Friday, 5 September 2025

FORTNUM & MASON - Storytelling with Father Christmas Returns!🎅

 

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Somerset House - Step Inside 25: Free festival weekend, Tai Shani’s dreamscape & unmissable exhibitions

 


WHAT'S ON THIS MONTH

13 & 14 SEP

Step inside weekend

2025 marks two landmark anniversaries: 25 years since Somerset House began its bold transformation from government offices and a car park into London’s leading centre for cultural innovation, and 75 years of Peanuts, Charles M. Schulz’s timeless creation.


Following the success of our 2018 exhibition Good Grief, Charlie Brown!, Somerset House is once again partnering with Peanuts Worldwide. Together, we’ll be reviving a much-loved interactive drawing activity from the exhibition, inviting visitors to join us in celebrating creativity, imagination and cultural legacy. 


Don't miss this and so much more next weekend at Step Inside 25 where we open our doors over 2 days for a free festival. Celebrate with us across a weekend of culture and creativity: behind-the-scenes tours, new commissions from Tai Shani, GAIKA and Nick Ryan, a pop-up basketball court, Cute Disco, live music, workshops inspired by Peanuts, family activities, street food, and Somerset House Blue lighting up Waterloo Bridge at sunset.

      Proudly supported by 886 by The Royal Mint, our Innovation Supporter for the weekend.


      UNTIL 14 SEP

      what does the dreamer dream?

      Leaving our courtyard soon, Tai Shani’s dreaming figure rests atop a stepped plinth. Suspended between sleep and wakefulness, their blue form rises and falls in a slow breath, drawing visitors to gather, peer inside, or move through the space while tuning into The Dream radio - a daily online broadcast for radical imagination and dreaming of new possibilities.

      As Time Out observes, it’s a balance that’s hard to achieve:

      'Art with a message often risks being didactic, prioritising its statement over its aesthetic experience. Here, though, is a deft balance of content and form: a nuanced message, contained within immediately impressive and accessible art.'


      UNTIL 28 SEP

      UNFILTERED, UNMISSABLE – VIRTUAL BEAUTY ENDS SOON

      Don’t miss your final chance to experience Virtual Beauty, closing Saturday 28 September.


      Described by Wallpaper* as “both profound and thought-provoking,” this critically acclaimed exhibition explores how beauty is filtered, coded and performed online.


      Featuring bold, immersive works by artists including Qualeasha Wood, ORLAN, Bunny Kinney and Ines Alpha, the show dives deep into identity, technology and self-image in the digital age.


      Want more? Unpack the ideas behind the show with our Channel behind-the-scenes film and long-read essay offering new perspectives from the curator and artists.


      UNTIL 28 SEP

      Summer Shop

      Step inside the vibrant Somerset House summer pop-up shop before it’s gone, and explore a curated collection of gifts, art, fashion, and homeware from brilliant independent designers, artists, and makers. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or a curious newcomer, the range promises to captivate, think bold, bright, and truly one-of-a-kind.


      Among the treasures are rare items from key moments in Somerset House’s history, featuring names like PJ Harvey, Andrew Ibi, and Pam Hogg. With the majority of each sale supporting the Somerset House creative community, every purchase makes an impact. Open for a limiited time only.

      cOMING SOON

      Rhythm, Roots & Culture – A New Season OF ART This Autumn

      OPENS 17 OCT

      JENNIE BAPTISTE: RHYTHM & ROOTS

      A landmark exhibition celebrating photography, music, and Black British culture lands at Somerset House this Autumn.


      Opening 17 October as part of our 25th birthday year, Jennie Baptiste: Rhythm & Roots is the first major solo show from one of the UK’s most influential image-makers. With work held in collections at the V&A and National Portrait Gallery, Baptiste’s portraits have helped define the visual language of a generation.


      Step inside three decades of bold, joyful and politically charged photography, capturing the spirit of youth, sound and self-expression across the Black British diaspora – and beyond. From iconic portraits of The Notorious B.I.G., Ms. Dynamite, NAS and Estelle, to intimate moments from London’s dancehall and hip-hop scenes, the show charts a powerful visual history of style, identity and cultural pride.


      Set to a specially curated soundtrack from featured artists, this is a celebration of rhythm, roots and creative resistance.


      Entry is Pay What You Can – helping keep the exhibition open to all.


      landmark exhibitions from wayne mcgregor 

      OPENS 30 OCT

      Wayne McGregor: Infinite Bodies

      Step into 30 years of radical choreography where dance and the human body collide with AI, robotics, motion-capture and multisensory installations. Expect immersive works, new commissions and unannounced live activations from Company Wayne McGregor.


      Presented with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Principal Partner of Infinite Bodies.


      OPENS 30 OCT

      Wayne McGregor: on the other earth

      The world’s first post-cinematic choreographic installation, at Stone Nest in London’s West End.


      Visitors will step inside a cutting-edge, 360° 12K LED cylindrical screen, where they’ll experience the hyperreal dancers of Company Wayne McGregor and Hong Kong Ballet, surrounded by shifting AI-powered soundscapes and breathtaking 3D visuals, each and every visit offering a unique and powerful encounter. Presented in partnership at Stone Nest. 


      Save £5 by booking a ticket to both Infinite Bodies and On The Other Earth


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      FORTNUM & MASON - Comfort Food for Autumn🍁

       

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      Saturday, 21 June 2025

      Sat, 21 Jun 2025, 3:42 am

       The Summer Solstice is the first day of astronomical summer, although the more logical metrological summer begins December 1st / June 1st (depending on hemisphere). To add further confusion this time of year is also known as Midsummer, although this is often cited as being on the 24th June.

      For most of us the main feature of the Summer Solstice is that it is the day with the longest period of sunlight - or daylight at least! This officially occurs at the moment when the sun reaches a point directly overhead of the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.44° north) in the northern hemisphere or over the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern. At this point the respective hemisphere will receive sunlight at the most direct angle for that year.




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      Thursday, 3 April 2025

      Horniman Museum and Gardens - What's On in April

       

      The Mantis Muse

      The Mantis Muse sculpture by artist David Shrigley

      The Mantis Muse © Alun Callender

      8 – 21 April
      Horniman Conservatory
      Free entry

      We're thrilled to be hosting the first public display of The Mantis Muse, a giant sculpture of a praying mantis by Turner-nominated artist David Shrigley. The three-metre steel and fibreglass sculpture with a moving head was created by Shrigley to emphasise the importance of art in education and to engage young people with art and creativity. 

      Join one of our Mantis Muse events in the Conservatory and spark your own creativity.

      The Mantis Muse Events

      Two children drawing and colouring

      Drawing and colouring

      8, 11-13 and 17-21 April

      Take part in free, drop-in colouring activities or take inspiration and sketch your own still life drawings of Maxine, the giant praying mantis.

      A girl making some craft

      Stories and crafts

      9 and 15 April

      Join us for a special tale about a music-loving praying mantis and then create your own mantis mask inspired by the story.

      An adult sitting on a mat in a forward yoga pose

      Family Yoga

      10 and 16 April

      Explore what it might be like to be a praying mantis in a fun family yoga session! Suitable for ages 4-6.

      A person using a screen print

      Screen printing

      14 and 19 April

      Make your very own souvenir inspired by The Mantis Muse sculpture. Suitable for ages 8+.

      Music at the Horniman

      Gabriel ‘Sekuru’ Makamanzi’ holding a mbria

      Horniman Museum Late

      Thursday 3 April, 5.30-9pm

      Be transported by Gabriel ‘Sekuru’ Makamanzi’s new mbira compositions and experience the spirit of Zimbabwe brought to life through music, film, storytelling and interactive workshops. Plus enjoy the Horniman's galleries and exhibitions and food and drink in the Cafe.

      A display of stringed instruments in the Music Gallery

      Hear it Live!

      Thursday 10 April, 3.30-4pm

      British-Egyptian singer Laila Samy will bring the rich sounds of traditional Egyptian and Egyptian Coptic music to the Horniman, to mark the opening of the display !كل العیون علیھا / All Eyes on Her! Laila will be accompanied by Tarek Elazhary on the oud.

      Exhibitions and Displays

      The robot chameleon and two children looking at it in the Robot Zoo exhibition

      The Robot Zoo

      Now open

      How do chameleons change colour? What makes grasshoppers leap so high? Enter the fascinating world of The Robot Zoo and discover the amazing abilities of animals.

      Free for Members and Benefactors.

      Scarf pins wrapped in paper printed with verse by Egyptian poet Ahmed Shawki

      !كل العیون علیھا / All Eyes on Her!

      Opens 4 April 2025

      Egyptian women take centre stage in a new free display in the World Gallery. !كل العیون علیھا / All Eyes on Her! honours the everyday activism of Egyptian women, reclaiming their heritage, position in public and role in revolutions, past and present.

      Spring events and activities

      A screen showing Totoro holding an umbrella

      The Enchanted Cinema: Ghibli's Forest

      5 and 6 April

      Help create the sound effects to a selection of favourite Studio Ghibli films in this brand-new interactive show from The Enchanted Cinema.

      A child making some craft

      Family Craft Saturdays

      Every Saturday (except 19 April)

      Make some nature binoculars to spot spring wildlife or a collage of Earth to celebrate World Earth Day in these free crafty sessions. 

      A poster which says Horniman Spring Fair

      Horniman Spring Fair

      Saturday 19 April

      Join us for seasonal fun and games at the annual Spring Fair. Enjoy live music, circus skills, fete games, crafts, bubbles and lots more in our blossom-filled Gardens.

      In the Gardens

      Yellow flowers in the Horniman's Grasslands Garden

      Members' and Benefactors' Spring Garden Tour

      Wednesday 9 April

      An exclusive Gardens tour for Members and Benefactors with our Head of Horticulture Errol Fernandes. Discover how Errol and his team keep the Gardens sustainable and looking beautiful throughout the year.

      Not a member yet? Sign up on our website.

      People browsing clothes racks at the Horniman Market

      Second-hand Sunday at the Horniman Market

      Sunday 13 April

      Find pre-loved clothing, accessories, games, books and more at our Second-hand Sunday event taking place alongside our weekly Market on the Bandstand Terrace.

      Elsewhere in London

      London Museum Docklands

      Secrets of the Thames

      Opens 4 April 

      Unearth fascinating objects and stories from London’s past in Secrets of the Thames: Mudlarking London’s lost treasures, the UK’s first major exhibition dedicated to mudlarking 👀✨

      A poster advertising the Secrets of the Thames exhibition

      Cutty Sark

      Easter Egg Trail

      18 – 21 April

      Cutty Sark’s chickens have gotten loose and laid eggs around the ship – can you find them all? Solve the secret nautical code and claim a chocolatey reward in this fun-filled Easter egg trail for the whole family.

      A Easter themed graphic promoting the Easter Egg Trail at the Cutty Sark
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