Moon Landing 50th Anniversary in London

 
 
 

Museum of the Moon

Museum of the Moon at University of Bristol UK, photo: Simon Galloway, SWNS

 

London is marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing with a series of special exhibitions, festivals and events. Find out where to celebrate the momentous occasion with this LondonTown guide.

Filter by category:
 
 

Summer of Space

Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD

Tube: South Kensington Station

 

Dates: 01st May - 01st September 2019

 

The Science Museum celebrates the history of human space exploration with its special five-month festival, Summer of Space. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the event reveals the evolutions of humanity's relationship with space. Highlights include screenings of Apollo 11: First Steps, providing the chance to watch incredible real-life moments of the first Moon landing on one of Europe's biggest screens; Soyuz Returns, opening Tim Peake's Soyuz TMA-19M descent module to the public; and a preview of Apollo's Moon Shot with a live score from Teeth of the Sea.

 
 
 

Museum of the Moon

Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

Tube: South Kensington Station , Gloucester Road Station

 

Dates: 17th May - 05th January 2020

 

Displayed in the Natural History Museum's Jerwood Gallery, and timed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Museum of the Moon invites you to have a close-up encounter with the moon. The awe-inspiring large-scale artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram puts a six-metre spherical sculpture centre stage. Featuring high-resolution NASA imagery of the moon's surface and a surround-sound composition by BAFTA and Ivor Novello award-winning composer Dan Jones, the artwork offers a new perspective on the moon as well as a space for reflection. To tie in with the installation there are space-themed events including an after-hours gig from art-rock band Public Service Broadcasting to mark the exhibit's opening, yoga under the Moon, lunar-themed fitness classes, space-related talks and a special Lates event.

 
 
 

Marvellous Moons

Royal Observatory Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF

Tube: New Cross Station (East London line closed. Bus service operates)

 

Dates: 25th May - 20th March 2020

 

In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the Royal Observatory Greenwich is looking beyond our Moon with its new exhibition, Marvellous Moons. While Earth only has one moon, there are in fact hundreds of them - nearly 200 moons have been discovered in our Solar System. All come in different shapes and sizes and some are home to toxic lakes and lava. This new exhibition gives visitors the chance to discover more about these moons with a showcase of 31 illuminated photographs, an interactive display of 100 images from NASA's Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, and three films exploring the moons of the Solar System.

 
 
 

An Evening with the Moon

Royal Observatory Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF

Tube: New Cross Station (East London line closed. Bus service operates)

 

Dates: 08th June - 06th August 2019

 

Further to its major exhibition, The Moon, Royal Museums Greenwich celebrates five decades since humans first set foot on the lunar surface with An Evening with the Moon. Running on three nights across the summer, the event offers an evening of moongazing with a Moon-themed planetarium show with an expert astronomer. The evening also offers the chance to look through the venue's 18-tonne Victorian telescope, providing the opportunity to see the Moon up close with craters, valleys and mountains all in view.

 
 
 

The Other Art Fair: One Small Step

West Handyside Canopy, York Way, Marylebone, London, N1C 4UZ

Tube: King's Cross Station

 

Dates: 04th - 07th July 2019

 

An exhibition of 12 astronaut helmets entitled 'One Small Step' marks the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing. This show-within-a-show at the summer edition of The Other Art Fair showcases the headpieces by 12 leading artists - a neat parallel with the 12 men who have walked on the moon since 1969 - who have each transformed an astronaut helmet into a work of art. Participating artists include Chris Levine, Anish Kapoor, Conrad Shawcross, D*Face, Philip Colbert, Hayden Kays and Joana Vasconcelos who has covered her helmet in a beautiful network of crocheted flowers. Step inside their extra terrestrial world at West Handyside Canopy and The Crossing when the four-day art fair comes to King's Cross.

 
 
 
 

The Moon

National Maritime Museum, Park Row, London, SE10 9NF

Tube: New Cross Station (East London line closed. Bus service operates)

 

Dates: 19th July - 05th January 2020

 

Not just for the lunatics and the conspiracy theorists, The Moon is a major exhibition at the Royal Museums Greenwich, timed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the first Moon landing on 20th July 1969. The earliest drawings of the Moon, made using a telescope by Thomas Harriott, are loaned from the collection of Lord Egremont, along with key pieces from the Royal Astronomical Society, Victoria and Albert Museum and Science Museum. You can see Apollo space programme artefacts from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. as well as the Royal Museums Greenwich's own 100-inch map of the Moon by Hugh Percy Wilkins, shown to the public for the first time. Each historical and contemporary artwork invites us to explore our evolving relationship with the moon.

 
 
 

Moon Festival

 

Dates: 19th - 26th July 2019

 

In the year of the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing and in the same month as The Moon exhibition at the National Maritime Museum comes the Moon Festival, a week-long festival of unique night-time events. The festival kicks off with a special late-night street party and lunar market, complete with Moon-themed music, street art, astronomy, spoken word and food as well as a Midnight Moon Run and Moon Cocktails Masterclass. Other highlights include a special edition of the legendary cult cabaret, Posh Club Late, and appearances from The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood; space scientist, The Sky at Night presenter and self-confessed lunatic Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock; and London's Night Czar Amy Lame. It all comes to a close with a party underneath the Cutty Sark with live music, projection mapping and an astronomy tour.

 
 
 

Small Steps And Giant Leaps: The 50th Anniversary Of The Moon Landing

Royal Institution of Great Britain, 21 Albemarle Street, London, W1S 4BS

Tube: Green Park Station

 

Dates: 20th July 2019

 

Joining in on the Moon landing celebrations, The Royal Institution presents Small Steps And Giant Leaps: The 50th Anniversary Of The Moon Landing. Through a whole day of talks, demonstrations and activities, the event questions what we have learned from over 50 years of space exploration and what we still need to overcome. The line-up includes The Moon: Then and now, which sees National Space Academy educator Robin Mobbs explore how the Moon landing unfolded; My Gosh, space is radioactive!, with PhD student Frances Staples exploring 60 years of scientific discovery since the realisation of radiation hazards in space; and Moving to the Moon, with Spacecraft Operations Engineer Calum Hervieu looking at humanity's future on the Moon.

 
 
 

Proms 3 and 5: CBeebies: A Musical Trip To The Moon

Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP

Tube: South Kensington Station

 

Dates: 21st - 22nd July 2019

 

It has been sorely missed in the last few years but thankfully the hugely popular CBeebies Prom returns in 2019. Featuring Justin Fletcher, Chris Jarvis, Cat Sandion and other presenters and characters from the popular children's BBC channel, the stars swap the TV studio for the Royal Albert Hall. Essential viewing for the under 5's, the live music show takes young ones on an Apollo 11 mission and includes a meeting with the Clangers as well as a new BBC Ten Pieces Trailblazers commission by Hans Zimmer, which imagines how Earth appears from the Moon. Kwame Ryan conducts the CBeebies Prom Choir and the orchestra is Chineke! - Europe's first mainly black and minority ethnic orchestra.

 
 
 

IN THIS ARTICLE

 
 
 
SALE London Hotels

From cheap budget places to stay to luxury 5 star hotels see our deals for hotels, including from 0% off.

 
 
 
Call now: hotel deals 0207 420 4960