Special event # Archives Fest 2026 Discover 1,000 years of history at The National Archives - a fun day out for the whole family! Date : 12 July 2026 Location : The National Archives, Kew ![The National Archives with pink background and 18th century man](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/Website_branded_.0303185e.fill-900x600.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Archives are for everyone. Join us to uncover the treasures of The National Archives with a jam-packed day of history, talks and tours inspired by our collections and our current exhibition, [Revolution 250: America's Independence Story 1763–1783](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/revolution-250-americas-independence-story-1763-1783/). There’s something for everyone including behind-the-scenes tours of our repositories and conservation studio, talks about some of our most treasured items, displays featuring iconic documents and hidden gems from the collection, expert advice on researching your family history, as well as food trucks, performance and games in our grounds. [Discover the whole programme](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/whats-on/events/archives-fest-2026/programme/) and join us for an incredible day celebrating our archive. ## Event details Date : 12 July 2026, 11:00 to 16:00 Price : £12 : Additional charge applies for tours. Location : Across our building : The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, TW9 4DU **This event has sold out.** ## Dates for this event ### 12 July 2026 (past event) * 11:00 to 16:00 ## Newsletter [Get priority booking](https://pages.enews.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pages/subscribe) Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for exhibition updates and early booking for events, including talks and tours. ## Plan your visit ### What is The National Archives? The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government, and England and Wales. We are the guardians of over 1,000 years of iconic national documents. Everyone is welcome to visit our headquarters in Kew. We put on exhibitions, events and displays and offer reading rooms giving access to our collections there. [Find out more about who we are](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-role/) ### Getting here The National Archives is located by the River Thames in Kew, 30 minutes from Central London. We offer advice on travelling to us by car, bike, train or bus. [Read our advice on getting here](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/how-to-find-us/) ### Children and families We provide a warm welcome to visitors of all ages, including children and family groups. * Free activity sheets (for ages 1+) are available from the Time Travel Club trolley in our entrance hall * Our café is child-friendly and there are picnic benches outside * Prams and buggies are welcome, and we have a buggy park * Baby changing facilities are located by our entrance hall, at the top of the main stairs, and in the library * Emergency supplies of nappies and wipes are available [Find out more about visiting with children](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/information-for-family-visitors/) ### Eat and drink We have a café and coffee bar provided by Maids of Honour, a historic local tea room and bakery. It has spacious indoor and outside seating and a soft play area. On the menu is a variety of high-quality lunchtime meals, sandwiches, snacks, soft drinks, tea and coffee. Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements are all catered to. [Find out more about our café](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/our-cafe-and-coffee-bar/) [Visit us](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/visit-us/) ![The brutalist main building at The National Archives, Kew, reflected on the water of the lake beside it.](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/the-national-archive_3syHheA.2e16d0ba.fill-600x400.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) ## Event highlights Image 1 of 7 ![A person standing at a lectern delivering a talk to an engaged audience in a gallery setting.](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/8R6.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Join an expert talk Image 2 of 7 ![A person looking at documents on display in an exhibition about Love Letters.](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/Nat_oIhINlV.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Visit our exhibition Image 3 of 7 ![Visitor looking at a map in the reading room](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/The_5erpYng.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Get up close to iconic documents Image 4 of 7 ![An adult and child work on crafts together](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/Scr_sRiSxvU.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Make time for family crafts Image 5 of 7 ![Staff member replacing a box on a shelf full of identical boxes](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/The_wKh1SVz.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Join a Behind the Scenes tour Image 6 of 7 ![Three people celebrating in front of deck chairs and a swimming pool](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/lif.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Handmade Theatre present Life at the Lido Image 7 of 7 ![Jazz band](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/_DS.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Relax to the sounds of Silk Street Jazz band Previous Next ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/8R6.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 1 of 7 ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/Nat_oIhINlV.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 2 of 7 ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/The_5erpYng.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 3 of 7 ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/Scr_sRiSxvU.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 4 of 7 ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/The_wKh1SVz.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 5 of 7 ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/lif.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 6 of 7 ![](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/_DS.max-1200x1200.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Image 7 of 7 ## Help us improve this website [Complete our short survey (opens in new tab)](https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/DN07V0/?area=footer&source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalarchives.gov.uk%2Fmd%2Fwhats-on%2Fevents%2Farchives-fest-2026%2F) --- [Back to top](#top)