Our Guide to London Exhibitions in 2017

By Megan Hills

As the cultural capital of England, there's a number of incredible London exhibitions lined up this year.

From quirky cartoon characters to emotionally charged moments in British history, London's arts and culture calendar is full of fantastic shows worth booking tickets for. See the highlights of some of the best London exhibitions on in 2017!

Emma Hamilton: Seduction and Celebrity Emma Hamilton lived a life of romantic intrigue and celebrity, during which she became the object of fascination for William Hamilton, Admiral Nelson and painter George Romney to name a few. With over two hundred works and exhibits on show detailing her rise and fall in the public eye, charting a significant moment of female empowerment in British history. Address: National Maritime Museum Dates: Until 17 April, 2017 Tickets: £12.60+

The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains Pink Floyd captured the world's attention with their unforgettable music and stagecraft, so it's no surprise that the V&A are hosting an exhibition to honour their legacy. Described as an audio-visual journey through the band's colourful history, it's worth booking tickets in advance as it's sure to be a popular choice. Address: V&A Dates: Opens 13 May 2017 Tickets: £20-24

STAR WARS Identities: The Exhibition With the resurgence of Star Wars into the public eye, this O2 exhibition is perfectly timed to make the most of the hype. Tracing the lineage of Star Wars over 40 years, it's a fascinating look behind the scenes of the famous franchise with props, original artwork and costumes from the series on display. Visitors can also take part in a special quest to discover their own Star Wars identity. Address: The O2 Dates: 18 November 2016 - 3 September 2017 Tickets: £10-20

Diana: Her Fashion Story Princess Di won the hearts of the world with her kindness and incredible compassion, continuing to inspire to this day. An exhibition at her former home, Kensington Palace, is dedicated to her role as a fashion icon and charts her style evolution through the years, displaying many of her outfits including her unforgettable velvet gown which she wore at the White House. Address: Kensington Palace Dates: Opens 24 February 2017 Tickets: Exhibition price included in palace admission ticket (£12.60+)

Adventures in Moominland Moomin, a Finnish cartoon character, is the star of this exhibition at Southbank Centre along with its creator Tove Jansson. Take a step into Moominvalley and find out how Jansson created the entire Moomin universe, from original sketches of the Moomin characters to gorgeous landscapes. Address: Southbank Centre Dates: 28 January 2017 - 23 April 2017 Tickets: £13.50-16.50

Buckingham Palace Tour: Summer Opening 2017 London's most famous palace is throwing open its doors to the public this summer, allowing a select number of visitors to tour the opulent residence. As the home of the queen, it remains one of the most photographed sites in London and features stunning architectural details, as well as masterworks by Rembrandt, Rubens and Poussin lining its walls. Address: Buckingham Palace Dates: 5 August 2017 - 24 September 2017 Tickets: To be announced

Wildlife Photography of the Year See the premiere exhibition of the Wildlife Photography of the Year competition, where the best and brightest in animal photography are honoured. As the first stop on its international tour to 60 different cities, it's held appropriately in the stunning Natural History Museum. Address: Natural History Museum Dates: 21 October 2016 - 10 September 2017 Tickets: £6.50-36.90

The Art of the Brick: DC Superheroes In a special collaboration between Lego artist Sawaya, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros., South Bank's Doon Street Car Park is being transformed into something right out of the pages of a comic book. With 120 original artworks made up of two million vibrant bricks, this award-winning exhibit is just a short walk from Waterloo Station. Address: Doon Street Car Park Dates: 1 March 2017 - 4 September 2017 Tickets: £11+

Image via The British Museum The American Dream: Pop to the Present Take a break from British history and delve into the artistic psyche of modern America, where over 200 prints chart the country's fascination with the American Dream. Featuring artists such as Andy Warhol, Kara Walker and more, the exhibit follows the evolution of American art from the pop art era onwards. Address: British Museum Dates: 9 March 2017 - 18 June 2017 Tickets: £13+

Image via Museum of London Fire! Fire! Learn about one of the most catastrophic events in London's history, the Great Fire of London. Held on the 350th anniversary of the disaster, the exhibit recreates the origin site of the fire in Pudding Lane and tracks the spread of the fire across the city, as well as the resilience of the city and its people in the time following. Address: Museum of London Dates: Until 17 April 2017 Tickets: £5+

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VegFest London 2019

VegFest 2019 may be over, but we’re not done picking over its seitan bones just yet. To encourage you to keep the event on your radar for next year, and to get you onboard with some of the inventive, agenda-setting business we met, tried and have consequently privately raved about, we thought we’d give you a little review of the weekend. A public raving to which you are invited. Compostable glow sticks at the ready, read on for... An idea of what to expect (and what not to expect) from VegFest A taste of some of the best street food and vegan food products we tried A smattering of the non-culinary vegan businesses on offer And much more What VegFest is Good For VegFest is good for anyone deep into the vegan scene, living their best vegan life. It’s a coming together of vegan businesses great and small, foodie and non-foodie in a ginormous exhibition venue. Set across three floors of the Olympia London, West Kensington, you need hours to explore it properly. You’ve got street food stalls in one area, a huge number of vegan food product makers and artisans handing out tasters, plenty of vegan lifestyle brands competing for your attention and animal welfare groups looking for new members. Talks about all aspects of a vegan lifestyle and separate vegan enterprises, performances by vegan musicians and comics and cooking demonstrations take place across the venue throughout the day. And it lasts two full days towards the end of October. There is no camping. It’s in an exhibition centre in West Kensington. For Vegan Business People It’s great for chefs and vegan store owners. Meat free business people. A lot of professional cooks looking for new vegan ingredients to add to their menus were there. VegFest 2019 featured the first UK outing of OmniPork, the plant-based pork substitute that’s soon to be replacing many a disappointing bean burger on many a pub menu. We also loved the chick’n from The Green Butchers. It’s a great event for vegan shop owners too. In many ways, it’s an industry event, a great big meat-free networking do. For a Vegan Lifestyle VegFest is also geared towards those looking to make the vegan switch, and those wanting to be ethically-minded across the board, rather than just when it comes to food. There were lots of subscription based businesses at the event, everything from vegan ready meals to vegan pet food and veg boxes. We had a great chat with someone from VeganFitnessMeals about how to make gains with grains. But it’s not just a food festival. It might actually be a little inaccurate to call it one at all. It’s a vegan lifestyle event. It’s the place to come if you want to find extra-curricular (non-food related) vegan products and business, with a real focus on clothing, cosmetics and health products. Dr Bronner’s were there, there was a big focus on environmentally-friendly sanitary products...and clothes-wise they had everything you’d need to make you the meat-free, parachute-panted hippy or straight edge, hardcore animal lover of your parents’ nightmares. In the health department, we thoroughly recommend you take a look at Nourished. They’re a subscription-based vitamin company, who make fruit gum-like vitamins to suit your body’s individual needs. They work out what you require in your diet, based on a number of different factors, and then 3D print (yep, who’s that at the door? It’s THE FUTURE) individual daily vitamins just for you. Made in the UK, sugar-free, plastic-free, vegan and with better absorption rates than other vitamins. For Vegan Causes The presence of a number of fighting-the-good-fight charities and protest organisations (Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rebellion, Hunt Saboteurs, Veganuary, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home) make it a good starting point for those wanting to help vegan causes. It’s charmingly, happily and productively old school in that sense. All vegan festivals promote the benefits of veganism and a vegan lifestyle, be they environmental, animal welfare-related or dietary. But depressingly few give visitors ideas on how they can help those causes and promote those benefits beyond the event itself. VegFest does this. There was a climate summit on the Sunday, a wildlife summit and a zone run by Animal Rebellion, a wing of Extinction Rebellion. It’s a place to fill up your ethical toolbox. Get informed, sign up, go forth and vegify. Matthew Pearson for London Pass What VegFest is Not A Party VegFest is not a party or a knees-up. It’s not even a shindig. If you want a plant-based celebration, head to Vegan Nights (which we wrote about here). It’s not hip, it’s not mood-lit. It’s in an exhibition centre in West Kensington. It closes at 17.00. It is brightly lit, the music and entertainment is...not the main event. Nor is the street food, the hot stalls. There are some big names there—DAPPA looked to be selling out of their dairy-free ice cream, the Fake n’ Kidme pie we had from Simply Vegan was possibly best of the fest standard—but there isn’t a huge amount of choice. Matthew Pearson for London Pass The Biggest Vegan FOOD Festival in the World VegFest is one of the biggest vegan festivals in the world, but it is not one of the biggest vegan food festivals in the world. It is, as we said, an industry event. There are demonstrations, talks, panels. There are stalls selling cruises. Vegan cruises, sure. But CRUISES. You don’t book a cruise at a party. You book a cruise at an industry event, yes. Don’t ever book a cruise at a party. If I ever did, I would wake up in the morning and immediately write a letter to the children I don’t have, apologising for wasting their inheritance in a regrettable show of drunken financial bravado. But VegFest is still ripe to be explored by the general public. If you book early, you can get two tickets for the price of one. Then you and your compadre can head round the Olympia London, mouths open to receive tasters of vegan cheese (Follow Your Heart’s plant-based cheddar won the day in our estimation), vegan chicken and vegan face balm. Should have closed your mouths for the last one. You can find the help you need to be entirely plant-based, 24/7 and 365. You can speak with people who’ve been living the good life since the 60s, listen to vegan bodybuilders talk up tofu for half an hour, sit in a free massage chair for two hours, book a cruise and still be in bed by 18.00. Matthew Pearson for London Pass VegFest Details It’s been held at Olympia London since 2013. Odds are it’ll be at this West Kensington exhibition hall again in 2010. Over 300 exhibitors turn up each year, many with one-off promotions just for the fest. There’s a dedicated kids area, with book readings, veg-based entertainment and a kids party. In total, 13,500 people came out for the two day event this year. Find out more about VegFest’s upcoming events here. So, there's our take on VegFest 2019. If you've got something to add, let us know what you thought of the event in the comments box below.
Matthew Pearson
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Family events at London’s top attractions

If you’re lacking inspiration and are wondering what to do in London with the family, then you’ve come to the right place – we’ve put together a list of the top events being held at some of London’s most popular attractions this spring. From flower arranging at Hampton Court Palace, to Twilight Tours at the Tower of London and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory mania at Kew Gardens – there’s something for everyone, so get exploring! Hampton Court Palace King Henry VIII’s famous palace, Hampton Court, will be staging a number of family-friendly events throughout spring, including Tiny Explorers until March 29th. The special workshops (aimed at infants to three years) allow little ones to discover fascinating stories about the palace through multi-sensory activities. There will be music, movement and messy play – perfect entertainment for energetic children. The events are held on selected Thursdays and Saturdays so ring ahead to double check. On Mothering Sunday (30th March) the palace will also be holding a special Florimania day, an annual extravaganza of flower displays, this year inspired by the Glorious Georges. Mothers will be able to discover the age of elegance through the flower-filled King’s State Apartments and also take part in flower arranging demonstrations daily at 11.30am, 1pm and 2pm. If you’re a chocoholic why not take the family to Hampton Court Palace for Easter to explore the Chocolate Kitchen – the only surviving royal chocolate making kitchen in the country, and housed in the Baroque Palace’s Fountain Court. Once catering for Kings William III, George I and George II, the new exhibit will recount the story of royal chocolate making and display the various ceramics, copper cooking equipment and bespoke chocolate serving silverware used in the process. There will also be live Georgian chocolate making sessions perfect for a chocolatey, family fun Easter! Tower of London Want to make your trip to the Tower of London that bit more memorable? Why not take the family on a historical adventure and step back in time with historical re-enactments. Until March 31st, the re-enactments will be held at The Medieval Palace and will take visitors back to the year 1306 – here they will get the chance to step into the private chambers of King Edward I. Lords, knights and ladies will also entertain the crowd with tales of courtly love and the dangers of siege warfare – the best way to get your kids engaged with a bit of history! Older kids will enjoy the spooky Twilight Tower Tours that will take them through the eerie historical fortress after dark, led by Yeoman Warders. Tour the gruesome sights like the Bloody Tower, Traitors’ Gate and the Scaffold Site while being told of the terrifying tales of prisoners past... Definitely an experience for the brave! Kew Gardens Roald Dahl is synonymous with family times and young children, so what better way to bring the stories alive than to experience them yourself? From April 5th to 21st, families can enjoy a range of chocolate-themed activities at Kew, based around the much-loved Roald Dahl story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There will be a number of arts and crafts workshops based around the four main Chocolate Factory rooms featured in the much loved book, from the Chocolate Room where kids can make their own Willy Wonka-inspired chocolate bar, to the Inventing Room where children can join Willy Wonka and his head Oompa-Loompa to create everlasting gobstoppers and hair toffee. There will also be opportunities to create a moving model of Willy Wonka and watch a short film from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The New Musical. If you’re in London over Easter weekend, there will of course also be a traditional Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday April 20th, when kids will be able to forage for fairtrade and organic chocolate treats throughout the 121 hectares of lush gardens, as well as a range of fun fair activities like face painting and Willy Wonka style cream teas. Kensington Palace On Mothering Sunday, March 30th, Kensington Palace will be holding a special Georgian Tea Party with a range of themed activities taking place at the palace’s Orangery café. There will of course also be afternoon tea with all the traditional trimmings such as delicate finger sandwiches, crumbly scones with cream and jam and delectable sweet cakes and pastries. Mums may also like to visit the new Fashion Rules exhibit, featuring rare and exquisite dresses from HM Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales. This is definitely one for the grown ups! The London Pass offers you entry into all of the above attractions for FREE, not to mention you can take advantage of fast track entry into Tower of London, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace - giving you that VIP feel, saving both time and money. Discover more, here...
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Highlights: The British Museum

If you’re a culture vulture and love wandering around an art and admiring centuries worth of art and culture then the British Museum is just the place for you. Statistically, over the past seven years the British Museum has been London’s most popular visitor attraction and last year 6,701,036 people walked through its doors. That’s more people than the entire population of Scotland. There’s a reason why it’s so popular, so why don’t you find out for yourself. Set aside just three hours from your busy sightseeing schedule to tour this fascinating gallery and make sure you follow our highlights, we've picked out the best! Begin on the ground floor by visiting the Sloane astrolabe, a beautiful mechanical map of the heavens which dates back to AD 1300. Then head into Room 2 to see the oldest object in the museum - a stone chopper from Tanzania. You’ll find Saxon treasures from the famous Sutton Hoo ship burial in this room, too. Take your tour into Room 4 and marvel at the one and only Rosetta Stone, one of the most famous artefacts in the museum. The Rosetta Stone was the key in helping archaeologists decipher the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt and was a major influence in understanding the ancient traditions of their time. To continue the Egyptian theme in room four, you can also see the bust of Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses the Great. Skip to Room 10 when you’ve had your fill of Egyptians and admire the Assyrian Lion Hunt reliefs, depicting an ancient king’s triumph over nature. Then fast forward to Room 18 where you’ll find the iconic Parthenon sculptures of ancient Greece and in Room 24 you can see the legendary colossal and mysterious moai statue from Chile’s Easter Island. Pretty cool, huh? Providing you’re not an Ophidiophobe (with a phobia of snakes) continue on to the exquisite double-headed turquoise serpent in Room 27, made from striking mosaics and was used by Aztec priests as an ornament like jewellery. Following on from the animal theme, Room 33 – the Asian room – houses the intricately decorated Cloisonné jar with dragons, which was made for the Ming Dynasty Emperor, and the Tang ceramic tomb figures which once guarded a Chinese general. But don’t move on without looking at the 5,000-year-old mystery object of the jade cong and the jade terrapin from Allahabad in Room 34, a majestic sculpture from India's Mughal court. Next, head up to the upper floor for the second half of your quick-fire visit. Less ancient, but by no means less important or impressive, is the Lewis Chessmen in Room 40, the most famous chess set in the world. So make sure you can tell your Kings from your Queens to truly appreciate it. Jump ahead to Room 49, where you can gaze upon the Mosaic of Christ, the earliest image of Christ in Britain, and carry on to Room 50 to see the beautiful Basse Yutz flagons, a jug which is among the finest surviving pieces of Celtic art left in the world. If you want a story to take home, visit Room 55 where you’ll be able to see the Flood Tablet, which according to legend came from Noah’s Ark. You certainly won’t see that every day! Go full circle and end with the ancient Egyptians in Room 63, where you can ogle the gruesome Mummy of Katebet, one of the most studied mummies in the world, and the Sphinx of Taharqo, the black king of ancient Egypt, a few rooms down. This condensed time-is-of-the-essence tour is by no means exclusive – there’s plenty to see outside of these bitesize highlights, including ancient ritual games and Samurai armour. If you want to extend your stay, why not pay a visit to one of the museum’s exhibitions. Currently, until March 23rd you’ll be able to see Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia and until June 22nd you can see the first major exhibition on Vikings at the British Museum in over 30 years, entitled Vikings: life and legend. So, as we said, there’s a reason it’s so popular. Make sure the British Museum features in your visit to London and you most certainly won’t be disappointed.
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