We have a range of exhibitions, drop-in activities and exciting events that take place in the museum and gardens.
Events
Community Fête – Sat 15 Aug, 2026
12 – 4pm
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
Refreshments provided by Brownies Coffee Cart, Giggly Pig Sausages and the Gibberd Garden.
Music from the Harlow Steel Band, Busketeers, Rock School, Harlow Air Cadets, Harlow Brass Band and DJ Graeme McIsaac
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…
Free Summer Activities with Harlow Creates
Tuesday 28 July 10.30am – 12pm
Puppet Making & Storytelling with Matipo Arts
Free / Drop-in / All Ages
Free Summer Activities with Harlow Creates
Tuesday 28 July 10.30am – 12pm
Collage a mask or visor with artist Sarah Bracey
Free / Drop-in / All Ages
Stories and Painting
Tuesday 28 July 1pm – 3pm
Come along and use stories as inspiration for your artwork
Free / Drop-in / All ages
Codes & Ciphers
Thursday 30 July 10 am – 12pm / 1 – 3pm
Send coded messages to your friends and learn to write in invisible ink
Free / Drop-in / All Ages but more suitable for 7+
Build a 3D Map
Tuesday 4 August 10 am – 12pm / 1 – 3pm
Build a 3D map – Make a model of a desert island with cardboard and papier mache
£2 / Bookable / 7+
Make a Treasure Map
Thursday 6 August 10am – 12pm / 1pm- 3pm
X will mark the spot on your very own treasure map!
Free / Drop-in / All ages
Build a Treasure Chest
Tuesday 11 August 10am – 12pm . 1pm – 3pm
Make a cardboard chest to store your treasures in
£2 / Bookable / Age 7+
Tie Dye a Pirate Bandana
Thursday 13 August 10am – 12pm / 1pm – 3pm
Every pirate needs a bandana! Come along and experiment with colour to make your own
£4 / Bookable / Age 7+
Animal themed workshop with Miranda Jennings. Collage workshop with Jack Hamilton
Tuesday 18 August 10.30 am – 12pm
Free / Drop-in / All ages
Make an Explorer’s Journal
Tuesday 18 August 1pm- 3pm
Every explorer needs a place to record their adventures.
£2 / Bookable / Age 7+
Create Clay Coins and a Money Pouch –
Thursday 20 August 10am – 12pm / 1pm – 3pm
Use air dry clay to make your own treasure hoard and a pouch to keep it in.
Free / Drop-in / All ages but more suitable for 7+
Drop in Painting
Tuesday 25 August 10am – 12pm / 1pm- 3pm
As the holidays near their end, let your imagination run wild with paint and paper.
Free / Drop-in / All ages
Drop in Collage
Thursday 27 August 10am – 12pm / 1pm- 3pm
Create a collage out of a range of materials.
Free / Drop-in / All ages
Exhibitions
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