What’s on

Find exciting things to see and do at the National Army Museum. Explore our latest events and exhibitions, and discover inspiring objects in our galleries.

Chelsea History Festival 2025
Festival
24-28 Sep 2025 Free

Chelsea History Festival 2025

Join award-winning speakers, acclaimed performers and expert guides for a celebration of history in the heart of Chelsea.
Find out more
Events
Date format: DD/MM/YYYY
Date format: DD/MM/YYYY
Chelsea History Festival 2025
Festival
24-28 Sep 2025 FREE

Chelsea History Festival 2025

Join award-winning speakers, acclaimed performers and expert guides for a celebration of history in the heart of Chelsea.

Visitors in the Myth and Reality exhibition
Tour
25 Sep 2025 £15.00

Exhibition Tour: Victorian Art

Enjoy a guided tour of our major exhibition, ‘Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria’, with lead curator Susan Ward. Part of this year's Chelsea History Festival.

'The Rise and Fall of the British Army' book cover
Talk
26 Sep 2025 FREE

The Rise and Fall of the British Army, 1975–2025

Join Ben Barry at this year's Chelsea History Festival as he examines the successes and failures of the British Army across the last half century.

Visitors in the Myth and Reality exhibition
Tour
26 Sep 2025 £15.00

Exhibition Tour: Victorian Art

Enjoy a guided tour of our major exhibition, ‘Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria’, with lead curator Susan Ward. Part of this year's Chelsea History Festival.

An Indian servant attends to the requirements of Bengal Army officers inside their tent, 1857
Talk
3 Oct 2025 FREE

Managing the Mess: Food and Fortitude in Colonial India

Dr Erica Wald illustrates how food influenced the lives of the troops and shaped perceptions of the ideal soldier in the 19th-century Indian Army.

'Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade' book cover
Talk
10 Oct 2025 FREE

Republic: Britain's Revolutionary Decade, 1649-60

Professor Alice Hunt examines the tumultuous impact of the British Civil Wars. How did England's republican experiment change the course of British history?

Exhibitions and displays
Detail from the painting 'Home Again, 1858'
Exhibition
1 Jul 2025 - 1 Nov 2026 FREE

Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria

This major exhibition of rarely seen artworks illuminates shifting attitudes towards soldiers and the Army during Queen Victoria’s reign (1837 – 1901).

Detail from 'Troops of the Royal West African Frontier Force in the Arakan, Burma, 1944'
Exhibition
16 Sep 2025 - 13 Apr 2026 FREE

Beyond Burma: Forgotten Armies

Marking the 80th anniversary of VJ (Victory over Japan) Day, this exhibition shines a light on the remarkable multinational army that fought in some of the toughest conditions of the Second World War.

Galleries

Formation gallery

Formation

Delve into the Army's origins and its evolving role over the past 350 years.

Soldier gallery

Soldier

Find out what it’s like to serve as a soldier, from joining up to coming home.

Global Role gallery

Global Role

Follow the deployment of Britain's armies around the world since the age of empire.

Conflict in Europe gallery

Conflict in Europe

Examine the Army’s role in maintaining the balance of power in Europe. 

Army at Home gallery

Army at Home

Explore the Army's home service from the 1600s to the present day.

Play Base wall graphics

Play Base

Enjoy our immersive soft-play experience for children aged 8 or under.

Catch up on past events

Missed any of the free talks, conversations and debates we've been streaming over recent months? You can watch them online at any time.

Watch online
Lynx helicopter in the Atrium