Kew Gardens - Celebrating Joseph Hooker - The man, the pioneer, the botanist

Join us to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, former Director of Kew. Celebrate his life and work with a weekend of talks and activities forall the family.

Family activities

Kew's Explorer Camp  Discover how to be a plant hunter, just like Joseph Hooker. Learn how to find, record and classify plants and investigate the dangers of collecting at our Explorer Camp.

Meet Joseph Hooker Meet the great man himself and talk to him about his fantastic adventures and amazing discoveries. Joseph Hooker reads his letters Joseph Hooker was a prolific letter writer; you can listen to some of Hooker's letters being read aloud.

See the full list of family activities here

Festival activities

View unique treasures from Kew’s collections including Hooker’s handwritten field notes and journals, equipment from his plant-hunting expeditions, sketches, published plates and other botanical art.

Talks and Tours Joseph Hooker: Trailblazing Tales from the Archives Perilously Picturesque: Joseph Hooker's Himalayan Expedition 1847-51 Hooker at Kew Exhibition tours: introducing Joseph Hooker - Kew's botanical trailblazer Read more about Celebrating Joseph Hooker festival activties  Kew After Hours  Learn more and book here  Please note this event is for over 18s only Kew After Hours: Celebrating Joseph Hooker Thursday 29 June An exclusive evening of art and exploration Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity to visit our galleries at night at this After Hours event. Meet Kew's experts, enjoy readings, exhibition tours and discover the life of botanical pioneer, Joseph Hooker, and the illustrations inspired by his work.