Horniman Museum and Gardens
Visit our free galleries – the World Gallery, Music Gallery and Natural History Pop-up display in The Studio – no advance booking needed. Please note the Natural History Gallery and Nature Base are currently closed for redevelopment until 2026 as part of our Nature + Love project.
To book 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 every day except 25 December. Full details of Gardens opening hours are on our website – horniman.ac.uk.
NEW: Family Threads
Daily from Monday 11 November online at horniman.ac.uk
Daily from Tuesday 12 November to Monday 2 December, 8.30am to 5pm (weekdays), 10am to 6pm (weekends) at Canvas & Cream, Forest Hill
A photography exhibition showcasing the family histories of African and Caribbean members of the Horniman’s African and Caribbean Collections Research Hub, exploring themes of family, migration and home, alongside photographs of objects from the Horniman’s collection that speak to the group members and relate to their family memories.
The online exhibition will be accompanied by a physical exhibition at Canvas & Cream, Forest Hill, opening on Tuesday 12 November. Free, online / at Canvas & Cream
Natural History Pop-up
Daily, 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
The Enchanted Cinema
The Snowman / Orchestra of Seasons (inc. My Neighbour Totoro) Friday 22 to Sunday 24 November, see session times below
The Enchanted Cinema is returning to the Horniman and they need your help with the score! You’ll use instruments, hands and voices to help create the soundtrack to well-loved animated films, expertly guided by The Enchanted Cinema’s musicians and multi-instrumentalists.
The Snowman
Friday 22 November, 12noon, 2pm, 4pm Sunday 24 November, 10am, 12noon, 2pm
Help re-create the sound effects of an owl, bauble, toothbrush, musical box, running tap, feet jumping through the snow, or tearaway motorbike before enjoying Dianne Jackson’s classic animation of Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman (1982).
The Orchestra of Seasons
A collection of three short films Saturday 23 November, 10am, 12noon, 2pm
Become dancing frogs, caterpillars, mice and squirrels for Lotte Reineger’s The Grasshopper and The Ant (1954), be popping seeds, rain drops, a rumbling catbus or the sound of book pages flapping in the wind, alongside clips from Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbour Totoro (1988), and help bring stop-frame scenes to life in Seasons (1969), a beautifully crafted animation inspired by Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons.
The Orchestra of Enchanted Sounds Tour is supported by Film Hub London, managed by Film London. Proud to be a partner of the BFI Film Audience Network, funded by the National Lottery. www.filmlondon.org.uk/filmhub.
Tickets: Adult £12, Child £6, Babes in arms £0. This event is aimed at children aged 4-12. Sessions last 65mins. Advance booking required.
Regular events and activities
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.
- 9 and 16 November – this Autumn we will be learning about and making little hedgehogs.
- 23 November – celebrate National Tree Week by creating autumn leaf people.
- 30 November – more National Tree Week fun, making ink blown tree paintings
There will be no sessions on 21 and 28 December as our volunteers are taking a well-earned break. Our Family Craft volunteers were Highly Commended in the Marsh Awards for Volunteers in Museum Learning 2023. Free. Drop in. Suitable for ages 3+.
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 The Horniman Museum is free to visit and open daily, 10am to 5.30pm, except 24 – 26 December, when it is closed.
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