Summer Listings 2024 Opening hours The Horniman Museum is free to visit and open daily, 10am to 5.30pm.
To visit Dinosaur rEvolution, the Aquarium and Butterfly House we encourage visitors including Members to book tickets in advance to guarantee entry, particularly during busy periods such as weekends and school holidays. The Gardens are open daily. Full details of Gardens opening hours are on our website – horniman.ac.uk.
Horniman Museum Late
Thursday 1 August, 5.30-9pm On the first Thursday of each month the Horniman Museum will be open to visitors until 9pm. Explore the collections after hours, enjoy our current displays and exhibitions, and grab a drink with friends.
Explore the World Gallery and Music Gallery, and take advantage of discounted tickets to the Aquarium and Dinosaur rEvolution – plus a chance to win £50 to spend in the Horniman shop.
Free entry. No advance booking required. Some activities are charged for.
Music, Jerk ‘n Tings Saturday 10 August, 1-6pm Join us for a family-friendly day celebrating the contribution of Caribbean culture to Britain with family activities, live music, dancing and food.
Donna Spence returns as host, with the line-up including Dennis Bovell MBE, Janet Kay MBE, DJ Daddy Ernie from Vibes FM, True Identity, and more.
Read next: Horniman Museum and Gardens: Everything Parents Need to Know Before You Go
Some of the UK’s top Caribbean and African chefs will be cooking up a storm with jerk, vegan and vegetarian food. Plus we’ll have a vibrant arts and crafts market, children’s crafts and storytelling, old school games including giant dominoes, licensed bar, bouncy castles and face painting (extra charges apply), and discounted entry for the Horniman Butterfly House and Mini Golf by Urban Crazy.
This event is in partnership with Fairweather Productions. Tickets: Adult £15, Child £10, over 60s £10, under 2s free.
In September, enjoy a performance by Musician in Residence Bloomer who introduces A Late Bloomer’s Monologue. Free entry. No advance booking required. Some activities are charged for.
Sunday Market – Second Hand Sunday Sunday 8 September, 10am-3pm Join us for the Horniman’s Second Hand Sunday market with a repurposing, reusing and recycling focus, running alongside our regular Sunday market. Second Hand Sunday markets put the spotlight on sustainable shopping, with local stallholders selling second hand clothes, books, toys and more.
Free entry.
Exhibitions and Displays
Dinosaur rEvolution Daily until 3 November, 10am-5.30pm Which dino features are better – horns, spikes or quills? Did T. rex actually have feathers? And how did some dinosaurs survive extinction?
The first UK showing of Dinosaur rEvolution explores the relationship between dinosaurs and birds in a colourful and fascinating exhibition, which includes five large animatronic models, touchable fossil casts, dino dress up, games, detailed artworks and more.
Tickets: Adult £10, Child £7, Under-3s free, Family of four £23.50, Family of three £21. Horniman Members and Benefactors enjoy free, unlimited entry. Advance booking recommended. Book online at horniman.ac.uk.
Adolescent Wonderland Daily until Thursday 28 November, 10am-5.30pm This series of photographs by artist Naomi Hobson explores the beauty, love and humour of the First Nations young people in her community in Coen, northern Queensland. Vibrant full-coloured portraits highlight the young people’s individuality and self-expression against black and white backgrounds, speaking to the importance of preserving their culture and history. naomihobsonartist.com.au Free.
Natural History Pop-up Daily from Friday 23 August 10am-5.30pm Visit the Natural History Pop-up display in The Studio for a fresh look at a few familiar and unique specimens from the Horniman’s much-loved natural history collection.
From fossils to foxes and koalas to kiwis, the display highlights the amazing diversity of life on Earth across millions of years, humans’ dependence on the natural world, and action being taken to protect nature for generations to come. Also look out for a selection of songbirds and shells in the Music Gallery. Humans have always been inspired by the sounds of nature and used natural materials to make music of our own.
The Horniman’s famous Walrus is not on display as it gets ready for the reopening of the Natural History Gallery in 2026. Until then you can send it a postcard and it might even reply! (Instagram: @hornimanwalrus)
A tour of natural history across the Horniman Museum and Gardens is available via the free Bloomberg Connects app. Free
ONLINE: Extraction: In Conversation with Anna Atkins Daily, online at horniman.ac.uk
In this online exhibition, digital artist in residence Marie Smith presents work from their six-month residency at the Horniman. Extraction: In conversation with Anna Atkins is Marie’s visual response to their residency.
The exhibition responds to the Horniman’s collection of cyanotypes of botanical specimens made by pioneering Victorian scientist and photographer Anna Atkins, and is inspired by photographs of the Horniman Nature Trail and Gardens, alongside leaves and flowers collected from the Nature Trail.
Cyanotypes of photos from the Nature Trail, alongside leaves and flowers collected there, are overlaid with a transcript of Marie’s ‘conversation’ with Anna Atkins, addressing the artist’s thoughts and questions on Atkins’ legacy and work. Free, online
The Sustainable Way Daily, 10am-5.30pm This display in the World Gallery raises awareness of the environmental impact of the cotton industry, and was created by the Horniman Youth Panel of young people aged 14 to 19 from all over London. The display was inspired by the Hopi people and their respectful and sustainable farming of the land. Free
Nigeria60 Daily, 10am-5.30pm The Nigeria60 display at the heart of our World Gallery was created in collaboration with designer and artist Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman, and features the Horniman’s collection from 1960s Nigeria, and objects collected by Sikoki-Coleman from the same period. It is part of a wider conversation at the Horniman focusing on the way memories of Nigerian independence are imprinted in the present through objects, images, and words. Free
Regular events and activities
Mini Golf by UrbanCrazy Weekends, bank holidays and school holidays until Sunday 1 September, 10am to 5.30pm. A bespoke, themed 9-hole course by UrbanCrazy. Tee-off from the Clocktower, putt past the walrus and try for a birdie at the Butterfly House! Perfect for family fun, or for challenging competitive friends. Tickets: Adult £7, Child £4.50, Family (up to 2 adults) £17.50. Wheelchair accessible.
Family Craft Saturdays Saturdays, 2-4pm. Last entry 3.30pm. Join in family craft activities inspired by the Horniman’s collections. Learn about some of the 350,000 objects in the Horniman’s collections, and discover more about music, nature, wildlife, and the world around us as you get stuck into some crafts and have fun at these volunteer-run sessions for all the family.
Please see the website – Horniman.ac.uk – for themes in August and September.
Our Family Craft volunteers were Highly Commended in the Marsh Awards for Volunteers in Museum Learning 2023. Free. Drop in. Suitable for ages 3+.
Hey Jukebox! Tuesdays, 3.30pm
Hey Jukebox! is a changing playlist for the Music Gallery, playing every Tuesday from 3.30pm. Each month a new theme inspires a different playlist featuring musical choices linking to the Horniman. Check the website for details of each month’s playlist or join us in the Music Gallery.
- August – Get it Together. A playlist of fusion genres.
- September – All in the Family. This month’s focus is on families of instruments, starting with strings, with Horniman staff sharing their favourite guitar pieces. Free. Drop in.
Hear it Live! Thursday 8 August, 1.30-2pm Enjoy an exciting steel pan performance by the British-Trinidadian group Solid Steel in the beautiful Horniman Sunken Gardens. Free. Drop in. Thursday 12 September, 3.30-4pm As part of our collaboration with the Border Crossings project ‘The Mouth of the Gods’, enjoy a performance by vocalist Rafel Montero and Katarzyna Kavalnik on our Kirkman harpsichord. Free. Drop in.
Tours: Welcome to the Horniman Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3pm and Sundays, 11.30am Join a tour with one of our Visitor Hosts for a short introduction to the Horniman. Great for first-time visitors or as a general overview if you haven’t visited for a while, these short talks are suitable for everyone and will help you get the most out of your visit. Free, max 10 people per tour. Tours usually last 15 minutes. Meet by the Ticket Desk. To arrange a group tour, call 020 8699 1872 ext. 183.
Bloomberg Connects – free digital guide Why doesn’t the iconic Horniman walrus have any wrinkles? What is the oldest tree in the Gardens? Find out on the Horniman’s new digital guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and cultural app created by Bloomberg Philanthropies. From a wellbeing wander to the lifespan of a jellyfish the app helps you discover more about the Horniman through tours, trails and talks, enriching a visit both onsite and from home. Free. The Bloomberg Connects app is available for download from Google Play or the App Store
Shop Daily, 10am-5.30pm Visit the Horniman’s gift shop at the end of your visit for a range of beautiful gifts, treats and memories to treasure.
Online shop Inspired by the Horniman’s collections, the online shop offers a colourful range of tote bags, t-shirts, long-sleeved tops and hoodies in kids’ and adult sizes. Designs include butterflies, fish and the iconic Horniman walrus and are printed on super soft, certified organic cotton in a factory powered by renewable energy, then delivered in plastic-free packaging. The Horniman is a charity and all money raised will help support its work.
Prices from £12 + delivery charge. Order online from horniman.shop
100 London Road, Forest Hill SE23 3PQ