Events
The Royal Borough's calendar is packed with world-class events, from Europe's largest street festival to the world's most famous flower show.
Last updated: 9 September 2026
January
Year-round; the main antiques market is Friday–Sunday · Portobello Road and Golborne Road · Notting Hill
Market 08:00–19:00 daily; traders usually 08:30–18:00
Portobello Road's street market runs through Notting Hill, with antiques and collectables concentrated toward the southern end and fashion, food and household stalls farther north. Friday and Saturday antiques trading is listed as 09:00–17:00, Sunday 10:00–16:00, and the antiques arcades mainly open on Saturdays.
Free to browse; no booking required. Verify with Portobello Road Market.
March
Until 8 November 2026 · V&A South Kensington, Sainsbury Gallery · South Kensington
Daily 10:00–17:45; Friday 10:00–22:00
The UK's first exhibition devoted to Elsa Schiaparelli follows the fashion house from its 1920s origins to Daniel Roseberry's present-day couture, with garments, jewellery, accessories and collaborations with artists including Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau.
Timed tickets: £28 weekdays and £30 weekends; concessions apply, members visit free, and advance booking is recommended. Verify with Victoria and Albert Museum.
Until 8 November 2026 · Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX · Kensington
Daily 10:00–18:00; last entry 17:00 (check visit date)
This exhibition explores the life of suffragette Princess Sophia Duleep Singh through the stories of her sisters Catherine and Bamba, her mother Bamba Müller, her grandmother Jind Kaur and her godmother Queen Victoria.
Included with palace admission. Adult tickets are £24.70 and child tickets £12.40; members enter free and do not need to pre-book. Verify with Historic Royal Palaces.
May
18–22 May 2027 · Royal Hospital Chelsea, Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4SR · Chelsea
08:00–20:00; closes 17:30 Saturday; Friday Late 17:30–22:00
The RHS's flagship flower show returns to the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea with show gardens, floral exhibits and specialist shopping. Tuesday and Wednesday are RHS members' days; public days run Thursday to Saturday.
Advance tickets are required. The RHS says 2027 tickets will be available soon; member days require RHS membership. Verify with Royal Horticultural Society.
Until 4 October 2026 · Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG · Holland Park
Monday–Thursday 10:00–17:00; Friday–Sunday 10:00–18:00
The first museum retrospective outside Japan devoted to NIGO traces the designer's influence across streetwear, luxury fashion, music and design through more than 700 objects, including rare clothing, ceramics and a glass tea house.
Advance tickets from £15.29 adults, £11.47 concessions and £7.65 children; members enter free. The museum is closed on 18 September. Verify with Design Museum.
June
Until 25 October 2026 · Serpentine South, Kensington Gardens · Kensington Gardens
Monday–Friday 10:00–18:00; Saturday–Sunday 10:00–19:00
LANZA atelier's free temporary pavilion, titled “a serpentine”, draws on the curving English crinkle-crankle wall. Brick columns move from opaque to permeable beneath a translucent roof, creating a social space and café in the park.
Free; no general admission ticket required. Check the organiser page for occasional early closures. Verify with Serpentine Galleries.
July
Final concerts 9–12 September 2026 · Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP · South Kensington
Concert times vary; check the official daily programme
The BBC Proms closes its 2026 Royal Albert Hall season this week, culminating in the Last Night on Saturday 12 September. The programme spans large-scale orchestral concerts and the festival's traditional finale.
Tickets are sold per concert and availability changes daily; use the official programme for remaining seats and Promming information. Verify with BBC Proms.
September
16–20 September 2026 · Cadogan Hall, Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea Theatre and other Chelsea venues · Chelsea
Programme times vary; events run from morning into the evening
A programme of talks, literature, music, art, comedy, dance and performance across Chelsea. The festival opens at Cadogan Hall on 16 September and includes free outdoor entertainment in Sloane Square and Duke of York Square on 19 September.
Most indoor events require separate paid tickets; selected outdoor events are free with no booking required. Verify with Chelsea Arts Festival.
From 16 September 2026 (temporary 18-month display) · Natural History Museum, Central Building · South Kensington
Daily 10:00–17:50; last entry 17:30
A gallery closed to the public for more than 80 years reopens with 50 objects exploring how people have understood and represented nature. This experimental display is the first gallery project in the museum's NHM150 transformation.
Free. Museum entry can be reserved online to guarantee admission at busy times. Verify with Natural History Museum.
20 September 2026 · Chelsea Old Town Hall, King's Road · Chelsea
11:00–17:30
More than 60 dealers bring vintage and antique fashion, textiles, jewellery and accessories to Chelsea Old Town Hall for this long-running specialist fair.
Paid admission; advance tickets are available from the organiser. Verify with Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair.
23 September 2026 – 31 January 2027 · Serpentine North, Kensington Gardens · Kensington Gardens
Gallery hours; choose an available time slot when booking
New Delhi-based artist and filmmaker Amar Kanwar transforms Serpentine North with a trilogy of film installations exploring memory, displacement, justice and the legacies of Partition, including the premiere of The Charcoal Man.
Free. Advance time slots can be booked; walk-ups are welcome but may need to queue when slots are sold out. Verify with Serpentine Galleries.
October
2 October 2026 – 4 April 2027 · Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG · Holland Park
Monday–Thursday 10:00–17:00; Friday–Sunday 10:00–18:00
The first European retrospective of artist and stage designer Es Devlin brings together installations, film and the largest solo presentation of her archive to date, spanning 30 years of work across stage, sculpture, music, language and light.
Paid timed tickets are on sale; members enter free without booking for exhibitions. Verify with Design Museum.
16 October 2026 – 11 July 2027 · Natural History Museum, Central Building · South Kensington
Daily 10:00–17:50; last entry 17:30
The 62nd edition of the Natural History Museum's annual photography exhibition presents 100 newly awarded images selected from more than 65,000 entries, spanning wildlife behaviour, landscapes and conservation stories.
Tickets are on sale: off-peak adults from £17, concessions from £13.60 and children from £8.50. Verify with Natural History Museum.
18 October 2026 · Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street · Kensington
11:00–17:30
More than 100 specialist dealers fill Kensington Town Hall with vintage and antique fashion, textiles, jewellery and accessories.
Paid admission; advance tickets are available from the organiser. Verify with Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair.
November
6 November 2026 – 8 August 2027 · Design Museum, 224–238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG · Holland Park
Monday–Thursday 10:00–17:00; Friday–Sunday 10:00–18:00
Guest-curated by Charlene Prempeh, this major exhibition surveys contemporary Black design through more than 100 objects spanning fashion, furniture, architecture, product design and sculpture.
Advance tickets from £15.29 adults, £11.47 concessions and £7.65 children; members enter free. Verify with Design Museum.