This June, Imperial College plays host to a grand cultural festival, and they’ve invited their famous neighbours along for the show.
The Great Exhibition Road Festival takes over the eponymous road during the weekend of 6-7 June 2026. This year’s festival is an anniversary of sorts, marking 175 years since the namesake Great Exhibition of 1851. The proceeds from this festival were poured into South Kensington, turning it into a quarter of museums and education.
The centrepiece of the 1851 exhibition was, of course, the Crystal Palace, and it will rise again as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival… in sand. Seven tonnes of the grainy stuff will, over the course of the weekend, be sculpted into a giant model. You’ll also be able to explore the Palace in virtual reality, take walking tours of the original exhibition site, and see objects that were displayed in 1851.
Alongside the historical stuff, the festival also looks to the future. It’s a chance to see cutting edge research from Imperial scientists, with additional events and demos from museum teams. Even as veterans of the festival, it’s hard to express in words just how much there is to see and do — the festival sprawls throughout the Imperial College campus and museums, spilling into adjacent squares and roads which are closed to traffic, and this year also taking in part of Kensington Gardens. It’s Glastonbury with lab coats.
In the festival’s own words, this is “The only festival anywhere to offer Robot Football, Underground Mushroom Disco, origami spacecraft, giant roaming Indian puppets & baking a brownie that mirrors the surface of Mars”.
It’s also a chance to mingle with scientists, artists and musicians; see the latest technology in action; or try a few foods you’ve never sampled before — all at one street party.
The Great Exhibition Road Festival runs 6-7 June 2026 from 12pm-6pm. Entrance and all events are free, though you’re encouraged to register in advance via the website. Nearest Tube South Kensington. All images courtesy of the Great Exhibition Road Festival/Imperial College London.
