Behind the Scenes: Stores Tour

Where else could you uncover a hearing aid crafted from real human hair, a handwritten recipe book from the 1600s or a surgical kit from the Napoleonic Wars?

At any given time, only 4% of our collection is on display. With over 81,000 artefacts in our care, Thackray Museum holds one of the UK’s most unique and intriguing collections. Join our dedicated Collections team to go behind the scenes and explore rare objects, books, and archives seldom seen by the public.

This ticket includes free admission to the museum galleries on the day of your tour.

The Last Journey

An emotional and hilarious story with a life-affirming message, The Last Journey is a cinematic experience that explores a loving son’s attempts to coax his aging father into reengaging with life by embarking on a joyous, heartfelt road trip through the South of France.

POO!

Welcome to the number one exhibition on number twos.

This summer, we’re lifting the lid on bums, tums and stinky science to answer your most potty-mouthed questions about poo!

Through recreated smells (oh yes!), touch and discovery, POO! will flush out the science behind one of the body’s most remarkable (and messy) functions.  

Why does poo smell? What colour should it be? How much poo is there in the world? This fun and fascinating family exhibition gets to the bottom of digestion, responding to questions from children at Harehills Primary School.

Thackray Lates: Sunburn – The Science of Skin

Dust off your wildest Hawaiian shirt, grab a deckchair, and soak up the summer’s most skin-tingling experience 

After five consecutive sell-outs, Thackray Lates are back! And for one night only, we’re peeling back the science behind the body’s largest organ: skin.

Expect myth-busting talks, craft workshops, and pop-up performances, both inside and outside the museum. From tattooing to tanning, skincare to scar tissue – you’d be a flake to miss it.

The café will serve hot food, snacks and soft drinks, with a pop-up bar by Kirkstall Brewery serving drinks.

Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!

‘Marching On Together’ is a momentous anthem for Leeds United fans. It was originally written under the title ‘Leeds! Leeds! Leeds!’ by Les Reed and Barry Mason, who also wrote ‘The Last Waltz’ for Engelbert Humperdinck and ‘Delilah’ for Tom Jones (incidentally an unofficial anthem for Stoke City).

It first became a hit on the terraces when it was sung by the 1972 Leeds United team and supporters on the B-side of ‘Leeds United’, a single released to coincide with the team reaching the FA Cup Final.

Draw Doodle Design

Weekly Art Class Launch! Free launch session – all welcome!

Join us for the launch of Draw. Doodle. Design. – a fun, inclusive art class in Leeds open to all ages and abilities. Whether you’re a complete beginner, a GCSE art student, a parent wanting to get creative with your child, or someone looking to brush up on digital skills like Canva and Procreate – this class is for YOU.

What to Expect:

Hands-on sketching, doodling, and digital art sessions

Support using Canva, Procreate and Adobe Illustrator

A welcoming space with art materials provided

Global Connections Market: Seacroft Goes Global

A festive open house celebrating global connections through live radio, music, arts and crafts, food, creative writing, zines, giant puppets, story-sharing, and more.

This free, family friendly event is a chance to explore Chapel FM Arts Centre / East Leeds Community Radio's exciting building, meet people from our community, Leeds, and from around the world and learn about projects and activities you can get involved in.

Family Bushcraft Day

Come and join us for a day of fun in the woods!

We will play games, do fun challenges and learn some skills based around the core bushcraft skills of nature study, shelter, fire, tool use and food.

The activities are planned to create lots of opportunities for you to have fun, play together and make memories with your child(ren).

This session is suitable for children aged 5-11and their grown up.

Maximum of 3 children to one adult. Each attendee needs a ticket for this event.

Session runs from 10am - 4pm.

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