Explore a year-round calendar of cultural events, seasonal celebrations and local experiences.
January 2026
The Devil Wears Prada
Fresh out of college, aspiring journalist Andy scores a job at the prestigious Runway magazine working for fashion’s most powerful and terrifying icon — editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly.
The Coming Of Age
The Coming of Age’ explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to later life, and asks how societies can adapt for us all to age better.
February 2026
Extra/Ordinary Women
Behind every great man, there’s a great woman, so the saying goes. Behind Charles Dickens, however, there were many great women supporting and inspiring him. Drawing on the world’s most comprehensive collection of historic Dickens material, Extra/Ordinary Women will celebrate the real women who influenced Dickens and reveal the clues which help match several of them to their fictional counterparts.
July 2026
Rudy Loewe: Intimacies of Care
At Wellcome Collection, Rudy Loewe: ‘Intimacies of Care – Spaces of Grief and Possibility’ reimagines a mental healthcare system that is equitable and supportive. The works ask us to consider more hopeful, empathetic, alternative approaches to care.
Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions
‘Audrey Amiss: The Surviving Exhibitions’ is the first museum exhibition dedicated to artist Audrey Amiss (1933–2013). Bringing together drawings, paintings and other exhibition materials, it explores Amiss’s life as both an artist and campaigner, revealing how she used her work to speak out against harmful treatment within the mental health system. Born in Sunderland, Amiss won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Arts in the 1950s, where she studied painting until a mental health crisis and subsequent psychiatric treatment prevented her from completing her final year.She continued to make, exhibit and sell art throughout her life – alongside a long career in the Civil Service – but the full breadth of her work only came into view after her death. Her extensive archive was donated to Wellcome Collection in 2014.
‘The Surviving Exhibitions’ focuses on works that records suggest Amiss exhibited or intended to make public.
Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan
SOAS Gallery is delighted to present Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan, a new exhibition revealing the rich diversity, skill, and beauty of embroidery from across Afghanistan. The exhibition draws from the Karun Thakar collection, developed in collaboration with the V&A Museum.
Afghanistan has always been a place of many peoples and cultures. The Hazara people, the Pashai, Pashtuns of many tribes, Tajiks, Turkmens, Uzbeks and many more have lived in and around the geographically varied regions of Afghanistan. As well as having their own languages, cultures, and customs, all of these groups have vibrant and distinctive textile traditions. In common across all of these traditions, however, is the presence of embroidery. Whether in silk or wool, using chain stitch or cross stitch, the complex patterns created by highly skilled women and girls serve as repositories for the rich cultural identities of these cultures.
Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan showcases around 100 of the finest examples from across these cultures, dating to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, from the collections of Karun Thakar and the V&A. Displaying items of dress for women and men, bags, other accessories, and more surprising objects, such as bicycle seat covers, this exhibition reveals the embroidered world of Afghanistan. While traditional and local dress is still worn across the country today, the exhibition represents many styles and techniques which are now lost or disappearing.
Highlights will include: remarkable nineteenth-century Arabachi coats, embroidered in red on blue; rarely displayed Mangal and Pashai shirts; a collection of bold women’s capes with yellow stitches on a black ground; and an uncommon example of a green Kandahari woman’s face veil, embellished with distinctive khamak (satin stitch) decoration. These will be displayed alongside head coverings for men and women, furnishings for the home, such as the Uzbek suzani, and Lakai decorations, as well as covers for weapons, food wraps, and lengthy turban cloths.
Through silk, beads, coins, blanket stitch, and couching, these embroidered objects invite us into the lives of the makers and wearers. Symbols, materials, and colours are important markers of identity, geographies, status, and religion, and can also provide protection through amulets and talismans. Embroidery Traditions of Afghanistan celebrates these makers and wearers, through the colourful variety and skilled artistry of their textile traditions.
August 2026
Bloomsbury Folklore Club – Faeries
Join George and Vanessa for an informative talk with storytelling and Q&A. Expect folklore, music, myth and magic! Everyone is welcome.We will look at a different topic every month. This month we will be looking at the folklore of MerFolk.
These events are thoughtful, including and kind. A reading & listening list will be provided. Folklore Fun in WC1!
About George
George is co-founder and creative director of Connection With Wonder.
He runs “South East London Folklore Society” a series of packed-out monthly talks on a variety of magical subjects. For children, he tells stories with a focus on inclusion and child-led interaction. Music is the heart of his creative life. His songwriting credits include ten solo albums and several top ten hits. His musical project for Crossways Community centre was performed at The Globe Theatre. Since 2020, he has worked on an ongoing story-into-song project with Romani storyteller Richard O’ Neill MBE and University of Sunderland. In 2024, he received a grant from the Arts Council to develop his classical scoring. In 2026, his first album, Leisure Noise, was re pressed and re-released
About Vanessa
Vanessa’s trailblazing story performances for adults have led to a partnership with Time Out London, a TEDx talk in Stormont NI and many TV /radio performances. She’s co-founder and lead storyteller of Connection With Wonder . Her C.V. includes ground-breaking collaborations with dozens of major museums, cultural institutions, publishers, film makers, artists, academics, scientists and unique individuals. She’s even had a school classroom named after her! She is programmer and host of Space for Storytelling, a free professional training provision in central London.
Where is it in Bloomsbury?
Waterstones London – Gower Street
82 Gower Street
WC1E 6EQ
September 2026
The Bayeux Tapestry
For the first time since it was made nearly 1,000 years ago, the Bayeux Tapestry is returning to England.Following a historic agreement with France, the 70-metre-long tapestry, depicting events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, will be loaned to the British Museum from September 2026 to July 2027.This monumental embroidery tells the dramatic story of a moment that changed England forever. No year in the country’s history is more famous than 1066. It was the last time England was successfully invaded, and it is the year from which the modern monarchy dates itself. And there is no other object that is as instantly recognisable, as studied in schools and as copied by artists as the Bayeux Tapestry.
One of the wonders of the medieval world, the Tapestry offers a vision of life in 11th-century England both before and after the Conquest, from castles, warfare and ships to clothing, food and furniture. Likely commissioned by a Norman patron and made by English embroiderers, using manuscript drawings from Canterbury, the Tapestry is both a precious historical record and a remarkable work of art.
The first sparks: a revolutionary discovery from ancient Britain
Join Prof Nick Ashton, who led the excavations at Barnham, Suffolk, as he reveals groundbreaking evidence that proves humans were making fire more than 400,000 years ago – around 350,000 years earlier than previously thought. The discovery is reshaping our understanding of a pivotal moment in human history.
The ability to make and control fire marked a critical turning point in human evolution. It provided warmth, light and protection, helped our ancestors thrive in harsher environments, and created opportunities for socialising, storytelling and sharing knowledge. In many ways, it laid the foundations for the complex societies we live in today.
Hear directly from Prof Ashton, Curator of Palaeolithic Collections, to learn what these extraordinary findings reveal about human innovation, survival and the deep history of a technology that changed the world.
There will also be an opportunity to put your questions to Prof Ashton to find out more about the discovery and its significance.
The Museum galleries remain open until 20.20 on Fridays, so you can continue your journey through human history before or after this event.
Where is it in Bloomsbury?
British Museum
Great Russell Street
Bloomsbury
London
WC1B 3DG
Memories of Care: Trans+ Contributions to Health, Culture and Social Justice
Join us for a day of events exploring trans+ contributions in healthcare and social justice. Our programme of events, developed with members of the trans+ community, celebrates trans+ activism and culture, past and present.
What you can do:
Drop in to a showcase of trans+ related items and themes in our collections. The display was developed in collaboration with researcher Eliott Rose, who will also present two bookable talks during the day.
Take part in a voguing workshop about the history of ballroom and voguing, where you’ll be able try out some moves for yourself. The workshop is facilitated by artist Bambi Jordan Phillips.
Watch a screening of ‘MAJOR!’, a documentary film exploring the life and activism of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. A follow-up panel discussion, with speakers from London’s trans+ community, will follow the screening. Hosted by Jaye Hudson (aka TgirlsOnFilm), the panel of speakers will discuss topics such as trans+ contributions on human rights, social justice, health and culture. The film is captioned in English and the panel discussion will have BSL interpretation and speech-to-text captions.
You can also drop in to see the ‘Tenderness and Rage’ display during the day. The exhibition explores HIV and AIDS through stories of protest and care.
A relaxation and decompression space will be available throughout the day in Wellcome Kitchen on level 2, where you can pause, have a chat or take a break between events. Free snacks will be available in that area.
A separate chill out space is available for visitors who need to take a break from the gallery and event spaces. The chill out space has: low lighting, no displays, images or other content, comfortable seating and places to lie down, sensory access tools like tinted glasses, ear defenders, blankets and sensory toys. Most of the events have limited capacity so you’ll need a ticket to attend. Book your tickets below.
Where is it in Bloomsbury?
Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road
Bloomsbury
NW1 2BE
Walking Tour: Bloomsbury’s Best-Kept Secrets
Artists, academics and Russell Square… Think you know Bloomsbury? Think again.
There’s much more to this historic area of London than literary greats and famous museums. Go behind the hustle and bustle, the hotels and tourists, and discover the hidden stories of ordinary, extraordinary, famous and infamous people associated with this historic part of London.
From 18th-century miscarriages of justice to key moments in LGBTQ+ history, this walking tour through the backstreets of Bloomsbury will reveal the rich diversity of characters and events that have been part of and shaped this unique area for over 300 years.
11am: Meet outside the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel, 1-8 Russell Sqare, WC1B 5BE
12:30pm: End at Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, WC1N 1AZ
This tour will last approximately 1.5 hours and will require both walking and standing.Unless severe weather is forecast, the tour will be going ahead so please bring an umbrella/waterproof jacket.
About your guide:
Brenda Sherlock is a lifelong Londoner, born and raised in Bloomsbury. As an experienced educator Brenda has worked with both children and adults, sharing her love of London and the wider world. She now continues her passion by carrying out a variety of talks and tours at the London Museum.
Where is it in Bloomsbury?
Foundling Museum
40 Brunswick Square
Bloomsbury
London
WC1N 1AZ
