover the artist’s remarkable home, including the spectacular Arab Hall, with entry to The Arab Hall: Past and Present exhibition. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| BST Hyde Park Open House |
| |
The Royal Parks
29th June - 2nd July & 6th - 9th July 2026 Times vary |
| |
| Running for two weeks, from Monday 29 June to Thursday 2 July and from Monday 6 July to Thursday 9 July, Open House offers free entry to BST Hyde Park with a range of events and activities for all. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| From Lebanon to the Frontlines with Sorj Chalandon & Fergal Keane |
| |
Institut français
20th June 2026 4.30 pm |
| |
| Award-winning journalist and novelist Sorj Chalandon joins BBC correspondent Fergal Keane for a conversation on war and storytelling. The evening will conclude with a book signing, with copies available for purchase onsite. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Image credit: ©Wolfgang Ennenbach, Alamode Film
|
| |
| Goethe-Kino - Ido Fluk: Köln 75 |
| |
Goethe-Institut
2nd July 2026 7 pm |
| |
| Quirky and often breathless, Köln 75 tells the story behind one of jazz history’s most famous concerts. In 1975, eighteen-year-old Vera Brandes defied the odds to organise Keith Jarrett’s legendary Köln Concert. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| Strings Festival |
| |
Royal College of Music
28th June 2026 11 am |
| |
| From soaring melodies to complex harmonies, pizzicato to vibrato, experience a day brimming with music and the full brilliance of the RCM Strings Faculty! |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| The Last Princesses of Punjab |
| |
Kensington Palace
Until 8th Nov 2026 10 am - 6 pm from Mar to Oct 2026; 10 am - 4 pm from Nov to Feb 2026-7 |
| |
| Discover the story of Punjabi princess and suffragette icon, Sophia Duleep Singh and five women who shaped her extraordinary life, in a new exhibition at Kensington Palace for 2026. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| The Sleeping Beauty |
| |
Royal Albert Hall
25th - 28th June 2026 2:00pm, 2:30pm, 7:00pm & 7:30pm |
| |
| Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s exquisite production of The Sleeping Beauty comes to the Royal Albert Hall for the first time. |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
South Ken Culture Quarter is an initiative of the Exhibition Road Cultural Group, a partnership of the cultural and educational organisations in and around Exhibition Road, South Kensington.
|
Our partners include:
| |
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
|
|
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
Science Museum
V&A South Kensington
Royal Society of Sculptors
Japan House London
|
| |
|
Not subscribed? Click Here
You are receiving this message as you opted in at our website, either through our sign-up form or by entering a competition.
Just unsubscribe if you no longer want to receive this email.
|
View our Privacy Policy
|
| |
|
|
| |
| Copyright © 2026 South Ken Culture Quarter. All rights reserved. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
