What's On in Kensington
Things to do in and around Kensington: events, days out and family activities, with the practical details.
Top story
What's On in Kensington: History Festival, Then Freddie at the V&A
Chelsea History Festival runs 1 to 4 October and the free Freddie Mercury display opens at the V&A on 24 October, with 36 dated listings to 8 November.
Dates for the diary
- On now to 24 Oct Man to Man, with Tilda Swinton
- On now to 24 Oct What The Animals Say, by David Ireland
- On now to 9 Oct Silver Sunday programme for older residents
- On now to 7 Nov Blood of my Blood, by Joy Nesbitt
- On now to 4 Oct Chelsea History Festival
- On now to 7 Oct Berliner Ensemble: De Profundis by Oscar Wilde
- Sat 3 Oct Chelsea Dog Day
- Sat 3 Oct Kensington Botanical Market
- Sat 3 Oct Duke of York Square Food Market
- Sat 3 Oct Song Academy Young Songwriter 2026 Showcase
- Sun 4 Oct NIGO: From Japan with Love, final day
- Sun 4 Oct Kensington Farmers Market
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What's on
Tabernacle accordion concert: two orchestras, 25 Oct, £12
London Accordion Orchestra and Germany's Akkordeon-Studio-Orchester Bielefeld play The Tabernacle, Notting Hill, on 25 October at 2pm. Tickets £15 or £12.
Christmas
Kensington Palace at Christmas: Victoria display from 25 Nov
Kensington Palace's Christmas display runs 25 November to 3 January, included in the £19 adult ticket. Closed 24 to 26 December, open New Year's Day.
South Kensington
Body Worlds South Kensington: opens 25 Sept, from £13
Real human bodies go on show at Sussex Mansions, Old Brompton Road, from Friday 25 September. Tickets are £13 to £20 and sessions run every half hour.
Chelsea
Scala choir's only UK date: Cadogan Hall, 30 September
Belgian girls' choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers bring their 30th anniversary tour to Cadogan Hall on 30 September, its only UK stop. Tickets £35.50 to £50.50.
Kensington
Kensington Silver Sunday: 31 free events, 1 to 9 October
Every session for older residents is free, from a Kensington Palace drop-in to a Coronet Theatre tour. Booking is open now, and none falls on the Sunday.
Chelsea
Royal Hospital Chelsea exhibition: 80m knitted war scenes
An 80-metre knitted Second World War exhibition runs 2 to 12 November at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, plus a free artefacts day on 14 November and a £30 lecture.
Chelsea
Chelsea History Festival: 127 sessions, 25 free, 1-4 Oct
The eighth Chelsea History Festival runs 1 to 4 October across seven venues. The programme lists 127 sessions, 25 of them free, and tickets run from £2 to £40.
Chelsea
Chelsea Christmas lights switch-on: 2026 date not set yet
Cadogan's own 2026 calendar still says only November for the King's Road switch-on. Here is what it was in 2025, 2024 and 2023, and when the date usually lands.
Kensington
Kensington bonfire night: no display, Battersea is nearest
Kensington and Chelsea has no council fireworks display, and the borough event still listed online stopped years ago. Battersea tickets go on sale 8 September.
South Kensington
Natural History Museum ice rink: closed, where to skate
The museum's rink shut after 16 seasons and its site is now a garden. The nearest ice this winter is Hyde Park from 19 November, or Queensway all year round.
Chelsea
Chelsea Arts Festival: 30 events, 16-20 Sept, from £13
Cadogan's festival runs Wednesday 16 to Sunday 20 September across six venues. Here is every 2026 event with its time and price, and the free outdoor programme.
Holland Park
Kensington Halloween: free Holland Park takeover, 31 Oct
Holland Park becomes the Playful Park of Peculiar from 4pm to 7pm on Saturday 31 October, free to enter, with a half-term trail and a gothic flea market the same day.
Kensington
Kensington markets: every Phillimore Walk date to 28 Nov
Four Saturday markets in September, two of them new for London Design Festival and London Fashion Week, then dates through to 28 November. All on Phillimore Walk.