During COVID-19 we’re bringing you the best live and recorded events from many of our 85+ partnersWe’re back this May 12-15 to get London excited about medicine through a diverse programme of experiences, exhibitions, talks and activities. From behind the scenes tours of hospitals and specifically curated exhibitions, to talks from world experts and hands-on technology demonstrations – there’s something for all ages and interests.
is not-for-profit and run by volunteers. Find out how you can get involved.
2022 festival programme launching soon
Check out the previous festival below –
May9-2019
Get hands-on with the Association of Anaesthetists, Royal College of Surgeons and British Dental Association
The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre is hosting a day of hands-on workshops for GCSE school groups interested in careers in medicine and healthcare in partnership with the Royal College of Surgeons and the British Dental Association.
Anaesthesia Heritage Centre
Free
May9-2019
Join a guided tour through 500 years of women’s health care
Comprising artefacts and instruments in the fields of obstetrics, midwifery, surgery and gynaecology, and spanning over 500 years, the RCOG Museum is unique in the UK with its focus on women’s health care. Join the curator and archivist on a tour of the collection.
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Free
May9-2019
Join a special behind-the-scenes tour of the British Red Cross Museum and Archives
The British Red Cross museum and archive collections explore the entire history of the organisation’s humanitarian and medical work from 1870 to the present. They are currently only accessible to the public via special ‘behind-the-scenes’ tours of the collections store.
British Red Cross Museum
Free
May9-2019
Learn the story of Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin
Take a journey back in time to the days when there were no antibiotics to fight often lethal bacteria and then follow in the footsteps of Alexander Fleming on his road to the discovery that was to revolutionize medicine and affect the lives of every one of us.
Alexander Fleming Museum
£4 / £2
May9-2019
Learn first aid with our free masterclass
Most people don't know what to do if someone closeby needed emergency first aid - and we want to change that. Learning basic first aid can mean the difference between life and death.
Various locations across London
Free
May9-2019
Learn about medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden
Spend Thursday learning about medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Tucked away beside the Thames, Chelsea Physic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in London and houses around 5,000 different medicinal, herbal, edible, and useful plants.
Chelsea Physic Garden
£11 / £7.50
May9-2019
View the highlights of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum and Library
Get a unique insight into the history of British pharmacy with this guided tour of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum. Led by museum staff you'll see artefacts and hear pharmaceutical progress from the 1400s up to the present day.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum and Library
Free
May9-2019
CMO’s ‘Future of Health’ Report Presentation
Join an evening of content and comment on Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies' 'Future of Health' report hosted by the Institute of Healthcare Management in collaboration with the Academy of Fabulous Stuff and Royal Society of Public Health.
28 Portland Place
Free
May9-2019
Medicine at War: Walking Tour
Throughout the history of human conflict, medical practitioners have found themselves in the midst of carnage. Join this walking tour marking the role of healing in some of humankind's most notable conflicts and examining the ever-changing role of medics at the front line.
Royal College of Physicians
£12
May10-2019
Join a curator led guided tour of the British Optical Association Museum
Join this curator-led guided tour of the British Optical Association Museum - the oldest optical museum in the world - and get the chance to hear about some of the twenty-seven thousand items in this remarkable collection.
British Optical Association Museum
Free
May10-2019
Join a tour of the Royal Society of Medicine Library
The RSM is home to one of the largest and most up-to-date medical libraries in Europe. Join this free 30-minute guided tour which will include an introduction to the home of the Royal Society of Medicine at 1 Wimpole St and a guided tour of the Library.
Royal Society of Medicine
Free
May10-2019
Learn about 900 years of medical history at St Bartholomew’s Hospital
Visit the St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum and join a walking tour to learn about Britain's oldest hospital still providing medical services on the site on which it was originally built in 1123.
St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum
May10-2019
Catch Your Breath Exhibition and Tour
Through objects, visual, sound, interactive materials and event, this exhibition and tour will tell the story of how our relationship with and understanding of the breath has developed over time, from ancient philosophers who equated breath with life itself to the latest advances in medicine.
Royal College of Physicians
Free
May10-2019
Learn about medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden
Spend Friday learning about medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Tucked away beside the Thames, Chelsea Physic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in London and houses around 5,000 different medicinal, herbal, edible, and useful plants.
Chelsea Physic Garden
£11 / £7.50
May10-2019
A Voice for Nursing: Tour London’s Nursing History
Take a behind-the-scenes guided tour around the 1920s College of Nursing, and find out about the century of women (and some men) who shaped the profession in the UK.
Royal College of Nursing
Free
May10-2019
Be a super hero and join the St Thomas’ fundraising abseil
Grab your harness and abseil 160ft down the front of St Thomas' Hospital. Relish the rush of adrenaline as you descend whilst raising vital funds for Guy's, St Thomas’ and Evelina London Children's Hospital.
St Thomas' Hospital
£150 fundraiser
May11-2019
New Scientist presents ‘Instant Expert: Mysteries of the Mind’
Join six experts working at the forefront of neuroscience, genetics and psychiatry at this New Scientist event and discover why this is the most exciting time in the history of brain science.
British Library
£99 - £149
May11-2019
Discover Southwark’s Lost Burial Grounds on a guided walking tour
Join this guided walk to learn more the story of Southwark's lost and often long-forgotten graveyards - including the chance to visit the tomb of Thomas Guy who is laid to rest in the crypt of Guy’s Hospital Chapel (not normally open to the public).
Southwark Cathedral
£10
May11-2019
See a different side of Soho on a medical walking tour
Join this walking tour and explore the “village” of Soho to hear the impact and influence of the medical men who cared for the many diverse peoples who lived and worked in this fascinating and perhaps little-known part of London.
Walking tour around Soho
£10
May11-2019
Learn how to save a life with a free CPR class
Every year, around 30,000 people across the UK suffer a heart attack outside hospital - the equivalent of one every 15 minutes. Learn how to identify a heart attack and perform basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which could double the chance of survival.
Various locations across London
Free
May11-2019
Hear the Barts Chamber Choir perform at St Giles-in-the-Fields
Barts Choir was started by a group of nurses at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in 1965 and is now London’s largest professionally rehearsed choir. Join their auditioned subgroup, Barts Chamber Choir, for a performance celebrating angels through the ages at St Giles-in-the-Fields.
St Giles-in-the-Fields
£12
May12-2019
Participate in a recreated post mortem on the world’s only semi-synthetic human cadaver
The VIVIT Experience is a nationally award-winning academic experience offering you the chance to participate in a recreated post mortem experience conducted on VIVIT - the world's only semi-synthetic human cadaver.
Brunel University
£35
May12-2019
Learn about medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden
Spend Sunday learning about medicinal plants at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Tucked away beside the Thames, Chelsea Physic Garden is the oldest botanic garden in London and houses around 5,000 different medicinal, herbal, edible, and useful plants.
Chelsea Physic Garden
£11 / £7.50
May12-2019
Join a special tour and talk at the Langdon Down Museum of Learning Disability
Join this talk and tour about Dr John Langdon Down and his successors who managed Normansfield from 1868 where a revolutionary and enlightened approach was brought to the care of those with learning disabilities.
Langdon Down Museum
Free
May12-2019
Florence Nightingale’s London – Walking Tour
Join this expert-led walking tour and follow in the footsteps of the 'mother of nursing' and discover the life of Florence Nightingale through the places where she lived and worked. The tour also includes entry to the Florence Nightingale Museum.
Meet outside Dorchester Hotel
£20
May12-2019
Celebrate Florence Nightingale’s birthday by learning more about the Lady with the Lamp
On Sunday 12th May celebrate Florence Nightingale's birthday with a visit to the Florence Nightingale Museum to learn more about the life and work of the world’s most famous nurse.
Florence Nightingale Museum
£8 / £4
May12-2019
Witness a Victorian Surgery Demonstration at the Old Operating Theatre
Join this surgical demonstration presented within the original architecture of the old operating theatre of St. Thomas’s Hospital of 1822. You will experience the talk from the point of view of a 19th century medical student, or maybe even the patient!
The Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret
May12-2019
Living Medicine: Digestive Discomforts
Join this fascinating course to better understand how digestion works, from common digestive problems to plant actions, how to identify parsley (and/or cabbage) plant family, food & herb know-how kit, remedy making, grain/pulse dish, digestive decoction, mucilage powder mix, pesto.
Chelsea Physic Garden
£108
May12-2019
Learn about the vehicles and equipment used by the emergency services
Get up close and personal with every conceivable vehicle and piece of apparatus used by the emergency services during this family event at the Brooklands Museum.
Brooklands Museum
£16 / £9