A New Crystal Palace
Event schedule details
Saturday 6 June and Sunday 7 June
12.00–18.00
Event location details
Exhibition Road
Re-imagining an engineering wonder for our time.
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations (1851) was a landmark world fair celebrating industrialisation and global modernity, shaped by the British Empire. Held in Hyde Park inside the pioneering Crystal Palace – and constructed from glass and iron in just seventeen weeks – it attracted over six million visitors. While it embodied Victorian optimism and industrial triumph, it also reveals how Britain understood itself as modern, advanced, and globally dominant.
In 2026, 175 years later, the Museum of Architecture, Neal Shasore, Rob Fiehn and the Great Exhibition Road Festival launched a design competition to imagine a new Crystal Palace—one that celebrates the cultural, scientific and industrial achievements of 2026.
A shortlist of selected works proposing how a contemporary Crystal Palace might host and embody such an ambitious project today will be displayed at this year's Great Exhibition Road Festival.
Visitor information
This is a drop-in event suitable for all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
The event has step-free access.
Find out more about the Great Exhibition
To attend the Festival, please make sure to register for free. Registering is the only way to receive the latest Festival updates, a first look at the programme, and opportunities to book free tickets for popular events.
Event categories
- Adults
- Family (ages 5+)
- Exhibit