National Museum of Scotland

What's on

List of Exhibitions

  1. A man and young girl are standing in the centre of the image, pointing upwards at a giant, 3D sculpture of an animal. Other visitors are to the left and right, looking at the same sculpture, and the sculpture of a gorilla to the left
    Exhibition

    Giants

    –
    Giants showcases the colossal prehistoric creatures that lived 66 million years ago, through life-sized sculptures, skeletons, and fossils.

    National Museum of Scotland

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  2. A Bronze Age spearhead. The base of the spearhead has a delicate gold hatched design.
    Exhibition

    Scotland's First Warriors

    –
    Scotland's First Warriors reveals the origins and impact of conflict in prehistoric Scotland.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

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List of Events

  1. A child paints at a table
    Event

    Sensory Sunday

    Sun 1Feb – Sun 6 Dec 2026, 11:00 – 12:00 and 14:00 – 15:00
    Exciting, hands-on sensory play sessions for children with additional support needs.

    National Museum of Scotland

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  2. A close up of a musician playing a violin with the Grand Gallery in the background.
    Event

    Live Music Mondays

    Mon 15 Dec – Mon 16 Feb, 12:45 – 13:30
    Come along to free live music performances featuring folk, classical, traditional Scottish, and modern fusion styles. 

    National Museum of Scotland

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  3. A person with a pram is talking to a museum worker, in the grand gallery at the national museum of scotland. The museum worker is at a small stand, with a sign saying 'Engagement team' behind them.
    Event

    Find Out Fridays

    5 Sep 25 - 26 Jun 2026, every Friday afternoon during term time 13:30 – 16:00
    Drop-in Friday fun for families of all ages.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

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  4. A young person in glasses and a hat looking at a robotic hand.
    Event

    Friday Friends

    Various dates, 14:00 - 16:00
    Our Friday Friends programme offers a welcoming space for visually impaired and D/deaf children and their families.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

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  5. A person controlling a large inflatable illuminated octopus puppet.
    Event

    Manipulate Festival: Ocho the Octopus

    Sat 7 Feb, 10:00 - 13:00
    Ocho the Octopus puppet stops off at the National Museum of Scotland for a morning of free pop-up performances and a puppetry inspired craft activity.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

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  6. Three performers dressed in colourful outfits. On the left is a gold and silver owl, a black raven is in the middle, and a red bear is on the right.
    Event

    Manipulate Festival: Europe, Meine Liebe, Mon Amour

    Sun 8 Feb, 10:30 - 16:00
    Enjoy short pop-up theatre performances in the museum’s Grand Gallery, inspired by artist Bruno Gallagher’s travels around Europe.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

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  7. A parent and child play with red Lego bricks on a table.
    Event

    Giants: Half Term Big Build

    Sat 14 - Sun 22 Feb, 10:30 - 16:00
    Get inspired by our Giants exhibition and join us this half term for LEGO activities for all the family.

    National Museum of Scotland

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  8. Large 3D origami like sculptures of giant animals, in the giants exhibition space. In the foreground is a woolly mammoth, with glass panels on the legs that show real fossilised bones inside.
    Event

    Giants: Half Term

    Sat 14 - Sun 22 Feb, 10:30 - 16:00
    Join us in the Grand Gallery for free family activities to celebrate the recent opening of our new exhibition, Giants.
    Free

    National Museum of Scotland

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  9. Close up of a gold necklace inset with a large red stone.
    Event

    Discovering the National Collections: Jewellery from Antiquity to Present Day

    Thu 19 Feb - 19 Mar 2026, 14:00 - 15:30
    Discover the diverse world of jewellery in this five week course.
    Sold out

    National Museum of Scotland

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