Chelsea Pensioners stand alongside a visitor in the newly opened museum

Chelsea History Festival Returns for 2025!

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Chelsea History Festival Returns for 2025!

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The Royal Hospital Chelsea is proud to once again take part in the Chelsea History Festival, returning for its seventh edition from Wednesday 24 to Sunday 28 September 2025. As a founding partner of this now much-anticipated annual celebration of history and heritage, we are delighted to welcome audiences to our historic site as part of a vibrant and wide-ranging programme.

Presented in collaboration with our neighbours at the National Army Museum and Chelsea Physic Garden, and supported by Cadogan and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, this year’s festival promises over 80 events that bring the past to life through talks, tours, performances and exhibitions.

An actor dressed in period costume and representing Sir Christopher Wren stands inside the Great Hall at the Royal Hospital Chelsea with wood-panelled walls and chequered black and white floor tiles. A group of visitors of various ages listen in

Celebrating History Where It Happened

As home to the Chelsea Pensioners and founded in 1682 by King Charles II, the Royal Hospital Chelsea stands at the heart of Britain’s living military heritage. Our buildings, grounds and community continue to bear witness to centuries of service, resilience and shared history. That makes the Royal Hospital not just a venue for the festival – but an integral part of the story it tells.

This year, we are proud to present a new temporary exhibition, “Lost and Found in Hong Kong: The Unsung Chinese Heroes of D-Day”, opening exclusively for the festival. The display highlights little-known stories of Royal Navy Chinese veterans who played a vital role in the D-Day landings. In a year that also commemorates VE Day 80, the exhibition reflects the Royal Hospital’s continued commitment to sharing untold stories and shining a light on overlooked contributions to our collective past.

Festivalgoers will also have the opportunity to enjoy a special concert in the Great Hall and Wren Chapel, performed by the Royal Hospital’s Chapel Choir. Featuring English church anthems dating back to the 1700s, the programme offers a moment of reflection and musical heritage in one of Chelsea’s most atmospheric settings.

Highlights from Across the Quarter

Elsewhere in the festival, headline speakers include Greg Jenner, Emily Maitlis, Simon Jenkins, and Mark Urban, alongside talks on codebreakers, espionage, punk history, and architectural heritage. Our Governor, General Sir Adrian Bradshaw KCB OBE DL, will also speak on NATO, emerging threats, and the legacy of Western defence alliances.

The full programme includes family-friendly activities, open-air events, garden visits, and walking tours – many of them free to attend. The Royal Hospital is proud to play a part in creating a festival that is welcoming, accessible and enriching for all ages.

A Living Collaboration

Now in its second year under the Chelsea Heritage Quarter banner, the festival reflects a shared ambition between partners to champion Chelsea’s rich and complex history. From military service and medicinal botany to political intrigue and cultural rebellion, the stories told here continue to resonate far beyond our neighbourhood.

We look forward to welcoming visitors to the Royal Hospital this September, and to another inspiring edition of the Chelsea History Festival.

Tickets are on sale now at www.chelseaheritagequarter.co.uk