Museum After Hours | 54321! ‘Standby for action, we are about to launch’
Friday 24 July 2026, 6.30 – 9pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Standby for action as the first Museum After Hours of the year launches in celebration of the summer exhibition 54321 FAB! The exhibition brings Thunderbirds and friends to Worcester, with 1960s nostalgia at the forefront this year.
Enjoy a rockin’ Friday night with Jamie Hill, guitar-vocalist, performing classic rock and pop numbers including hits from the 60s. Jamie has been in love with music since he got his first guitar at the age of 6 and will take you on a rockabilly rollercoaster for the evening!
The bar will be open, so don’t forget to try a FAB themed cocktail: blast-off with a Stingray, or be brave and take on a Mysteron! 🍹
Free entry. Fancy dress encouraged!
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Museum After Hours returns on Friday 21 August 2026!
Museum After Hours is aimed at adults, 18+.
Get Arty: 3…2…1…Make!
Thursday 23 July – Thursday 27 August 2026, 10.30 – 11.30am | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Get creative this summer at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum with Get Arty: 3…2…1…Make!
In these fun hands-on sessions, children can design and build their own puppet characters before turning their imagination to junk modelling, creating incredible secret bases just like Tracy Island. From hidden launch pads to daring rescue HQs, every creation is unique! Perfect for young makers and storytellers.
Get Arty is on every Thursday through the summer holidays (from 23 July to 27 August), 10.30 – 11.30am.
£5.50 per child; please book via the link below. A parent or carer must stay during the session. Free entry to the Art Gallery and Museum, including summer exhibition 53421! FAB.
Oak Apple Day 2026
Bank Holiday Monday 25 May, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Oak Apple Day returns to The Commandery! 🌳
Step back in time to 1660 and celebrate the restoration of the crown on Bank Holiday Monday in a fantastic day bringing history to life in Worcester.
Oak Apple Day marks the historic moment when King Charles II returned to the throne following the English Civil War.
Where better to commemorate this historic moment than at The Commandery, the Royalist Headquarters in the final battle of the Civil War?
Delve into an exciting day of living history for all the family – there’ll be:
- Fantastic reenactors to encounter as you make your way around The Commandery
- Musket firing in the gardens
- Pike and cannon drills for children (and grown-ups!) to get hands-on with
- History talks about Oak Apple Day and the English Civil War from Worcester Reenactors and The Battle of Worcester Society
- Wonderful refreshments available at Little Al’s Kitchen at The Commandery
Enjoy fun family activities: can you find all of the beautifully decorated royal carriages around the building? Then, create your own Oak Apple mobile in the craft room (general admission + £3.50 for trail and activities).
Oak Apple Day family craft
Oak Apple Day 2026 is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Plan your visit
General admission applies (+ £3.50 for the carriage trail and craft activities); free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
What is Oak Apple Day?
The Commandery is one of the only places in the UK to still celebrate Oak Apple Day, also known as Restoration Day.
This spring tradition marks the anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following the English Civil War – and has a special connection to the city of Worcester, the scene of the deciding battle in 1651.
Nine years after Charles II hid from Parliamentarian troops in an oak tree following the loss of his Royalist cause at the Battle of Worcester, he returned to the throne on his thirtieth birthday, 29 May 1660 – which became the annual celebration of Oak Apple Day.
Plan your visit to The Commandery and see what you can tick off the Top 10 Highlights list!
The 2026 Worcester 100 Open Call Exhibition
The Artery Studios, Arch 28 Croft Walk, WR1 3BD
Free Entry
The Worcester 100 Open Call Exhibition is now open at the Artery Studios featuring 100 works by 100 local artists.
Visitors can expect a lively, varied display of contemporary work, from painting and printmaking to photography, sculpture, ceramics & textiles. Visitor entry is free, with voluntary donations supporting the Worcester 100 Youth version of the exhibition taking place in November.
Exhibition Opening Times
- Saturday 14 March: 11am – 6pm
- Sunday 15 March: 11am – 4pm
- Wednesday 18 March: 11am – 5pm
- Thursday 19 March: 11am – 5pm
- Friday 20 March: 11am – 6pm
- Saturday 21 March: 11am – 6pm