Families heading to Greenwich this September will find a packed programme across Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House. Highlights include a week-long Moon celebration, a brand new astrophotography exhibition, and a free RNLI open day aboard the historic tea clipper.
Moon Celebration Week
From 12 to 20 September, Royal Museums Greenwich celebrates the Moon with talks, workshops and observing sessions spread across the Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum. The week is suitable for all ages, with activities ranging from hands-on workshops to expert-led talks on how the Moon has shaped our understanding of the universe.
Visitors can also get up close to Luke Jerram’s new sculpture Mirror Moon, a large-scale piece mapped from real NASA lunar data, installed daily in the Observatory’s courtyard and free to see with Observatory admission.
New astrophotography exhibition opens 18 September
The National Maritime Museum’s Photography Gallery opens ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 18 on 18 September, showcasing shortlisted and winning images chosen from 4,000 entries across 66 countries, including March 2025’s partial solar eclipse. Tickets are £12 for adults, £9 for students and £6 for children.
On 19 September, families and older children (16+) can join Royal Observatory astronomers and a panel of astrophotographers for an Evening of Astrophotography, marking International Observe the Moon Night, priced at £14 for adults and £10 for students.
RNLI Day aboard Cutty Sark
On 26 September, the RNLI’s Tower Lifeboat Station team comes aboard Cutty Sark for a free day (with ship admission) of water safety demonstrations, lifesaving skills and rescue stories from the Thames, running 11am to 4pm.
Free and low-cost family activities
There’s plenty for younger children too. Ship Mates runs weekly on Cutty Sark for under-5s (£5 per adult, under 5s free), while Little Stars offers storytelling and sensory play for under-5s at the National Maritime Museum on 3 September. Play Tuesdays and Discover Sundays continue as free or low-cost term-time sessions for families with young children.
The Astronomy LEGO Brick Club runs every Friday at the National Maritime Museum, free of charge, and character encounters bring maritime history to life across all three sites throughout the month.
Families of children with SEND are catered for too, with SENsory Sailors at the National Maritime Museum on 12 September and the weekly SENsory Social Club at the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre.
Good to know
The Royal Observatory’s Peter Harrison Planetarium and Modern Astronomy galleries remain closed as part of the site’s “First Light” redevelopment, expected to complete by spring 2028. In the meantime, astronomy programming has moved to the National Maritime Museum, including the alternative planetarium experience Astronomers Take Over.
All Royal Museums Greenwich sites are open daily from 10am to 5pm. Visitors, including members, are advised to pre-book tickets online at rmg.co.uk.
