Museum Socials

Museum Socials are back at the National Museum of Scotland on Friday 20 November, part of a regular run that's been going since September and will keep running through to 19 March 2027. The sessions happen on the third Friday of every month, from 10:30 to 12:00, in the Learning Centre Seminar Room on Level 4 of the museum on Chambers Street.

These are designed for people living with dementia and the people who support them — relatives, friends, carers, all welcome. Each session is relaxed and informal, working its way through a different museum theme using a mix of curator talks, object handling and creative crafts. There's a warm welcome and tea and cake provided, so it's as much about the company as it is about the museum stuff.

If you're in the building, there's also Giants showing in Special Exhibition Gallery 1 on Level 3. It opened on 31 January and looks at the colossal prehistoric creatures that lived after the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, told through life-sized 3D sculptures, skeletons and fossils designed and produced by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Entry is free, but you do need to book, and spaces are limited to 25 per session. Bookings open a month before each one, so if you're eyeing the 20 November date, you'll want to get in early.