What's On
The best events happening in Knightsbridge
Now on, until 3 January 2027
Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
The Waterhouse Gallery fills with the marine reptiles of the Jurassic seas: pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, mosasaurs and marine crocodiles. You can handle a mosasaur tooth, shark skin and fossil dung. Adult tickets are from £15 off-peak, and the show is recommended for ages 8 and up.
Now on, until 31 January 2027
Amar Kanwar
Serpentine North, West Carriage Drive, Kensington Gardens
Three film installations by the Indian artist add up to about three hours of viewing, including The Charcoal Man, a new seven-screen work premiering here. The galleries are kept very dark, so give your eyes a moment. Free, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
Now on, until 3 January 2027
Pokémon Space Trail
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington
Created with The Pokémon Company and the European Space Agency, this free trail has stops in nine galleries. It covers ESA missions and space technology, along with the Pokémon linked to the cosmos. Pick up a trail sheet in the Energy Hall; it comes with free general admission.
Now on, until 10 January 2027
Justin Caguiat: Change Ringing
Serpentine South, Kensington Gardens
Caguiat's first UK institutional show includes thermochromic paintings that shift with heat and light. Bronze bells cast as flowers and seeds ring in sequences based on English change ringing. Free, Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
14 October to 7 November 2026
Blood of my Blood
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, Chelsea
Joy Nesbitt's Royal Court debut, directed by Tatenda Shamiso in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, sets two stories in one cabin. In South Carolina in 1862, Ginnie Good raises five children during the Civil War. Today the cabin is an Airbnb, where a pregnant Black woman calls on her ancestors for answers.
Now on, until 10 January 2027
Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
Made with Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, this show in the Porter Gallery brings together rare works by more than 40 artists. First Nations perspectives lead the selection. Tickets are £17.
Now on, until 15 November 2026
Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
The first UK exhibition devoted to Elsa Schiaparelli runs from her 1920s beginnings to the house under Daniel Roseberry. Look for the Skeleton Dress and Tears dress made with Salvador Dali, plus Dali's Lobster Telephone. General tickets are sold out, but V&A Members can still visit free.
Now on, until 3 January 2027
The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
A free display in the Prince Consort Gallery follows the trench coat from military outerwear to fashion staple. Pieces range from a Hardy Amies car coat of 1979 to a pink metallic silk trench from 2013 and a knitted duck hat from 2023. No booking needed.
Now on, until 24 January 2027
Bharti Kher at the V&A
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
The British Indian artist's sculptures sit among the V&A's historic collections in the Dorothy and Michael Hintze Galleries, off the Exhibition Road Courtyard. Works include Animus Mundi, made from saris, resin and bindis, and the new bronze Gaia from 2026. Free, no booking needed.
14 October to 24 October 2026
Man to Man with Tilda Swinton
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, Chelsea
Tilda Swinton returns to the role she first played in the 1988 UK premiere of Manfred Karge's play, directed by Stephen Unwin in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs. In 1930s Germany, a woman puts on her late husband's trousers and lives as him through war, dictatorship and hunger. The run is sold out, but the theatre lists some on-the-day options.
16 October 2026 to 11 July 2027
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
The 62nd exhibition shows 100 winning images from this year's competition, from polar landscapes and rainforests to oceans and deserts. Adult tickets start at £17 off-peak, and Members go free.
23 October 2026 to 25 April 2027
Becoming America: How Science Shaped a Nation
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington
Marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, this free exhibition looks at science in America from the 1760s to the 1790s. Objects include a rare 1776 print of the Declaration, a microscope made for George III and Benjamin Franklin's chart of the Gulf Stream. Free timed tickets, recommended for ages 11 and up.
Last Friday of the month (not January, May or December)
V&A Friday Late
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
On the last Friday of most months the museum stays open into the evening for a free, drop-in programme of DJs, performance, film and workshops. October's edition, Phantom Constructs on 30 October, runs from 18:30 to 22:00 with a Halloween theme. There are no Lates in January, May or December.
31 October to 1 November 2026
Harrods Children's Activity Weekend
Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge
Childrenswear on the Fourth Floor hosts a Halloween weekend of face painting, plushie decorating, mask making and a trick-or-treat treasure hunt. There is also Halloween garland making and balloon decorating.
2 November to 12 November 2026
The Longest Yarn 2: Britain at War
Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea
An 80-metre knitted and crocheted tableau of 1939 to 1945 covers evacuation, rationing, the Blitz and VE Day, with thousands of figures and eight life-size characters. It is shown at the home of the Chelsea Pensioners in the run-up to Remembrance Day. Enter via London Gate, and book through the Royal Hospital's site.
5 November 2026 to 6 January 2027
Festive Bridgerton Afternoon Tea
The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner
The Lanesborough's Bridgerton afternoon tea, inspired by Season 4, gets a festive version for the holidays. It comes with finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, and four signature sweets, served in The Lanesborough Grill.
6 November 2026 to 3 May 2027
Arcadia by Sir John Akomfrah
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
Akomfrah's five-screen installation in the Jerwood Gallery traces the Columbian Exchange, the movement of plants, people, animals and disease between continents from the 1400s. Deserts, ice fields and seas are cut with images of ships, cargo and trade, set to nature sounds, opera and poetry. Free, no ticket needed.
7 November 2026
Festival of Remembrance
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
The Royal British Legion's annual festival honours serving personnel, veterans, their families and those who died in service, through music, ceremony and personal stories. Performances are at 2pm and 7pm. All tickets are sold through the Royal British Legion.
From 7 November 2026
Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires
V&A South Kensington, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
The V&A's first major UK exhibition on the city covers 1,600 years of art and design across the Byzantine and Ottoman eras, in Galleries 38 and 39. Highlights include the 10th-century Veroli Casket, a 16th-century Bursa velvet and Osman Hamdi Bey's 1887 painting Ladies Taking a Walk. Tickets are £25 on weekdays and £27 at weekends.
11 November 2026 to 5 May 2027
BEYOND THE STREETS
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, Chelsea
More than 100 creators across over ten rooms tell six decades of graffiti, street art, hip-hop and 2Tone. Names include FUTURA 2000, LADY PINK, Shepard Fairey, Invader, KAWS and Martha Cooper, with new commissions made for the show. Members go free, with concession and family tickets available.
14 November to 19 December 2026
The Afronauts
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, Chelsea
Ryan Calais Cameron's world premiere tells a true(ish) story of the Zambian Space Program. In 1964, as the superpowers race for the moon, a schoolteacher trains a group of misfits for a launch of their own. Cameron co-directs with Monique Touko in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs.
19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park
The Christmas fair returns with more than 150 things to do, including the Giant Wheel, the Magical Ice Kingdom and the Ice Bar. It is open daily except Christmas Day, usually 10am to 10pm, with later openings on some weekdays. Entry is free off-peak and £5.50 or £8.25 at busier times, and every visitor needs a timed ticket booked in advance.
23 November 2026
Hisaishi conducts Hisaishi
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
Joe Hisaishi, the composer behind many Studio Ghibli scores, conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in three UK premieres of his concert works. The programme includes his Adagio for two harps and strings, his Concerto for Orchestra and David Lang's mountain. Starts at 7pm.
25 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
Victoria's Countryside Christmas
Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens
The palace tells the story of Christmas at Claremont House in Surrey, where the young Princess Victoria spent the holidays with her family. It is included in palace admission and open during normal palace hours. Members go free.
26 November 2026
Pokémon x ESA Lates
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, South Kensington
An adults-only night at the museum with the Pokémon Space Trail, space scientists in the Open Labs, talks and a Pokémon board game café. Entry is free but ticketed, with timeslots from 18:30. Extras such as an IMAX screening of Pokémon Detective Pikachu cost more.
27 November, 4 December and 11 December 2026
Lates: BEYOND THE STREETS
Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's HQ, King's Road, Chelsea
Three Friday evenings pair the street culture show with hands-on workshops: graffiti lettering and garment customising on 27 November, hip-hop life drawing with IRIE! Dance Theatre on 4 December, and paste-ups on 11 December. Tickets include exhibition entry and materials, and the bar stays open until 8.30pm.
Opens 30 November 2026
Jellycat Brunch at Harrods
Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge
Harrods calls Jellycat Brunch a first-of-its-kind restaurant, where an exclusive menu is served alongside Jellycat's soft toys. It opens on the Ground Floor, and you can pre-book now.
1 December to 22 December 2026
Storytelling with Father Christmas
Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington
Father Christmas reads a festive story in the Marine Invertebrates Gallery, and each session ends with a photo and a T. rex tree decoration. Sessions last 45 minutes, and each child's ticket (£20, or £18 for Members) covers up to two adults.
3 December 2026 to 23 January 2027
Monument
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, Chelsea
After a tragedy, a Welsh farming community meets in its village hall to argue over a planned memorial, with the outside world watching. In Rhys Warrington's play the audience sits in the hall with them, and every vote counts. Francesca Goodridge directs in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs.
4 December 2026
Sir John Rutter's Christmas Celebration
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
John Rutter conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach Choir in his own works and arrangements, with seasonal classics and carols for everyone. Soprano Lucy Cox joins them. Two performances, at 3pm and 7.30pm.
6 December 2026
Handel's Messiah
Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, Chelsea
Nicholas Kraemer directs the English Chamber Orchestra and the VOCES8 Foundation Choir in Handel's oratorio, a December fixture for many Londoners. The performance starts at 6pm on a Sunday evening.
10 December to 11 December 2026
Jamie Cullum: The Pianoman at Christmas
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
Cullum brings his big band and Kansas Smitty's to play songs from his Christmas album, including Beautiful Together and Hang Your Lights. Expect guest appearances and one-off collaborations. Both nights start at 7.30pm.
15 December 2026
Carols at Cadogan with The Bach Choir
Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, Chelsea
Around 100 voices of the Bach Choir join London City Brass and organist Philip Scriven under David Hill for traditional and new carols, with sing-along moments. The programme includes the winner of the Sir David Willcocks Carol Competition. Starts at 7.30pm, tickets from £24.50.
16 December to 17 December 2026
The Sixteen: A Ceremony of Carols
Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, Chelsea
Harry Christophers conducts The Sixteen, with harpist Joy Smith, in a programme built around Britten's A Ceremony of Carols. Medieval carols and Palestrina and Victoria sit alongside new settings by Laura Sheils and Lucy Walker. Two nights at 7.30pm, tickets from £26.50.
19 December to 24 December 2026
Carols at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
Fifteen performances over six days mix traditional carols with festive favourites and plenty of singing along. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, National Youth Choir, Royal Choral Society and British Imperial Military Band all take part. Shows start at 11am, 3pm and 7.30pm, with a relaxed matinee on 20 December.
25 December 2026
Christmas Day Race for the Peter Pan Cup
Serpentine Swimming Club, The Serpentine, Hyde Park
Every Christmas morning, members of the Serpentine Swimming Club race a 100-yard handicap in the lake for the Peter Pan Cup. The race has run since 1864, and J.M. Barrie first gave the cup in 1903. Only club members can compete, but spectators gather on the bank to watch.
31 December 2026
La La Land in Concert on New Year's Eve
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
Damien Chazelle's Oscar-winning film is shown on the big screen while the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra plays Justin Hurwitz's score live. Two screenings on New Year's Eve, at 1pm and 6pm. Rated 12A.
13 January to 28 February 2027
Cirque du Soleil: KURIOS, Cabinet of Curiosities
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, South Kensington
Cirque du Soleil marks 30 years of working with the Hall by bringing back its steampunk show for a run through January and February. Expect acrobatics, contortion and a good dose of humour. Children aged 3 and over need their own seat.