Exhibition Road

You might have heard of the Great Exhibition, an extravaganza of world riches and inventions that drew six million visitors to Hyde Park in 1851. Prince Albert used those funds to help develop the V&A, the Natural History Museum, the Royal Albert Hall – pretty much every grand institution on Exhibition Road in Kensington – creating his ‘Albertopolis’. The 21st century’s answer to the Great Exhibition will return this summer, with many of London’s most esteemed museums coming together to mark the 175th anniversary of the original Great Exhibition. For one weekend in June Exhibition Road in South Ken will be closed to cars and come alive with fun interactive experiments, mind-bending technology, music, dance, art, live science shows and parades. The Natural History Museum, Science Museum, V&A, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Parks and Imperial College London are all taking part. Highlights this year include gingerbread and sand recreations of the original crystal palace, robot football, origami spacecraft, giant roaming Indian puppets and a session baking a brownie that mirrors the surface of Mars. Plus, it’s all free to attend.