15 things to do this winter for adults

Make the most of the colder months with a hand-picked selection of winter experiences at the Natural History Museum in London. From evening yoga to late-night tours, and from candle-lit atmospheres to crisp walks through our galleries, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the season.

Last updated 14 November 2025

Hintze hall at night with neon lighting

Join us at our biggest party of the year as we see in 2026 in style. Prepare your moves to get the earth quaking, get ready to heat up the dancefloor and make meteoric waves into an unforgettable year. Come and celebrate New Year’s Eve with us at one of London’s most iconic venues.

Wednesday 31 December, 21:00–01:30

Non-members: from £125
Members: from £112.50

A woman, a child and a dog wear our Christmas jumpers

Visit our online shop and make sure everyone, from the kids to the family dog, gets matching knitwear this festive season. Even our animatronic T. rex has joined in! Come and see it showing off its new jumper in our Dinosaurs Gallery. Alongside our wonderful winter woollies, our shop also has a bunch of terrific Christmas gifts and much more besides.

Discover the natural world in all its wonder and diversity at our Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. The 100 remarkable photographs on display illustrate the precious beauty of life on our planet.

Daily

Non-members: from £15.50 
Members: free

Join us as we dive into the scientific detective work that led to the discovery of a dinosaur species new to science and the questions it’s still raising. Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, a two-legged herbivore, was only officially recognised by science in 2025, and we’re lucky enough to have one on permanent display in our Earth Hall.

Wednesday 21 January 2026, 18:30–20:00

Non-members: £25 
Members: £15

Are we alone in the universe? Join us as we try to answer this big question as well as many other cosmic mysteries! Smell planets, touch parts of our solar system, design your own space mission and see what scientists believe could be out there in our out-of-this-world exhibition Space: Could Life Exist Beyond Earth?

Non-members: from £14  
Members: free

Watch a tree grow in a matter of seconds and come face-to-face with a beluga whale in our mixed reality experience. Don your headset and be transported to the year 2125 where you’ll discover how making positive changes now can shape the future of the natural world.

Daily

Non-members: £9.95 
Members: £7.95

Volunteer pruning wildlife garden

Our Hintze Hall balconies are home to a whole host of beautiful specimens that capture the wonderful diversity of life on Earth. But look a little closer and you’ll notice that there are the odd one or two specimens in the cabinets that are, shall we say, a little bizarre. See if you can spot our locust eating a mouse and be amazed by the accompanying written account by Reverend Reid that delves into their peculiar diets.

Permanent, free

 

Come inside and shelter from the cold in our galleries and warm up with a cup of tea and some cake in one of our cafes, stocked with an array of delicious treats and hot drinks. Where else in London could you have a cuppa next to a panda? But this isn’t any old panda! Chi Chi, who takes pride of place in our Central Cafe, was the inspiration for the iconic WWF logo and had a love life that nearly sparked a diplomatic incident with Russia.

Come and find out more!

Are you looking to begin the new year by trying something new? Then join us after we’ve closed to the public for the day for an invigorating yoga class. Held underneath Hope our blue whale in the peace and quiet of Hintze Hall, our classes are suitable for all abilities. Choose between rocket yoga, Vinyasa with accompanying harp music or mat pilates to release the tension of the day.

Friday 23 January and Tuesday 3 February 
18:30–19:30 and 20:00–21:00

Non-members: £36 
Members: £32.40

Close up of T-rex animatronics

Explore our Dinosaurs Gallery before it opens to the public for the day with our Out of Hours Dino Tour. Our knowledgeable guides will answer all your questions while you get up close with spectacular skeletons and extraordinary fossils in our world-famous gallery. Plus, get to roar at our almost life-sized animatronic T. rex.

Non-members: £30  
Members: £24

Watch as the walls and floor burst into life around you in our new 360° experience Our Story with David Attenborough. Reflecting on his lifetime exploring the planet, Sir David shares its wonders as well as a personal message of hope. Leave feeling empowered to help write the next chapter in our story.

Non-members: from £20 
Members: from £10

Winchcombe meteorite specimen

Looking for a quiet space to relax in or maybe you want somewhere calm to have a sit down and take the load off? Our galleries can get busy at times, but there’s lots of places where you can escape the hustle and bustle. To help, we’ve shortlisted our top five quiet galleries and spaces with mindful activities where you can enjoy some quiet time.

Permanent, free

Sign up for one of our Naturally Curious short online courses and learn about nature from our world-renowned experts. Whether it’s Rocks in Space or Dinosaurs 101, we’ve got something for every curious mind!

Looking for a tasty and environmentally friendly drink to enjoy over the festive season? We’ve partnered with Cooper King Distillery to provide you with the solution. Our carbon-negative gin is available exclusively from our shop. Made in Yorkshire with 11 botanicals, including basil, lemongrass and clove, our Discovery Gin is the perfect tipple to warm you on a cold winter’s night.

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the amazing spirit collection we care for. This is your chance to peek backstage and see some of the incredible specimens we house. From a cute cookiecutter shark to our giant squid Archie who’s a whopping 8.62 metres in length, it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

Daily

Non-members: from £28
Members: from £23

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