We have a range of exhibitions, drop-in activities and exciting events that take place in the museum and gardens.
Events
Archaeology Fair – Sat 4 July, 2026
Save the Date!
Explore Harlow’s hidden history through interactive stands and expert displays. See incredible finds, including the Roman dodecahedron unearthed in Newhall.
Free | Drop in | For all ages
More information to be announced soon.
Community Fête – Sat 15 Aug, 2026
Save the Date!
With over 30 stalls featuring Harlow’s vibrant community groups, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. It will be a day filled with community spirit, live music and refreshments.
Free | Drop in | For all ages
More information to be announced soon.
Essex Book Festival
Essex Book Festival is delighted to be heading to Harlow for a weekend of writing workshops, author and artist talks, family games, and poetry.
Syd Moore – Writing the Archive from 10.30am – 12.30pm
Join best-selling author Syd Moore for a special writing workshop using objects from the archives of Harlow Museum to inspire your work.
Book Tickets Here
Syd Moore – The Great Deception at 1.30pm
Enter a world of mystery, espionage and illusion with author Syd Moore as she discusses the second in her thrilling new series about Britain’s secret wartime history. The Great Deception explores deceiving occultists, age-old magic and a war-torn world.
Book Tickets Here
Free Family Fun and Storytelling
Join us for an afternoon of imagination and creativity as we celebrate the Essex Book Festival with free family fun for all ages!
Activities include:
Hear tales & riddles from storyteller Dave Tonge
Play to win with Fun-Filled Games
Eco-print with Essex made ink
Enjoy books with Essex Libraries
Take part in a scavenger hunt
Join a letters to the future workshop
Ditty Bag on the Road with Rebecca Leek at 3.30pm – 4.30pm
Harlow-born writer Rebecca Leek will be hosting a showcase of poetry in Harlow Museum’s Walled Gardens, inviting poets from across the county to collaborate in a mixed session. Expect different voices, a celebration of words, and newly commissioned poems.
Rebecca hosts The Ditty Bag poetry podcast, is a published author and was a prize winner in the 2025 Waltham Forest National Poetry Competition. She trained as a musician, a performer, and a teacher, and is a regular on local and national radio.
Tickets: £5
Calling all Harlow Poets!
Are you a poet with a connection to Harlow? We want to hear your voice! We are looking for local poets to join the Essex Book Festival for a special performance at Harlow Museum & Walled Gardens. This event takes place on Saturday 27th June 2026, from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM and will be hosted by Rebecca Leek, the voice behind the Ditty Bag poetry podcast.
This is a fantastic opportunity to share your work alongside a professional podcast host and fellow creatives. The successful applicant will join Rebecca on stage to read two original poems as well as one poem by another author that has influenced their writing journey. A performance fee of £50 will be paid to the participating poet for their time and contribution.
Please note that the deadline for applications is May 31st, 2026. We will contact the successful poet by June 7th, and all other applicants will receive an update by June 10th.
Activities
There’s always something happening at Harlow Museum! From seasonal workshops to special events, we have activities for all ages throughout the year. Keep an eye on this page for the latest updates, dates, and details so you don’t miss out…
Museum Explorers: Summer Holiday Fun
Tues 28 July – Thurs 27 August
This Summer unleash your creativity and inner explorer!
Crack the code, build a 3D map, create a treasure chest and learn to journal your journey. Oh, and beware of Pirates, unless you fancy becoming one! Fun, hands-on art for everyone.
Explorer’s Journal – Tues 28 July
Every explorer needs a journal to record their adventures in! Come bind and decorate your own journal
Age 7+
Codes and Ciphers – Thurs 30 July
Send coded messages to your friends and learn to write in invisible ink
Age 7+
Build a 3D map – Tues 4 August
Make a model of a desert island with cardboard and papier mache
Age 7+
Make a Treasure Map – Thurs 6 August
X will mark the spot on your very own treasure map!
Age 7+
Build a Treasure Chest – Tues 11 August
Make a cardboard chest to store your treasures in
Age 7+
Tie Dye a Pirate Bandana – Thurs 13 August
Every pirate needs a bandana! Come along and experiment with colour to make your own
Age 7+
Make a Money Pouch – Tues 18 August
Keep your pieces of eight safe in your very own coin pouch
Age 7+
Create Clay Coins – Thurs 20 August
You’ve made the pouch, now create and sculpt your very own pieces of eight using air dry clay!
Age 7+
Drop in Painting – Tues 25 August
As the holidays near their end, let your imagination run wild with paint and paper
All ages
Drop in Collage – Thurs 27 August
As the holidays near their end, let you imagination run wild with collage
All ages
Exhibitions
Coming Soon… Puzzles, Pedals and Play
Museum at Home
If you’ve enjoyed your visit to the museum why not download one of our free printable activity sheets you can do at home.
Make Your Own Pin Hole Camera
In the 16th century, some artists used a ‘camera obscura’ (Italian, meaning ‘dark room’) with a small opening, and later a lens which would project an image of the brightly lit outside scene into the camera. A pinhole camera uses this same principle on a much smaller scale, ask for a work sheet if you are interested in making one at home.
Download here
Binary Code Challenge
Decode a message written in Binary code, and even write your own coded message. Binary code is how computers use and transfer data. Invented in 1689 by Gottfried Leibniz, it is still essential to programming today.
Download here
Make Your Own Telephone
Make a simple telephone and communicate using vocal vibrations.
Download here
Be a Digital Camera
Did you know that digital photographs are made up of coloured pixels, and the colours that they are are coded in binary? Use binary code to colour the pixels in the image, what do you see when you have finished? could you make your own pixel image?
Download here
Make a Movie
Enjoy watching your own moving image by making a zoetrope, experiment with your own image ideas.
Download here