If you are staying in hotels in Kensington, then you will hardly have to venture very far from your hotel doors to have an excellent time when there is an event line-up like this upcoming. Whether you head to just one of these 7 events based on which dates you are in London or manage to fit the whole lot in if you are around for an extended amount of time, you won’t be disappointed by anything on this spread.
Science Photographer of the Year: Science Museum
7 October 2019 – 5 January 2020
When hopping off the tube at South Kensington station, you are likely headed to one area: Exhibition Road. It is a tourist attraction like no other because there are several major museums and academic establishments – one of these being the famous Science Museum, a tribute to the wonderful world of science and humankind’s enormous steps in the field. The Science Photographer of the Year exhibition has been going strong since the 7th of October and will continue to be a feature of the museum until early January. Viewing the world through a lens is always a remarkable experience, but it takes on a whole new level of fascinating when it is specifically a scientific lens, showing us the microscopic photographs of some of our most basic household products.
Ice Rink: The Natural History Museum
19 October 2019 – 12 January 2020
Another iconic feature of Exhibition Road is the Natural History Museum. Since October and keeping strong until a few weeks into January is an ice rink which has been erected in front of the Waterhouse Building and arguably the best rink in London. Glide across the ice to the sound of Christmas jingles, around the frosted Christmas tree in the centre. All this, right on your doorstep! After a long and active day on the ice, head back to your hotel to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail at the bar.
Winter Wonderland: Hyde Park
21 November 2019 – 5 January 2020
A major perk to buying Special Offers for London Hotels in the Kensington area is the proximity of Hyde Park. Year-round, Hyde Park is one of London’s finest days out and is a large, beautiful space to enjoy nature and experience London from a slightly less frantic perspective than from the city centre. Not to mention, from late November until early January, it hosts London’s biggest Christmas event, Winter Wonderland. This is a free event to enter – though you won’t be able to resist spending on the delicious food on offer, the bubbling mulled wine spices filtering through the crisp air, or the market stalls selling everything from scarves to Christmas tree decorations. There is a carnival-style entertainment area, plenty for children to do, as well as an ice rink and circus performances. Head to the website to learn about the more specific events that are packed within this epic one.
Snow Patrol: Royal Albert Hall
5 December 2019
Royal Albert Hall is the kind of venue where you could just rock up and find there is an event you would absolutely love to attend. However, if you like to make your plans a little more to the book, then be sure to jot down the fact that the beloved Northern Irish rock band, Snow Patrol, will be performing a world-class show at the venue on the 5th of December. The restaurants and bars open at Royal Albert Hall at 5.30 (with the auditorium doors opening at 7:15pm), so be sure to get there early and make a whole evening of this exciting London event.
The Nutcracker: Royal Albert Hall
28 – 31 December 2019
Seeing the ballet at Royal Albert Hall is a Kensington must. Every year, the Birmingham Royal Ballet join forces with the Royal Albert Hall over Christmas-time to put on a display of theatre and excellence and this year is no exception. With a combination of Tchaikovsky’s incredible score, period costumes, lighting, and awe-inspiring projections by Tony Award-winning 59 Productions, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s orchestra, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and most eye-catching of all, their talented dancers, you are in for a day or night, depending on your selected show, of total magic.
Chinese New Year: Central London
25 January 2020
Kensington is a simple train ride along the Piccadilly Line (or a flat and reasonable walk) from London’s West End and specifically at this time of year, Chinatown in Soho as well as Trafalgar Square, where the majority of celebrations for the Chinese New Year take place. Wear something red, practice saying the Cantonese phrase “Gong hei fat choy” to wish fellow event attendees a Happy New Year, and prepare to send off the Year of the Pig with a bang and start off the Year of the Rat just right. The main festivities happen in Trafalgar Square – think music, dancing, parading and street food.
Opera Holland Park
2 June 2020 – 8 August 2020
Holland Park seems quite small compared to its neighbouring Hyde Park, but it is by no means too small to host world-class events, such as its annual contribution to the world of opera: Opera Holland Park. A classy marquee auditorium is erected for open-air opera performances, and a series of operas are put on over the course of two months. From the dramatic Giuseppe Verdi to the comedic Pirates of Penzance, there are shows for the most critical of opera enthusiasts as well as novices to the genre – just get online, book your ticket and head on over after a hearty dinner at your hotel to see what it is all about.
Park Grand Kensington is in a prime location so that you can enjoy all of these events once you have finished tucking into the Afternoon Indian Tea the hotel offers. If you’ve already booked your stay, you can rest assured that you have picked one of London’s most stylish, action-packed neighbourhoods and attending these events will ensure you have made the most of it.
