Take a deep dive with Hope the blue whale in Hintze Hall.
There's nothing like summer in the city, and this June, July and August the Museum is back with a bang.
Discover two new displays, and an exhibition you may not have seen yet. Plus, it's time to step back into the Vault and see our latest addition - the Winchcombe meteorite.
Don't forget - you need to book your free entry ticket to the Museum in advance.
Last updated 9 August
1. Pull an all-nighter
Come to Dino Snores - a sleepover for grown-ups at one of London's most famous buildings and enjoy a night at the Museum featuring great entertainment, food and drink.
Various dates.
Adults £185, Members £166.50
2. Encounter fantastic beasts
Explore the parallels between real-life animals, creatures from myths and legends, and beasts from the wizarding world in our exhibition Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature.
Tickets include Museum entry after you've visited the exhibition.
Until 3 January 2022
Adults £22, free for Members and Patrons
3. Find ways to fix our planet
The first part of our free, evolving display Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It looks at the food we eat. Learn how diets of the world's wealthiest nations are putting the planet in peril including the real price of sugar.
Free display in the Jerwood Gallery.
4. See some of Joseph Banks's collections
The Artistic Legacy of Joseph Banks is free display where you can see artworks and manuscripts that explore the life and interests of Joseph Banks (1743-1820). The first part of the exhibition, until 17 September, includes eighteenth century depictions of flora and fauna and botanical artworks by the master of scientific botanical illustration Franz Bauer (1758-1840).
Free display in the Images of Nature gallery.
5. Watch out for meteorites!
Not only is the Vault open for the first time since March 2020, but it also has a new exhibit. You may remember that in March 2021, a meteorite landed on the driveway of a house in Gloucestershire. The fragments are known as the Winchcombe meteorite.
Temporary display, free
6. Find your zen at the Museum
Stretch out under the blue whale. We have a unique series of yoga classes for a variety of experience levels hosted in collaboration with East of Eden.
Various dates over the summer.
Members from £20.70, adults from £23
7. See a pyramid of glittering diamonds
The Winchcombe meteorite is not the only thing in the Vault that shines bright. The Aurora Pyramid of Hope consists of 296 coloured diamonds, one of the largest displays of its kind. Their colours are determined by the environment and processes which cause imperfections in the stone.
Permanent, free
8. Take a walk on the wild side
Surround yourself in nature with a walk in our Wildlife Garden. It's a busy place in warmer months with leafcutter bees and common carder bees hard at work. You might see the uncommon yellow loosestrife bee once its namesake plant is flowering near the reed bed.
Our resident fox cubs are growing bigger and bolder. Look out for flashes of fluffy tails or ears poking out from the undergrowth.
Permanent, free
9. Pick us as a picnic spot
Roll out your picnic rug or nab a table at the outdoor cafe. Pick up burgers, salads or delicious baked goods, or visit the pop-up ice-cream van for a cool treat. A barbecue also operates throughout the school holidays.
Access to the east lawn is via the corner of Exhibition and Cromwell roads, or as you exit the Museum from Hintze Hall. Hyde Park is also a short walk away for more park hangs.
10. Join a behind-the-scenes tour
Go behind the scenes with our knowledgeable science educators for a look at the Museum's fascinating zoology collection preserved in spirit.
Daily until 5 September (excluding 25 August).
Adults £25, Members £22.50
11. See the tallest animal on the longest day of the year
This World Giraffe Day (21 June), say hello to the giraffes in Hintze Hall. By studying specimens likes these - one with its skin and one with its skeleton revealed - scientists can work out how giraffes evolved.
Find out more about giraffes, including why they have such long necks, with Museum scientist Dr Natalie Cooper on the audio guide narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
Permanent, free
12. Hang out with friends
Take a leaf from the capybara's book and spend some quality time with a friend on 2 August. The capybara's placid nature means that they are often pictured with other species. Why not pay a visit to our Mammals gallery and mingle with the many different species on display.
Permanent, free
13. Take a Dinotour
Explore the Dinosaurs gallery before it opens to the public on one of our special guided tours.
You'll get to journey through time and learn how dinosaurs were first discovered, how they adapted to life on Earth and why they're so important to our science today.
11 and 14 August
Adults £30, Members £27
14. Get hooked on our new podcast
Our new podcast Wild Crimes looks at transgressions in the natural world. It is a great way to get your natural history fix between visits to the Museum. With episodes covering mammoths, dinosaurs and more, it is not just for science lovers, we also think fans of true crime, factual and storytelling podcasts will dig it (pun intended).
Launching July, available from wherever you get your podcasts.
15. Discover the Museum's most quiet spot
You can find a small part of the Museum's spirit collection next to the Attenborough Studio in the Zoology spirit building. It is named after the alcohol used to preserve the 23 million specimens. Tucked away at the back of the Orange Zone, this spot is often a great place to escape the crowds.
Permanent, free
