Join us for Summer at the Museums 2026!
21 July to 31 August 2026
Your local museums have a jam-packed programme of free and low-cost activities to keep the whole family entertained this summer.
- Take part in craft workshops and make your own masterpieces
- Enjoy hands-on science and handle museum objects
- Meet scientists and ask them your questions
- Take on a talk or trail
- Get out in nature and discover local wildlife
... and much more!
Sign up to the newsletter to receive a handy weekly events guide by email over the summer, making it easy to plan your next family day out.
Entry to many participating museums in Cambridge is free, and many are just a short walk apart.
It’s never been easier to fill your summer with affordable fun! As part of the UK Government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, you can enjoy discounted adult entry to Cambridge University Botanic Garden and the Kettle’s Yard House. Plus there are free child tickets on local buses and plenty of food offers for families in Cambridge restaurants to help you make a day of it.
Visiting on the weekend of 15 or 16 August? Combine your museum visit with an open-air film screening at the Downing Site (next to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology). Find out more about Screens in the City.
Here are just a few of the events you can enjoy this summer:
Join Professor Filbert on our summer trail and search for some amazing plant discoveries.
Free drop-in family activities at the Centre for Material Culture.
Meet volcanologist Julian Pahl, who studies lava rocks from Hawaii to investigate volcanic eruptions, and take part in fun, hands-on activities relating to his research.
In this unique session at the Stained Glass Museum, you and your child/children can work alongside each other to make a beautiful fused panel.
Enjoy a relaxed morning at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, open exclusively to children with sensory sensitivities along with families, siblings and carers.
Get creative at the Fitzwilliam Museum's free, family-friendly outdoor sensory play experience.
Join us at the Polar Museum as we read some of our favourite children's books about the polar regions
Whirl back in time at the Museum of Classical Archaeology to the world of ancient Greece.
Fancy yourself a bit of a racer? Got the drift boost down to a fine art? Not scared of a little snaking? Then come test your mettle on Mario Kart 8 on the WiiU at the Centre for Computing History.
Join our free, artist-led Studio Sunday workshops for families and unlock your creativity.
Step into the world of doctors, microscopes, and curious medical inventions.
Join us for a day of Family Fun at the Museum of Zoology.
View all Summer at the Museums events.
Tell us what you thought
If you take part in any of this summer's events, we'd love to know what you thought. Take part in our Summer at the Museums survey and be in with a chance to win a £50 Love2Shop voucher.
Participating venues
Summer at the Museums is delivered by the University of Cambridge Museums and supported by investment from Arts Council England.
Illustration by Carolina Rabei.
