Events & Activities
Our events programme has something for everyone.
Discover family fun during the school holidays with our children's activities, or try out our museum trails all year round. Drop in for a talk, book your place on one of our expertly guided walks or museum tours to explore the city's history in more depth, or bring your own discoveries along to one of our Finds Days. Check out our Special Events for everything else!
And if nothing here catches your eye right now, why not follow us on Facebook or Instagram for all the latest updates?
STORY TOURS
Everyone has a story... Our unique Story Tours let you discover our local history in a brand new way, through the personal stories of the people who lived it.
Join our expert tour guides and knowledgeable museum team to explore the city of Lancaster, its museums, and the stories of Lancastrians through the centuries - from Roman warriors to lighthouse keepers, transported female convicts to a 70s gay commune which fought for a better world.
With a variety of tours running between March and October, indoors and out, there's something for everyone. Many of our tours are family friendly too!
Or read on for details of the next few tours.
Going to Botany Bay
Learn the stories of Lancaster's Transported Women with expert historian Naomi Parsons. Visiting the sites of their crimes, we explore the stories of six Lancaster women who were sentenced to transportation to Australia. Did they flourish or fail on the other side of the world?
Dates
- Tuesday 18 March @ 11am
- Tuesday 8 September @ 11am
Tickets - Click here to BOOK ONLINE
- Adults £10
- Children £2.50
Location & Accessibilty
Starting from Lancaster City Museum, this outdoor walking tour will take you around the city centre. Please get in touch with any questions about the accessibility of the route: lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk.
Domestics, Deities & Warrior Women
Tour the City Museum galleries and hear the rarely told stories of women from Roman to Medieval times in this Women's History Month Special.
Dates
- Tuesday 25 March @ 11:30am & 1pm
Tickets - Click here to BOOK ONLINE
- Adults £5
- Children £2
Location & Accessibilty
This tour takes place inside Lancaster City Museum. Please note that most of our galleries are on the upper floor of the museum. Our stairlift is currently out of order so this means that the tour is only accessible to those able to climb two flights of stairs. We apologise for any disappointment and we're working to get a new lift installed as soon as possible.
Historical Women of Lancaster - Lives in Writing
This city centre tour by Eleanor Levin focuses on women's words and writing about women, including a nurse writing postcards home from WW1 France, an upcycling artist, a loom-breaking luddite, an anti-slavery campaigner, a child much discussed but little understood, a nun, a duke, and a poet.
Dates
- Saturday 5 April @ 11am
- Tueasday 15 July @ 11am
Tickets - Click here to BOOK ONLINE
- Adults £10
- Children £2.50
Location & Accessibilty
Starting from Lancaster City Museum, this outdoor walking tour will take you around the city centre. Please get in touch with any questions about the accessibility of the route: lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk.
Did you know that thousands of archaeological objects are discovered by ordinary people every year?
Have you found something while metal detecting, beach-combing, mudlarking, or just gardening or walking the dog?
Finds Liaison Officer Theo Muscillo will be visiting Lancaster City Museum several times this year:
- Friday 8 April
- Friday 20 June
- Friday 5 August
- Friday 31 October
Bring your finds and see if you can uncover more information! If you are bringing an object with you, please email theo.muscillo@lancashire.gov.uk to arrange a time. Appointments will be in the Education Room, with access from New Street, behind the Museum.
Theo will also be upstairs in the museum from 12:30 to 2:15pm. You can drop in to handle some finds, learn how to look up objects found in the local area, and pick up activity sheets for kids.
This event is part of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. You can find out more at finds.org.uk.
Friends of Lancaster Maritime Museum
Visit Lancaster Maritime Museum for weekend talks organised by the Friends of Lancaster Maritime Museum. Everyone is welcome and there’s no need to book, just drop in.
- £3 charge for non-members.
- Talks begin at 2pm in the Maritime Museum's Education Room - use the main museum entrance and ask for directions at the front desk.
Check back here or visit the Friends of Lancaster Maritime Museum Facebook page for updates on future talks.
Marine Conservation Society
Join us at Lancaster Maritime Museum on the second Wednesday of every month for fascinating talks from the Marine Conservation Society. Everyone is welcome and there’s no need to book, just drop in.
- £4 requested cash donation to the society. (No card payments.*)
- All talks begin at 7:30pm.
Upcoming Talks:
- Wednesday 12th March: The Evolution of the Battleship by Barry Kaye (Lancashire MCS). This talk will follow the development of warships from the earliest
times – the first recorded naval battle in the late Bronze Age, through the developments in the classical period – the ‘trireme’ and all that! Finally sailing warships gave way to the first ironclads after the Industrial Revolution. - Wednesday 9th April: Morecambe Bay Plankton Round-up by Mark Woombs and BarryKaye (Lancashire MCS) PLUS group AGM.
- Wednesday 14th May: The 1866 Portuguese Shipwreck at Snatchems by Nigel Neil (Lancaster and District Heritage Group)
- Wednesday 11th June: Blackpool and Fylde College Student Dissertations (Linda Martin)
You can also click here to download the full list of talks and other events (PDF, 110KB).
Check back here for updates on future talks, or visit the MCS Lancashire Facebook Page or the MCS Lancashire website.
*The Maritime Museum Shop is open during these talks and you are very welcome to make purchases using either cash or cards. However the £4 donation goes directly to the MCS and can only be accepted in cash.
Friends of Lancaster City Museum
Join us at Lancaster City Museum for regular lunchtime lectures organised by the Friends of Lancaster City Museum. Everyone is welcome and there’s no need to book, just drop in.
- £2 charge for non-members.
- All talks are held at 1pm in the City Museum’s education room. The entrance is on New Street at the back of the museum. (If you can’t find it, just ask at the front desk.)
Next Talk:
Monday 17 March - St Patrick's Day special: The cult of St Patrick in medieval Northern England, by Fiona Redmonds, professor in regional history at Lancaster University and the director of the Regional Heritage Centre.
Check back here soon or visit the Friends of Lancaster City Museum Facebook page for updates on future talks.
National Lottery Open Week at Lancaster Maritime Museum
FREE ADMISSION FOR NATIONAL LOTTERY TICKET HOLDERS!
- 15-17 March
- 21-23 March 2025
Lancaster Maritime Museum will be giving free entry to National Lottery players from 15-23 March 2025 as a 'thank you' for support from National Lottery Heritage Fund. To gain free admittance just bring your National Lottery ticket or eticket along!
- The Maritime Museum is open 12-4pm every Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday.
Improv Night at Lancaster City Museum
Come and join us for a night of spontaneous fun, thanks to the Friends of Lancaster City Museum!
Grilled Secret will be performing improvised comedy scenes and games based on objects from Lancaster City Museum, picked from their 100 Objects exhibition curated as part of the museum's centenary celebrations.
- Sunday 23rd March, 6:30-8pm. (Doors open 6pm.)
- £5 per person. Suitable for ages 16+
BOOK ONLINE now to guarantee your place, or pay on the door (subject to availability).
During the school holidays we run regular children's activity and craft sessions. Check back here for details or keep up to date on Facebook or Instagram.
Visiting with Children
- We've signed the Kids in Museums Manifesto and we always include interactive elements for children in our new exhibitions.
- Children's trails are available to enhance your visit at both the City Museum and the Maritime Museum.
- Both these museums also have sensory backpacks for children and young people on the autism spectrum to borrow. Just ask at the front desk if you'd like to use one of these during your visit - it's free!
- For schools or other children's groups, please see our Learning page.
- Please note that for safety reasons, children up to the age of 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult in all of our museums.
