Old Royal Naval College 2025

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Eyes on Mars: A Cultural and Scientific Exploration
Eyes on Mars: A Cultural and Scientific Exploration

A new electronic music festival, installations and a celebration of 100 years of filming all in 2025!

In 2025, the Old Royal Naval College reaffirms its place as a cultural hub, offering a vibrant programme of events that blend history, culture and wellbeing. From awe-inspiring installations and heritage tours to dynamic festivals, family days out and activities that stimulate wellness, the UNESCO World Heritage Site continues its mission to provide enriching cultural experiences for all.

To kick off the year, visitors to the magnificent Painted Hall will have a final chance to bask in the beauty of Luke Jerram’s Mars installation, before it closes on 20th January. To mark its departure the Old Royal Naval College will host Eyes on Mars: A Cultural and Scientific Exploration Talk, where Imperial College’s Professor Gupta will delve into the Mars Rover mission, complemented by opportunities to observe Mars through telescopes on a dry January evening. For those seeking mindfulness, the Old Royal Naval College’s ever-popular wellbeing programme offers a serene Mars Flow Yoga and Brunch session under the planetary installation.

This dedication to wellbeing continues throughout the year, with regular initiatives designed to uplift and inspire including Feel Good Fridays held on the last Friday of every month providing a dose of joy and relaxation.

Foodies will also be able to savour a sustainable dining experience on 25th January in the Painted Hall with celebrated chef Douglas McMaster.

In addition to the site’s cultural programme, the Old Royal Naval College, the UK’s number 1 heritage film location, celebrates 100 years of filming in 2025. The 1925 silent film, Sons of the Sea by H. Bruce Woolfe about two boys in the Royal Navy was the first production on site.

From spring 2025, visitors will have the opportunity to book onto new film tours; which complement the Old Royal Naval College’s extensive historic offering including their 600 Years of History Tour.

The summer season brims with life welcoming back some of its most popular activities including beloved Dog Show on 25th May, the Golden Age of Piracy weekend and the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival (GDIF). There will also be the London premiere for a major new installation from Luke Jerram to be announced on 10 January 2025. This dramatic artwork, set against the backdrop of the majestic Painted Hall, will be accompanied by a thrilling programme of events. August will see a new music festival presented by Labyrinth Festivals spanning two weekends, a perfect summer highlight for music lovers everywhere.

The Old Royal Naval College will also once again open its spaces to the London Design Festival, the capital’s largest festival of art and design, before sculptor and artist Peter Walker presents his thought-provoking installations Connection and Identity in 2025.

Further Information on all events: What’s on at Old Royal Naval College