What's on in London on Thursday 9th May 2024

Top events happening London

Sarah Siddons: the first celebrity actress

Celebrating the legendary actress Sarah Siddons and the first biography about her in over 50 years, Jo Willett uncovers previously unpublished sources to reveal new insights into Sarah’s marriage, life and career. Fittingly for a superstar known in her lifetime …

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1:00pm to 2:00pm
£10
National Portrait Gallery, Soho

Beating the Bounds

Each year, the clergy of the City of London’s oldest church process around the parish "beating" the boundary markers. The Beating Party is made up of students from St Dunstan’s College, Catford, who return to their roots in the parish …

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4:15pm to 6:00pm
Free
City of London

Romantic London: William Blake and Thomas Campbell

Join Jake Elliott (University of Roehampton) and Amy Wilcockson (University of Glasgow) as they discuss current research on two Romantic poets. William Blake is renowned for his extraordinary poetry and artwork, whilst Thomas Campbell was a contemporary bestseller few have …

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6:30pm to 8:00pm
£6.50
Keats House, Hampstead

Thames Barrier: A legacy of protection and navigating London's flood resilience

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II unveiling of the Thames Barrier, a symbol of London’s flood resilience. Since 1984, this engineering marvel has safeguarded millions of lives along the River Thames. Our event honours its history, achievements, and …

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6:30pm to 8:00pm
Free
Pimlico

Create Lates

Explore the incredible creativity of people working in science and tech. You’ll experience the delicate skills of dissection or clockmaking, uncover the material science behind cutting-edge art, explore fashion inspired by satellite images, and the role of designers in inventing …

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6:30pm to 10:30pm
Free
Science Museum, South Kensington

Edmonton Food Stories

Celebrate Edmonton’s amazing food heritage. For the first part of the evening London food writer Jonathan Nunn and journalist Tom Lamont will discuss Edmonton’s food culture, history and local identity. For the second part of the evening join Talkies Community …

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6:30pm to 8:30pm
Free
Upper Edmonton

Talking embryos: changing public perceptions of embryo research

Professor Sarah Franklin, winner of the 2023 Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal, discusses her research into public perceptions of IVF and embryo research. This lecture will closely examine the evolution of public debate over embryo research during that period and will identify specific …

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6:30pm to 7:30pm
Free
Wimbledon

Incorporating accessibility into design

Whether working for transport systems, cultural institutions or global events, Mima creates experiences, places and processes that are driven by human behaviour and accessible to all. In this talk, Mima’s Head of Accessibility and Inclusive Design, Emily Yates, will share …

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7:00pm to 8:30pm
£8.50
City of London

Magic Lantern Show with live piano

An entertainment devised by the renowned magic lantern performers Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker. The show will feature an authentic triunial (or Triple) magic lantern combining three projectors in a single device. This is the most complex and rarest form of …

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7:30pm to 9:00pm
Free
Euston

Ten exhibitions that are closing soon

Fowl Play

Young Margate-based painter Jack Hirons uses an unusual medium. All the pigment in his debut London solo show comes from the charred and crushed bones of fried chicken, bought on a matchday on Tottenham High Road from the legendary Chick-King …

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Exhibition ends on Saturday 11th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Tottenham

Albert Oehlen - New Paintings

Gagosian presents an exhibition of new paintings by Albert Oehlen. For his first show at the gallery in London since 2016, Oehlen continues to explore the rich possibilities and the future of painting. He riffs on fragments, forms, and entire …

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Exhibition ends on Saturday 11th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Mayfair

Terry Frost

The late Sir Terry Frost (1915-2003) became a pioneering figure within the St Ives group of British modernists, with a career spanning over six decades. This survey presents an extensive collection of Frost’s most compelling paintings from 1966-2003. Frost’s unique …

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Exhibition ends on Saturday 11th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Mayfair

Alison Lapper: Lost in Parys

Bethlem Museum of the Mind showcases Alison Lapper’s (b.1965) work that explores her journey of grief since the untimely death of her son Parys. Alison Lapper: Lost in Parys will present a range of new work that delves into a …

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Exhibition ends on Saturday 11th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Bethlem Museum of the Mind, Beckenham

Marriner 100

15th April 2024 will mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Neville Marriner (1924-2016), the world-famous classical musician who enjoyed a long and illustrious career with his own orchestra – the Academy of St Martin in the Fields – …

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Exhibition ends on Sunday 12th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Trafalgar Square

The Art of the Brick - LEGO Art

The Art of the Brick is the best-known LEGO art exhibition in the world. After touring several cities and entering CNN’s list of "Must-See" exhibitions, it is back in London. Critically acclaimed, the collection features works by artist Nathan Sawaya …

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Exhibition ends on Sunday 12th May 2024 Closing Soon
£17.90
Whitechapel

Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine

How do you develop a vaccine quickly and effectively to combat a global pandemic? Our new free exhibition explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed. See how scientists and researchers adapted to the various challenges of this …

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Exhibition ends on Sunday 12th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Science Museum, South Kensington

Display - Reuse, Refill, Rethink

This exhibition showcases a variety of products and demonstrate the difference between refillable, returnable (prefill) and repurposed product packaging of the past, present, and future. It explores how current developments in packaging have historical significance and how we might learn …

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Exhibition ends on Wednesday 15th May 2024 Closing Soon
£9
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, Notting Hill

LCW - The Gilded City

(The exhibition is free and unticketed – if you want a guided tour, click to their website to book, costs £5) — The Gilded City brings together 11 artists working with the ancient art of gilding. Set within the ornate …

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Exhibition ends on Wednesday 15th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
City of London

Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt

On display in the chapel will be a special new quilt dedicated to Terry Higgins, commissioned by the trust to mark their 40th Anniversary year. A tribute to Terry’s life and the legacy of his death, the Terry Higgins Memorial …

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Exhibition ends on Wednesday 15th May 2024 Closing Soon
Free
Fitzrovia Chapel, Tottenham Court Road

More exhibitions open

Exhibitions opening soon

What's on in London