# Archives Fest 2026 programme Discover all the activities, talks, performances and tours happening at The National Archives for [Archives Fest 2026](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/whats-on/events/archives-fest-2026/), our one-day festival on 12 July. ## On this page * [Tours](#heading-tours-9a28bc98-1005-4cbf-998e-b6a3c91635f0) * [Talks](#heading-talks-98fd8e52-a8a9-427c-b64b-4888edb66015) * [Family history](#heading-family-history-54b7ef8b-02c4-428f-ab02-cee16fe60cfd) * [Hands on history](#heading-hands-on-history-5fa9f448-21fe-45a5-b7a8-edd139562c31) * [Beyond the exhibition](#heading-beyond-the-exhibition-d58848c8-3d7e-4c67-bc4e-5c1d4fff60f9) * [Family fun and performance](#heading-family-fun-and-performance-01880e5c-5d0e-46af-bc03-11d0b9bc2dbc) * [Food trucks](#heading-food-trucks-b9a54471-4921-4ba3-9d41-cf419e82af6d) Date : 12 July 2026, 11:00 to 16:00 Price : £12 (under 12s free) Location : The National Archives, Kew 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/). Read on to discover the whole programme and join us for an incredible day celebrating your archive. Please note: * This programme may change. * There may be a short wait time for some of drop-in activities. [Book now](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1983542323485?aff=oddtdtcreator) ## [Visit](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/visit/) ![A path between two man-made lakes leads to The National Archives building, a brutalist concrete structure on one side and a glass construction on the other.](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/media/images/dz-grounds-of-the-na_KaNBWaJ.976d85da.fill-600x400.format-jpeg.jpegquality-60.bgcolor-fff.jpg) Our home in Kew is open six days a week and free to visit. Find out how to get to us and what services and facilities we offer. ## Tours Please note, all tours are now sold out. ### Behind the Scenes express tours – SOLD OUT Times : 11:30 to 12:00, 12:00 to 12:30, 12:30 to 13:00, 13:00 to 13:30, 14:00 to 14:30, 14:30 to 15:00, 15:00 to 15:30, 15:30 to 16:00 Price : General entry ticket (£12) and add-on tour ticket required (£5) Location : Meet at Start Here Desk, first floor Join a whistlestop tour of our repositories and discover the inner workings of The National Archives. Each tour is 30 minutes long. Tours are aimed at an adult audience but children over 12 years old are welcome to join with guardian supervision. ### Conservation Studio tours – SOLD OUT Times : 11:15 to 11:45, 12:00 to 12:30, 13:30 to 14:00, 14:15 to 14:45, 15:00 to 15:30 Price : General entry ticket (£12) and add-on tour ticket (£5) Location : Meet in Welcome Hall, ground floor Learn about how we use science to care for our documents to ensure that history is preserved and accessible to everyone. Each tour is 30 minutes long. Tours are aimed at an adult audience but children over 12 years old are welcome to join with guardian supervision. ## Talks ### Magna Carta: beyond 1215 with Jessica Nelson Times : 11:15 to 11:45 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Auditorium, first floor Did you know that Magna Carta was reissued several times? 800 years on, discover the legacy of Magna Carta and how it overcame its faltering start in 1215 to influence the political landscape throughout the reign of Henry III and beyond. ### Bag of Secrets with Dan Gosling Time : 12:15 to 12:45 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Auditorium, first floor The Bag of Secrets contain records from some of the most sensational trials held between the 15th and 19th centuries. Hear some of the most notorious stories including the trials of Anne Boleyn and the Gunpowder Plotters. ### Designs for the 1851 Great Exhibition with Olivia Gecseg Time : 14:00 to 14:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Auditorium, first floor The 1851 Great Exhibition in Hyde Park was one of the great spectacles of the Victorian period, including textiles, locomotives and musical instruments. Find out how manufacturers protected their inventions as they prepared to present them on a global stage. ### Need to know: public information in wartime with Will Butler Time : 15:00 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Auditorium, first floor How do you keep a nation informed during conflict? Discover 20th century records that reveal how crucial wartime messages were crafted, delivered and received. ## Family history ### Talk: Finding your feet in family history Times : 11:45 to 12:00, 14:00 to 14:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Learning space 3, first floor Ever wondered how to learn more about your ancestors? Not sure where to start? We’ll give you the tips to help you start your family history journey. ### Drop in advice Times : Drop in from 12:15 to 13:15, 14:45 to 15:45 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Library, first floor Come with your questions and speak to our experts about the best ways to tackle your family history research. ## Hands on history ### Prize Papers Times : Drop in from 11:15 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Clore Broadcast Studio, first floor What happened to the letters, papers and objects seized from captured ships during the Age of Sail? Discover some of these extraordinary artefacts and stories and meet the [Prize Papers](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/georgians/the-prize-papers/) team. ### The global Second World War – sounds and silences Times : Drop in from 11:30 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Learning space 2, first floor Delve into the Second World War experience of African, Asian and Caribbean communities with documents, posters and films. Explore new audio experiences as they provide valuable insights and new perspectives on the legacies of the war. ### Medieval and early modern records Times : Drop in from 11:15 to 13:15 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Learning space 1, first floor Explore the world of Magna Carta and see the contents of a Tudor bag of secrets. ### Modern records Times : Drop in from 14:15 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Learning space 1, first floor Discover colourful posters, propaganda and designs spanning the 1850s to the 1950s. ## Beyond the exhibition ### Revolution 250 – Meet the Exhibition Team Times : Drop in from 11:00 to 12:00, 13:00 to 14:00, 15:00 to 16:00 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Café area, ground floor Meet the curators behind the exhibition and explore the stories, struggles, and contradictions that shaped the making of the United States. ### Revolutionary Encounters Times : From 11:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Ground floor Meet some of the historical figures who lived through this extraordinary moment in time. Artistic Interpretation by [Time Will Tell Theatre](https://www.time-will-tell.co.uk/). ## Family fun and performance ### Craft Club Times : From 11:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Café area, ground floor Children can have fun making toys and games inspired by the collection. ### Wish You Were Here: Postcard Making Times : Drop in from 11:30 to 13:00, 13:30 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Ground floor Illustrate and design your own postcard inspired by heritage travel posters in our collection in these drop in sessions with Artist Sharon King-Chai. ### Origami Adventures Times : Drop in from 11:30 to 12:30, 12:30 to 13:30, 14:00 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Ground floor Relaxed origami sessions with artist Toshiko Kurata featuring fun summer themed creations. Make swans, suns, ice lollies and butterflies! ### Face Painting with Artycat Faces Times : 12:30 to 16:00 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Ground floor Become a swashbuckling pirate, a medieval princess, or anything you can imagine with [Artycat Faces](https://www.artycatfaces.co.uk/). ### Silk Street Jazz Band Times : 13:00 to 13:30, 14:15 to 14:45, 15:30 to 16:00 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Pocket Park The Silk Street Jazz Band will deliver authentic New Orleans jazz creating the perfect soundtrack to a summer afternoon. ### Life at the Lido Times : 13:30 to 14:15, 14:45 to 15:30 Price : Included in general entry ticket Location : Pocket Park Join [Handmade Theatre](https://www.handmadetheatre.co.uk/portfolio/life-at-the-lido) for an imaginary dip! Meet a trio of swimmers as they retell stories from the past and present. This family show joyously combines music and storytelling, which will go down swimmingly for all ages. ### Garden Games Partake in a bit of playful competition and supersized fun with oversized Jenga, noughts and crosses, snakes and ladders and other games - perfect for the whole family. ## Food trucks Treat yourself to a delicious lunch of traditional wood fired pizzas with [The Dough Shack](https://thedoughshack.co.uk/) and then cool down with an ice cream from [Crown Ices](https://www.crownices.co.uk/). ## 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%2Fprogramme%2F) --- [Back to top](#top)