National Museums Scotland listings: Join us for the festive season

Festive events

Clyde’s Winter Trail
National Museum of Rural Life, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride G76 9HR
2 Dec 2022 – 8 Jan 2023
10:00-17:00
Clyde and his friends have been getting the National Museum of Rural Life ready for the festive season. Can you find all the miniature scenes around the museum?

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Clyde’s-Winter-Trail

Festive Weekend
National Museum of Rural Life, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride G76 9HR
3 & 4 Dec 2022
10:30-12:30 & 13:30-15:30
Learning Centre & Farmhouse
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass.

Celebrate the season with a weekend of festive family crafts at the museum. On Saturday, you can also join in rhymes, songs and games at the farmhouse.

Find our more nms.ac.uk/Festive-Weekend

Drawn Together at the Museum
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
28 Dec – 30 Dec 2022
Daily, 10:30 – 16:30
Grand Gallery, Level 1
Free drop-in

Escape to the museum between Christmas and Hogmanay and enjoy sketching around our galleries. Your artwork will be added to our informal public gallery for everyone to enjoy. 

Find out more nms.ac.uk/Drawn-Together

Exhibitions & Displays

National Museum of Scotland 
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF   
Open 10:00–17:00 daily  

Bernat Klein: Design in Colour       

5 Nov 2022 – 23 Apr 2023       
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3 

Free entry 

 Marking the centenary of his birth, Bernat Klein: Design in Colour will celebrate the work of the influential émigré textile designer. Visitors will be able to explore Klein’s creative process and varied career, from providing couture fabrics for fashion designers to his influence on modernist architecture and interior design in the UK and Scandinavia.

Find out more nms.ac.uk/BernatKlein     

OPENING SOON Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder
9 Dec 2022 – 1 May 2023

Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder features eight zones filled with immersive, hands-on experiences. Travel through the Time Vortex Corridor, discover Sonic Screwdrivers, teleportation technology and much more in a TARDIS Tech room, and get up close with some of the series’ weird and wonderful creatures in the Monster Vault. Join us for the Scottish premiere of this ground-breaking exhibition. It’s bigger on the inside!

Book now nms.ac.uk/doctor-who

Inspiring Walter Scott  
Until 8 Jan 2023  
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1  
Free entry  
  
Following the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.   
  
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller and supporting Year of Stories 2022.  

Find out more nms.ac.uk/walterscottexhibition  
  

Japanese Contemporary Design     
Until 5 Mar 2023      
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1     
Free entry
  
From striking statement jewellery to prints and porcelain vases, this new free display considers how Japanese contemporary makers have combined innovative and traditional art, craft and design elements over the past five decades.   The star object is Hitomi Hosono’s A Large Pine Tree Pool, a sculptural porcelain bowl with complex hand-carving made and acquired in 2019.

Further highlights include Junko Mori’s intricate New Pinecone Silver Organism, and colourful body adornments by jeweller Suō Emiko’s adapted from metalworking and engraving techniques traditionally used in the making of Japanese sword fittings.     

Find out more nms.ac.uk/JapaneseContemporaryDesign       

  
Events

National Museum of Scotland   
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF  
Open 10:00–17:00 daily  

MEMBERS ONLY In Conversation with the Director: Earth in Space
1 Dec 2022
18:00 –19:00
Auditorium (enter via Lothian Street)
Free for Members, booking required

Join Director Dr Chris Breward, Senior Curator of Science Dr Tacye Philipson, and Senior Curator of Mineralogy Peter Davidson, as we discover how we’ve explored our place in the universe.

Book now nms.ac.uk/earth-in-space

Relaxed Morning
4 Dec 2022
10:00 – 12:00 (quiet space open until 12:30)

Join us for our monthly Relaxed Morning for anyone who would appreciate a calmer visit to the museum. This session is primarily for, but not limited to, families with autistic children; autistic young people and adults; adults living with dementia; adults and children with mental health problems; and any other visitors with sensory needs or who may prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends and carers.

Find out more nms.ac.uk/relaxed-morning

Friday Friends
2 & 16 December
14:00-16:00, selected Friday afternoons
Free, pre-booking required

Our Friday Friends programme offers a welcoming space for visually impaired and D/deaf children and their families. The groups meet monthly and explore the themes of the museum through objects, music, art and activities.

Book now nms.ac.uk/friday-friends

Magic Carpet Minis
2023 dates available soon
Various times and dates
£15 per child for block of 3

Magic Carpet Minis introduces you and your little one to some of the wonderful galleries, objects and themes in the museum in a fun and gentle way. Taking place in different spaces around the museum, you will explore subjects such as the Natural World, Space, World Cultures and Scottish History through songs, stories, rhymes, actions, objects and sensory play.

Book now nms.ac.uk/magic-carpet-minis   