Tots at the docks
29 Apr 2026 | 10.30am – 2.30pm | FREE | Under 5s | London Museum Docklands
Dive deep in the river, stack cargo, put on a puppet show or build the tallest tower! Tots at the docks is an unticketed, drop-in play session that usually takes place on the last Wednesday of the month. On selected dates, we’ll be running additional (and free) special events for under-5s with a range of fantastic early years partners.
Easter (series)
28 Mar – 12 Apr 2026 | FREE | All ages | London Museum Docklands
This Easter, we’re serving up a feast of fun (and drool-worthy) food stories!
Nibble your way to the docks and explore the flavours, memories, and journeys behind what we eat.
From tropical ingredients carried across oceans to recipes passed down in your own kitchen, discover where food comes from and what it means to each of us.
Ready to take a bite?
Includes:
Packaging design workshop
1 – 2 Apr 2026 | FREE | All ages | London Museum Docklands
Join our Sainsbury’s archivists to look at how designs on packaging have changed over time and then create your own. Explore the Sainsbury Archive to learn what the packaging of your favourite foods used to look like and then have a go at designing your own.
Paper food fun
28 Mar – 5 Apr 2026 | 10.30am & 2pm | FREE | Families | London Museum Docklands
Create your own favourite food from paper!
Do you have a favourite food or a meal that brings back happy memories? Join us in the foyer to get crafty and create your own food memories from paper before adding them to our banquet table.
Paint with food
2 – 9 Apr 2026 | Various times | FREE | Families | London Museum Docklands
Turn everyday ingredients into vibrant paints in this colourful drop-in workshop.
Join Ella Philips in this fun drop-in workshop and turn everyday ingredients into beautiful natural paints to colour your own postcard masterpiece.
Explore how food can be used to create different dyes and what the colour of food tells us about it.
Tasty tropical loaves
7 & 9 Apr 2026 | Various times | FREE | Families | London Museum Docklands
Prepare your own tasty tropical loaves to bake at home.
Mix, measure and make your own fruity loaves! Choose your favourite tropical flavours to personalise your loaf before taking it home to bake.
Please note that this is a food preparation workshop and you’ll need to bake your loaf at home. We’ll provide all ingredients, containers and cooking instructions.
Print your own tea towel
1 – 8 Apr 2026 | Various times | FREE | Families | London Museum Docklands
Use food to print a design onto a tea towel in this workshop led by artist Christina Rose Brown. Did you know you can print a rose from celery stalks? In this workshop, you’ll use paint and a variety of vegetables to print and design your very own tea towel to take home with you.
Anansi goes to lunch – storytelling
1 – 9 Apr 2026 | 11am, 1pm & 2pm | FREE | Families | London Museum Docklands
Come along for a scrumptious storytelling adventure with storyteller Helen McDonald. Inspired by the clever trickster Anansi, this interactive story will take you on a delicious journey around the globe, meeting animals and learning about different cuisines along the way.
The Semeiko-Wang Nature Remembered Project (series)
21 Apr – 28 May 2026 | FREE | All ages | London Museum Studios
A new artistic collaboration from the Semeiko-Wang family exploring a love for the hidden, natural world. Lily, Yu-Chen and Andro are currently our family-in-residence at London Museum Studios from February to May 2026. They explore how we navigate everyday environments, where nature can be found around us, and how nature is remembered and felt across the city, particularly between Caledonian Park and Smithfield.
From their local neighbourhood to the museum’s home, they uncover historical and geographical connections through exploratory walks and research into the London Museum’s archives and collections to develop new work. A series of public events are taking place throughout the residency, which share their findings and offer insight into the creative process.
Includes:
Earth Week walk
21 Apr 2026 | 4 – 6pm | FREE | All ages | London Museum Studios
Celebrate Earth Week with our artists-in-residence for an exploratory walk through Smithfield, uncovering the hidden nature of the city.
Together, we’ll practice the art of noticing, seeking out everything from the whispers of lost rivers and tucked-away greenery to the historic floral and faunal motifs cast into the area’s Victorian architecture.
Collectively, we’ll imagine how this urban landscape has shifted over centuries. The exploration concludes at the London Museum Studios, where we’ll gather over light refreshments to share our discoveries and contribute observations to the residency’s growing archive.
Open Studios: Meet our family-in-residence
26 – 28 May 2026 | 12 – 5pm | FREE | All ages | London Museum Studios
Join artists-in-residence Lily, Yu-Chen and Andro for Open Studios, where they will present ideas and work in progress developed during the residency.
Their practice explores how we navigate urban and natural environments and how hidden aspects of nature can be discovered around us.
Through public events, including walks and workshops, and research into the London Museum’s archives and collections, the artists have developed work that responds to the history and geography of the area between Caledonian Park and Smithfield, connecting their local neighbourhood with the museum.
This is an opportunity to learn about their creative process and engage directly with the artists about their findings.
Walks, talks, & tours:
Second World War family walk
28 Mar 2026 | 10.30 – 11.30am | Ticketed from £8 | Families | Off-site
See the marks that the war has left on the City of London and the stories they tell.
Join us on a guided walk through the City of London’s landmarks to explore how the Second World War impacted ordinary Londoners. This 60-minute walk for primary school age children and their families, will uncover some of the lesser-known stories about the war along the way, like how it affected children, women and food.
Women’s History Month talks (series)
1 Mar – 31 Mar 2026 | FREE | London Museum Docklands
Join us on the weekends in March to celebrate Women’s History Month with an exciting lineup of free talks and storytelling. Book your free tickets today and get ready to uncover hidden stories and fresh perspectives in this extensive programme, featuring tales of working women in the Second World War, pioneering abolitionists, female pirates and much more. While you’re here, don’t forget to pick up our free Women’s History Month trail and embark on a journey through time within our collections.
Includes:
Women sailors in the age of sail
28 Mar 2026 | 3pm – 3.20pm | FREE | All ages | London Museum Docklands
Join us for this short talk to uncover the fascinating accounts of women dressing as men to live and work at sea the 18th and 19th centuries. From the pirate Mary Read to the female sailor Anne Jane Thornton, these women sought adventure and freedom from social expectations. Join one of our hosts as we explore the lives of these remarkable women.
African women in Tudor London
29 Mar 2026 | 11am – 11.20am, 12pm – 12.20pm | FREE | All ages | London Museum Docklands
Join a Host for a talk uncovering African women in Tudor London, whose histories were erased, but not forgotten. African women lived and worked in Tudor London, yet their stories have been overlooked and not told. This talk will explore scattered records to uncover fragments of their lives. Through the eyes of a storyteller, these historical records will be brought to life in an enchanting and engaging talk.
Exhibitions & displays:
Mudlarks family gallery
All year | 10am – 4pm | Paid advanced booking from £3.95 | Under 8s | London Museum Docklands
Mudlarks brings the docks to life through interactive play, which keeps little ones occupied and stimulates their development. Find out what the docks were used for and what life would’ve been like for sailors many years ago. There’s plenty for kids to get hands-on with. Drive a DLR train in the soft play area, move ships along the docks on the water table and help the workers move their cargo using wheelbarrows.
