Royal Museums Greenwich has announced a packed programme of events across Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House for September 2026. Highlights include a week-long Moon Celebration, a brand new astrophotography exhibition, and hands-on family activities at every site. Most events run throughout the month, with several one-off dates worth diarising in advance.
Families are advised to pre-book tickets, ideally at least 24 hours ahead, as some sessions require advance booking.
Moon Celebration Week and the new astrophoto exhibition
From 12 to 20 September, Moon Celebration Week brings talks, workshops and observing sessions to the Royal Observatory and National Maritime Museum, exploring how the Moon has shaped astronomy through the centuries. Visitors can also get hands-on with Luke Jerram’s new sculpture Mirror Moon, a mirrored steel model mapped from real NASA lunar data, installed daily in the Observatory’s courtyard.
On 18 September, the National Maritime Museum opens its ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year 18 exhibition, showcasing shortlisted and winning images from over 4,000 entries worldwide, including March 2025’s partial solar eclipse. A related Evening of Astrophotography talk follows on 19 September, timed to International Observe the Moon Night.
Because the Royal Observatory’s Peter Harrison Planetarium and Modern Astronomy galleries remain closed for the ongoing “First Light” redevelopment (expected to run until spring 2028), most astronomy programming, including a new alternative planetarium experience called Astronomers Take Over, has moved to the National Maritime Museum for now.
Family activities at Cutty Sark
Cutty Sark’s September highlights include RNLI Day on 26 September, when the Tower Lifeboat Station team joins the ship to share water safety tips and rescue stories. Resident sea shanty groups Swinging the Lead and The HogEye Men perform on 5 September, and the weekly Ship Mates sessions continue every Wednesday during term-time for under-5s. Shipkeeping Wednesdays, character encounters and guided highlights tours also run throughout the month for visitors wanting to learn how the historic clipper is cared for.
Special events at the National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House
The Queen’s House hosts DEBUT’s classical Summer Concert on 3 September, followed by the community fashion showcase Stitching Communities Together: Pocket Parade on 11 September. Family-focused regulars including Play Tuesdays, Discover Sundays, Little Stars and Baby Yoga continue through the month, alongside dedicated sessions for SEND families and the LGBTQ+ Family Network.
Over at the Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre, Heritage Open Days tours on 12 September give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at objects not normally on public display, alongside the regular CoderDojo coding club and Experimental Saturdays.
Full listings and booking details are available at rmg.co.uk.
