After a short break for essential building works to reduce our carbon footprint, the Royal Institution (Ri) reopens this September. Join us as we kick things off with an unmissable Autumn 2025 Programme for adults, families, and children.
This season is extra special as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Discourses and Christmas Lectures this year, continuing the Ri’s legacy of making groundbreaking science engaging and accessible to all through our Discover200 campaign.
Some of the world’s most renowned scientists will once again light up the Ri’s historic Theatre, including Jim Al-Khalili, Marcus Du Sautoy, and Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock. This year’s Discourses and talks will walk you through quantum worlds, unravel the dark matter in our universe, peek into Da Vinci’s mind, and “see” (not hear) sound! We’re also marking two centuries of spectacular live experiments with a special night of demonstrations led by David Ricketts and the Ri Demo Team.
Looking to dive deeper? We’re also bringing back two of our most popular short courses – an introduction to artificial intelligence, and an introduction to quantum theory.
And as always, there’s something for everyone. Science Saturdays will be back in full swing, where the whole family can get stuck into everything from tracking down aliens, to the questions scientists are still yet to answer. And in our upcoming Family Fun Day, we’ll explore the science behind magic and illusions!
Highlights of the Autumn programme include:
- An introduction to artificial intelligence: Uwais Iqbal presents a six-part introductory course on AI spread across various topics and perspectives.
- The great alien hunt (family): Join Matt Bothwell to uncover what do aliens look like and whether they even exist somewhere out there.
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Decoding ageing: Carina Kern will explore the biology behind how we age and the emerging interventions that could transform our health span.
- Family Fun Day: Magic and illusions Discover how different illusions trick your brain and some of the science that makes magic possible.
- Discourse: A new quantum world: "Spooky" physics to tech revolution: Jim Al-Khalili looks at a century of quantum mechanics, the strangest yet most successful theory in all of science, and how it has shaped our world.
- Discourse: Christmas Lecturer 2025: Maggie Aderin-Pocock, the 2025 Christmas Lecturer, will delve into space sciences.
The Ri’s Autumn Programme runs until 20 December. Explore the full line-up of events and book your tickets now via our What's on page.