What’s on

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2 April 2024—31 December 2027

Highlights Tour: Difficult Conversations at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

TOUR: Our Difficult Conversations tour offers you a different view of our collections and an insight into the complex ethics of museums in the modern world.

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2 April 2024—31 December 2027

Highlights Tour: M Shed

TOUR: Join us for a tour of M Shed! Let us introduce you to our museum, share some stories you won't find on the labels and tell you how we came to be.

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2 April 2024—31 December 2027

Highlights Tour: Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

TOUR: Welcome to Bristol Museum & Art Gallery! Our welcome tour offers you a captivating introduction to the magnificent building and extensive collections housed within our walls.

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2 April 2025—31 March 2027

Highlights Tour: Hidden Histories, Women Artists, Muses and Rebels

TOUR: This tour guides you through Bristol Museum's Art Galleries, focusing on women's stories from our art collection and highlighting work by women artists.

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1 June 2025—31 March 2027

Highlight Tours: Bristol's Dinosaurs

TOUR: Let us take you on an imaginary trip back in time to meet the dinosaurs of Bristol Museum & Art Gallery!

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1 January 2026—31 December 2027

Behind the scenes tours

TOUR: Join a tour of M Shed's collection stores and get up close to the city's industrial and maritime past.

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10 January—31 December 2026

Highlights Tour: Treasures of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

TOUR: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery is a treasure house of beautiful things!

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10 February—28 June 2026

The Neon Hieroglyph by Tai Shani

EXHIBITION: The Neon Hieroglyph is a feature-length 57-minute video installation by artist Tai Shani.

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13 February—13 September 2026

Mini-museum hunt! 50 years of Aardman

ACTIVITY: Families and curious explorers of all ages can pick up a detective map and track down all the Aardman secret treasures.

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1 April—31 December 2026

Blaise Museum Highlight Tours

TOUR: Let us introduce you to our grand historic house and its impressive estate.

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1 April—31 December 2026

The Georgian House Museum Highlight Tours

TOUR: Join us on an exploratory tour of the Georgian House Museum, learning about the history of the house and the people who lived there.

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1 April—31 December 2026

The Red Lodge Museum Highlight Tours

TOUR: Let us introduce you to our historic house and share some stories you won't find on the labels!

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12 May—21 June 2026

1926 General Strike Bristol

EXHIBITION: Created by Bristol Radical History Group, this exhibition looks at the strike in Bristol, and includes original printed sources and filmed interview.

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16 May—1 November 2026

Train rides

TRAIN: Take a train trip on Britain's only dockside steam railway behind one of our Bristol-built locomotives.

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17 May—20 December 2026

Bristol Museum Morning Yoga

EXPERIENCE: Join us for Sunday morning yoga in the Enlightenment Gallery this year.

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19—26 May 2026

Family activity: Story Box

FAMILIES: Join us in May when we open our Story Box to celebrate National Share-a-Story Month!

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19 May 2026

Home Educator workshop: Saxon Bristol

LEARNING: How did the city of Bristol get its name? Our Home educator workshop investigates everyday life in Saxon Bristol.

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21 May—18 June 2026

Historical Walk: Old City

WALK: Discover a millennium of history on this 1.8 mile walk around the old city of Bristol.

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21 May—19 November 2026

Historical Walk: Bristol Abolition

WALK: Discover the names and places associated with Bristol's thousand-year fight to end the city's involvement in slavery.

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28 May 2026

Family activity: Magnificent minibeasts at Blaise Museum

FAMILIES: Join us for a relaxed family session where children and adults can get creative together.

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29 May 2026

Spring Family Fun at The Georgian House Museum

FAMILIES: This enchanting activity weekend will celebrate spring with something to do for all the family.

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30 May—26 September 2026

Visit the Villa

VILLA: Visit Kings Weston Roman Villa for some family friendly fun.

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30 May—4 October 2026

Crane visits

CRANE: Experience a working crane on the dockside with visits inside the electric cranes, M Shed's biggest exhibits!

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30 May—25 October 2026

Boat trips

WORKING EXHIBITS: Take a boat ride with a difference! All three of our historic working boats offer scenic trips around Bristol Harbour.

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31 May 2026

Spring Family Fun at The Red Lodge Museum

FAMILIES: These enchanting activity days will celebrate spring with something to do for all the family.

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2 June 2026

Historical Walk: Floating Harbour

WALK: Join our guides for a tour of Bristol docklands, exploring the maritime heritage of the harbour and its modern regeneration.

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4 June 2026

Historical Walk: Pirates and Prejudice

WALK: Explore Bristol's old dockside on this Pirates and Prejudice walk, shattering the myths around Bristol's literary and piratical past.

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5 June—4 December 2026

The Bristol Tapestry Talk

TALK: Explore the story of how The Bristol Tapestry came to be made at this talk.

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7 June 2026

Historical Walk: 1831 Riots

WALK: Our knowledgeable guides will vividly retell the history of this tragic episode, exploring some of the sites that played a prominent role in the unrest.

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8—12 June 2026

Steam engine and crane driving experiences

SPECIAL EVENT: Have a go at driving the steam engine, Henbury and one of the iconic electric cranes outside M Shed.

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9 June—15 September 2026

Villa Open Afternoons

VILLA: Visit Kings Weston Roman Villa in the afternoon to find out about this fascinating archaeological site.

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18 June—19 November 2026

William Hogarth's Altarpiece

SPECIAL EVENT: See Hogarth's vast triptych and learn about its remarkable journey around Bristol since it was painted for St Mary Redcliffe in 1755/56.

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20 June—13 September 2026

Cracking Exhibition, Gromit! 50 Years of Aardman in Bristol

EXHIBITION: It is time to grab the whole family and jump into the brilliant world of Aardman!

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26 June 2026

Home Educator activity: Kings Weston Roman Villa

LEARNING: Home educators can explore Kings Weston Roman Villa with our Senior Curator of Archaeology.

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4 July 2026

Bristol Palaeobiology Festival

FAMILIES: This exciting family day is filled with hands-on activities and adventures for curious minds!

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15 July 2026

Home Educator workshop: Ancient Greeks

LEARNING: What was life like in ancient Greece? Investigate pottery and other artefacts in this hands-on workshop.

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29 July—1 August 2026

Visit the Villa for the Festival of Archaeology

VILLA: Visit Kings Weston Roman Villa for some family friendly fun.

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2—22 August 2026

Summer Family Fun at The Georgian House Museum

FAMILIES: This activity day will celebrate the literary excellence of Jane Austen with something to do for all the family.

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8—30 August 2026

Summer Family Fun at The Red Lodge Museum

FAMILIES: These enchanting activity days will investigate the past at The Red Lodge Museum with something to do for all the family.

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19 June—19 September 2027

British Art Show 10: A Chorus of Strangers

EXHIBITION: The British Art Show is the largest and most significant recurring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK.