A huge sand sculpture of the Crystal Palace — built from the same material that once made its glass — will rise in South Kensington this June, as part of a weekend festival celebrating science, art and innovation.
Great Sand Exhibition?
The seven-tonne installation will be one of the centrepieces of the Great Exhibition Road Festival to mark the 175th anniversary of the Great Exhibition, which helped fund the museums that now fill South Kensington’s Albertopolis estate.
Now in its latest edition, the festival blends hands-on science with art, design and technology, offering visitors the chance to encounter everything from robot demonstrations to experimental food tastings — including dishes that explore how cooking can mirror conditions on Mars.
This year’s programme also marks the 175th anniversary of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the landmark event that drew six million visitors to Hyde Park and helped establish South Kensington as a hub of museums and learning institutions.
Alongside the evolving sand-built Crystal Palace, visitors will be able to step inside a virtual reconstruction of the 1851 exhibition, explore proposals for a modern-day version of the building, and join guided walks tracing surviving exhibits and their legacy across London.
Family focused highlights will include a Family Fun Zone in Kensington Gardens with live shows and rocket demonstrations, a Future Food programme experimenting with sustainable ingredients, and interactive areas featuring robot football, live mural painting, and even an “Underground Mushroom Disco”.
Running from midday to 6pm on 6th and 7th June, the Great Exhibition Road Festival will be free to attend.
Tickets will be required and are available here.