12 July 2026 (past event)
- 11:00 to 16:00
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
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.
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 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
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.
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.
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
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.
Event highlights
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Join an expert talk
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Visit our exhibition
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Get up close to iconic documents
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Make time for family crafts
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Join a Behind the Scenes tour
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Handmade Theatre present Life at the Lido
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Relax to the sounds of Silk Street Jazz band