This page provides information on attending one of the events the Royal Society organises each year, which are all listed on the event listing on this website. The Royal Society is used as a venue by external organisations if the event you are attending is not organised by the Royal Society please refer to the organisers for guidance.
Types of event
The Royal Society runs a variety of free events, including:
- Free evening lectures and events for public audiences on a wide variety of topics related to science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics. These typically last one hour, including 10 minutes of questions from the audience.
- Free evening prize and international lectures, on a wide variety of topics related to science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics. These typically last one hour, including 10 minutes of questions from the audience, and a prize presentation at the end. These are usually intended for a public audience, but some speakers choose to pitch their talk at a more academic level this will normally be noted in the event listing.
- Free lunchtime lectures in the Royal Society library for public audiences, on topics relating to the history of science. These typically last up to one hour, including 10 minutes of questions.
- Discussion Meetings: free, international-level scientific conferences that address areas of rapidly developing, inter-disciplinary research. These typically last two days from 9am-5pm, and are intended for researchers in the field. Attending the meeting is free, an optional lunch is provided at a charge.
- The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition, a free public exhibition of cutting-edge scientific research. Opening hours for the exhibition vary.
Our evening lectures and events, lunchtime lectures and the Summer Science Exhibition are recommended for interested adults over the age of sixteen no formal science background or training is required. Younger children may also attend if accompanied by an adult; however, the event may not be suitable for them.
Booking and venue information
Our events are free. Booking is required as follows:
- Free evening lectures and events for public audiences: no booking available, no tickets issued. Seats are allocated to public visitors on a strictly first come first served basis. Up to 300 seats are available. For some events, we are able to arrange an overflow room, where the audience can watch the lecture via a video relay.
- Free evening prize and international lectures: unless otherwise stated on the event listing on this website, no booking available, no tickets issued. Seats are allocated to public visitors on a strictly first come first served basis. For some events, we are able to arrange an overflow room, where the audience can watch the lecture via a video relay.
- Free lunchtime lectures in the Royal Society library: please book a seat by contacting the Library. Up to 70 seats are available.
- Discussion Meetings: bookings must be made in advance of the meeting via the form accessible from the event listing on this website.
- The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition: the exhibition is free to visit. School groups must book in advance see the Summer Science Exhibition website for details.
Toilets and a cloakroom are available for the use of visitors. The Society has no café or other catering facility available to visitors, except for a free water fountain in the Basement level by the toilets. Catering is provided to Discussion Meeting attendees. The Society has no baby-changing facilities.
Directions and transport
Please see the page on directions to the Society for information on the location and a map of where the Society is. The Royal Society does not provide any parking spaces, except for visitors with a Blue Badge disabled parking permit - see below for how to book a space. Public transport or walking is recommended.
When you arrive
For all our events, with the exception of the Summer Science Exhibition, doors will not open until 45 minutes before the event is scheduled to start. If you arrive earlier than this, you may be required to wait outside our entrance until permitted to enter. To prevent overcrowding in the corridors leading to the venue, you may be required to queue either outside, or at the entranceway.
For the Summer Science Exhibition, doors open at the opening times stated.
Our security arrangements may require a bag search by our security staff.
- Free evening lectures and events, and prize and international lectures: staff will provide you with a visitor sticker and direct you to the room either the main lecture hall, or the overflow room if the main lecture hall is full. Please wear your visitor sticker in the building at all times.
- Free lunchtime lectures in the Royal Society library: please collect a badge from reception; staff will direct you to the library. Please wear your visitor badge in the building at all times.
- Discussion Meetings: please collect your name badge from the event registration desk, which will be signposted from the entrance. Please wear your visitor badge in the building at all times.
- The Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition: Please collect a visitor sticker from the welcome desk. Please wear your visitor sticker in the building at all times.
Admittance policy
- Admittance to any Royal Society event is at the discretion of the Society.
- Visitors must comply with the information given in the Booking and visitor information section above. In particular, admittance to our evening lectures and events are strictly on a first come first served basis, and admittance to our discussion meetings is only for pre-booked attendees.
- Visitors are requested to be respectful to other visitors, speakers and staff, and to comply with instructions given to them by the Chair of the event and Royal Society staff.
- The Society reserves the right to eject visitors, or to ban them from attending future Royal Society events.
- Seating is strictly subject to space and latecomers to events may not be admitted. There is no standing space available.
- No dogs or other pets are permitted, except for guide dogs.
Accessibility and special requirements
- The main entrance to the Royal Society at number 7 Carlton House Terrace has four steps from street level to the doorway, and a wheelchair lift which is operable by the reception staff if you require use of the lift, please use the buzzer located to the right-hand side of the entrance steps.
- The main venue for our evening lectures and events is on the same level as the entrance. We have lifts to all floors, including the basement, which have wheelchair-accessible toilets, and the first floor, where the library is located. Wheelchair users that require the library will be escorted by a member of staff through a security door on the first floor.
- A wheelchair space can usually be made available in our venues - we usually reserve a block of removable seats. If you require a wheelchair space, it would be greatly appreciated if you could contact us in advance to ensure a space will be made available, and arrive at least twenty minutes before the start of the event.
- The main lecture hall for our evening events has a hearing induction loop hearing aid users can use this by switching their hearing aid to the 'T' position. Visitors using the hearing induction loop report that sitting towards the side of the room ensures the best performance. For some evening events we are able to arrange an overflow room, which will usually have either a hearing induction loop or an IR loop with headsets.
- The Royal Society has a very limited number of parking spaces immediately outside the front door, which may be available for visitors with a Blue Badge disabled parking permit. To book a space, please contact the Royal Society reception desk on 020 7451 2500.
- For other requirements, please contact us in good time, so that arrangements, where possible, can be made.
Food and drink
No food or drink is allowed to be consumed in the venues.
Recording, photography, video and webcasting
- Visitors are not permitted to take photography or make recordings in our building.
- We frequently take an audio, video or still photography record of our events, and may broadcast the event live or subsequently via our website.
- In return for access to the event, you irrevocably consent to the photography, filming, recording or live broadcast/streaming to any Royal Society website and subsequent broadcast, reproduction and use of the photography, film or recording for the purposes of furthering the Royal Society's charitable objectives, through whatever media worldwide. This includes any question or comment you make at the event, which you also consent to the Royal Society reproducing and publishing in any transcript or other printed record of the event or any part of it (eg, for our discussion meetings, speakers may wish to include your question in the journal paper associated with their talk).
- As the majority of our events are available as webcasts or audio downloads, transcripts are not provided for our events.
- The Royal Society records CCTV images throughout the building and in the forecourt, as a security measure.
Smoking policy
Smoking is not permitted anywhere on Royal Society premises, including the forecourt.